Malfunction light?

Question

I have a 2004 Dodge Neon which I bought last year and today while driving the Malfunction Indicator Light came on aka OBD.
According to the manual it can be something as simple as a loose gas cap (which I've checked). Hopefully it is something simple seeing how I was recently laid off from work and funds are running very low. Any ideas?

Answer 1

If the cap was loose when you checked it (if it turned a little bit tighter) then that was probably why it happened, and you have nothing to worry about, the light will shut off after a certain number of starts.

Otherwise, it has a sensor that read out of range, chances are good it was an oxygen sensor. Best thing to do is to go to an auto parts store like Auto zone or Advance, some have a scanner that they can scan your car for codes at no charge. They should be able to tell you what the code is, and should also be able to clear it for you. Otherwise, take it to your local trusted mechanic and have it scanned.

If it is a sensor out of range, I would recommend to have it replaced as soon as you can. It won't hurt it to drive that way for short term, but if left long enough, it can cause more problems down the road, and possibly even cause the catalytic converter to get blocked up.

Answer 2

The loose gas cap is the most common thing to set that light, have you put gas in your car recently? The light will not go off if you tighten the gas cap after it sets the code.Many things can cause the light to come on, the gas cap is the simpelist and least expensive to fix. In your sircemstance. I hope that this is the case. You should take the vehicle to your local dealership and let them scan it for you, I understand you don't have a lot of cash. It will cost about $30.00 to $40.00 bucks to get it checked but in the long run it will save you time and money. I say this because if you take it somewhere else they will just start trowing parts at it and you will be paying for things that will not fix your car. The dealership will tell you what you need to fix and what it will cost to fix it. You can then choose to let them make the repairs or take it somewhere else. Regardless of what you may have heard most dealerships are not out to screw you.

Hope this helps, and good luck :) Mark B has a great answer, but the light will not go off until it is reset.

Answer 3

This could be many many things, including the loose gas cap. I understand that tightening the cap does not shut the light off right away. A mechanic with a code scanner could tell you real quick what the problem is. Then you could decide how important it is to fix it right away (probably you are polluting a little more than you should and won't hurt anything except the environment and your conscience)

Answer 4

get the free check engine light scan at autozone. or have your mech scan thecar the failure code will tell you what to do