What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Toyota 4Runner?
When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could still be a warning of an essential problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and pricey repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow usually means something less serious but a flashing check engine light signifies that your vehicle’s engine is in significant trouble and useful service is needed swiftly. If your check engine light is flashing in your Toyota 4Runner, we remarkably advise not to drive the vehicle and schedule Toyota service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:
- New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are required for your Toyota 4Runner. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run smooth. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or old, you will go through a noticeable poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more pricey repairs.
- The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Toyota 4Runner is each essential. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road in front, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a few decades ago, and they don't absolutely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Toyota you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Toyota 4Runner’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A broken catalytic converter is frequently caused by invariably neglected maintenance, which is why Stevinson Toyota West offers a free multi-point check with each Toyota service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Toyota 4Runner will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other perilous problems from overheating.
- One of the most regular and frequent cause is that your Toyota 4Runner gas cap is loose, broken or missing. The gas cap for your Toyota 4Runner serves various purposes. It prevents dangerous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps manage pressure within the fuel tank. What hits if you have a broken fuel cap? If your gas cap is old or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump and be more pricey. Luckily, to change a gas cap isn't pricey. If your check engine light turns on promptly after you put gas in your Toyota 4Runner, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
- Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns more promptly and your vehicle will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what hits if I don’t change your O2 sensor? A broken sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause serious damage to your catalytic converter and your Toyota 4Runner's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the explicitly right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A broken O2 sensor can likewise cause a car to fail an emissions test.
- Your Toyota 4Runner has a vacuum leak. Each Toyota 4Runner has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system likewise helps lower harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
- Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your Toyota 4Runner if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even limit the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your 4Runner to Toyota and have our team of accomplished certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed perfectly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a little bit more but could support you save substantially from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Toyota 4Runner is what determines how much fuel is required to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to certain changes, like altitude. If your Toyota 4Runner is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden fast replace in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a crucial sign of a broken mass airflow sensor.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your Toyota 4Runner will ordinarily shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For instance, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will instantly turn itself off. Also, if your catalytic converter is working correctly, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your Toyota 4Runner light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Stevinson Toyota West so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
Check Engine Light Service Toyota 4Runner
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Toyota 4Runner and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Toyota owners, your heart sinks drastically because you may have exactly idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep, calm breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is suggested that you get your Toyota 4Runner checked expeditiously. Ignoring that warning could end up causing extensive, huge damage to costly engine components.
When your Toyota 4Runner's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t right, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is generally labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”
When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that can swiftly identify the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Toyota auto repair mechanics at Stevinson Toyota West. There are still a number of comparatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the definitely right issue and repair it.
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most ordinarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your Toyota 4Runner is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the important onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a variety of different ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your Toyota 4Runner. Some of these essential duties include controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, and implementing security control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as unpredictable as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Toyota 4Runner, contact Stevinson Toyota West. Our Toyota service department can assist you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Stevinson Toyota West today!
Is it safe to drive your Toyota 4Runner with the check engine light on?
This question is not very simple because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is typically indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is advised to service your Toyota 4Runner immediately. Call the experts at Stevinson Toyota West by dialing 7209029966 so you can describe the issues. Or decrease your speed and bring your Toyota to our certified mechanics as soon as conceivable.
Toyota 4Runner Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, exceptionally to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your 4Runner. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can accurately represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your car and will also allow that vital Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, obvious and useful car symptoms do not invariably accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of possible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of possible reasons for the light, including:
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- O2 Sensor
- Bad Spark Plugs
- Computer output circuit issues
- Transmission issues
- Emissions controls issues
- Old Battery
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- Ignition system faults
This is why it is important for someone who does not have a lot of prevalent automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out expeditiously by a proficient certified Toyota mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your vehicle further by not repairing the issue right away. Call Stevinson Toyota West at 7209029966 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!
Toyota 4Runner Check Engine Light Flashing
Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are different regular causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other usually regular reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, broken oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, or broken spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Toyota Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and entirely repair it as necessary to restore factory specifications. When this results, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Toyota issue was entirely fixed.
Every Toyota 4Runner was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the car on its crucial systems. The quick sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending essential data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. Yet, unfortunately that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what definitely is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Stevinson Toyota West provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Extremely Qualified Service professional.
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Stevinson Toyota West to help determine if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we endorse a tow truck. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since every check engine code has its own level of severity, it is usually difficult to predict how multiple miles you can be safe in driving with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The good news, Stevinson Toyota West offers totally free multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to assist determine the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not accurately tightened to a more serious failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it good to get the appropriate code reading and diagnosis.
Toyota 4Runner Check Engine Light
A flashing light reveals that the problem is very serious and if not taken care of quickly may result in extensive and meaningful damage to the car. If the check engine light in your Toyota 4Runner starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention quickly and your Toyota should be brought in promptly. This blinking light usually signifies a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can immediately raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive and major repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can specifically be the cause. A damaged, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is repeatedly flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Stevinson Toyota West expeditiously by calling 7209029966. If the problem is entirely ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very costly repair.
