My check engine light flashed then stayed on, do I need a tune up?

Question

I have a 1996 Mazda Millenia. The car hesistates and jerks when I try to accelerate and then the check engine light flashed and then stayed on

Answer 1

Listen to what these people are telling you about the seriousness of a misfire and how it can affect a catalytic converter.

It can actually get really dangerous. It recently happened to a truck I picked up at an auction. It seemed to running fine, and my son decided to drive it to work. It started misfiring badly (totally different problem that caused the misfire than yours) and he looked in his rear view mirror and could see embers coming from the back of the truck. Let me clarify that this truck had no exhaust on it from the cat back , in case any of you techs are wondering how the embers got through the muffler.

When he pulled over and checked the cat it was so hot that is was actually glowing orange. He swears he could have lit a cigarette off of it. Of course, all of this is happening in the vicinity of the gas tank and fuel lines. We fixed the problem, but the cat was ruined from the intense heat--and those are not cheap to replace.

PLEASE listen to these guys and get this fixed ASAP. As you can see by my story, this can be a dangerous problem.

Answer 2

A flashing Check Engine light for any car 1996 and up means the engine has a severe misfire. The onboard computer system OBDII found on all U.S. Cars 1996 and up was designed to notify the car owner of a severe misfire by flashing the Check Engine Light.

The hesitation and jerking verifies a misfire. Since your light is now on, the car's computer has recorded a diagnostic code. Have your car scanned with a OBD2 computer and it will tell you what cylinder is misfiring.

Other who wrote about this problem causing damage to emissions control equipment is correct. It can lead to a catalytic converter failure if the misfire is not corrected.

Answer 3

96 and newer vehicles are OBD2 (on board diagnostics) 2nd generation. A flashing check engine light means a type A misfire is happening. Type A misfire wil cause damage to emission componants. The light stops flashing when the type a misfire stops. It will leave a code stored in memory. The repair may or maynot be as simple as spark plugs or wires. Not trying to worry you but i have seen this problem b4 and some of the repairs may be costly. I have seen weak valve springs cause this. You might want to go to a Mazda dealer to have it checked out cause they know the car best and there may be a common problem with that concern on that vehicle. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

You don't Tell us the year of your car, but it sounds like it is newer than 1996.
When the "Check Engine" light is flashing, this is an indication that the engine is misfiring. This dumps raw, unburned fuel into the exhaust, and will have dire consequences for the catalytic converter.
Without delay, and with as few miles as possible, take y our car to a repair shop or the dealer for immediate diagnostics and repair.
DO NOT drive it unnecessarily.

Good Luck and Merry Christmas

Answer 5

What everyone is telling you is that you must access your vehicles OBD (On Board Diagnostics system). This will tell you, sometimes, what to replace. Auto zone as well as other auto parts stores are offering to hook you up to a PDA-like device which will tell you what part is malfunctioning. You may also be able to access your OBD info through your vehicles electronics. If you can follow their sometimes confusing directions, consult your owner's manual. This will give you the information without having to rely on some underpaid employee of an auto parts supermarket screwing it all up (the vehicle manufacturers hide it, but if you look, it's there)

Answer 6

Don't run out for a tune up, most garages can check your code, however if this vehicle is fairly new and still under warranty I would take it to an authorized dealer. Most of the time it is nothing, however I don't know what kind of car it is nor do I know what year it is.......

Answer 7

wait a day or two then take it to the shop. most check engine lights go off after a few trips if nothing is wrong. but any good shop or dealer can diagnose what is making the check engine light come on.

Answer 8

Go to Advanced auto parts or auto zone and get them to pull the code on your computer. They will tell you what made the check engine light come on. And they'll do it for free.

Answer 9

if it stayed on,make sure that your gas cap is tightened..this can make the check engine light come on due to loss of pressure..if u tighten the cap and it is still on, then it is something more serious..(i.e...loss of fluid...broken belt..etc)..take it to a professional and have it inspected

Answer 10

if its flashing that usually means theres a severe missfire and u should have it checked out soon or u may be spending more then u have to to fix it correctly.