Honda Accord Check Engine Light
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Honda Accord Check Engine Light Codes
The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, 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 Accord. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you useful knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, obvious and helpful vehicle symptoms do not always 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:
- Emissions controls issues
- Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
- Old Battery
- Computer output circuit issues
- Ignition system faults
- Fuel and air metering systems problems
- Bad Spark Plugs
- Transmission issues
- O2 Sensor
This is why it is important for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Nalley Honda at 7707568717 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! If the engine light comes on due to a relentless concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue justifiable away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out abruptly by a certified Honda mechanic.
How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?
Since any check engine code has its have level of severity, it is laborious to predict how several miles you can drive with the warning light on.
The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy subsequently. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. If you check engine light is flashing, we advocate that you pull over and contact Nalley Honda to help suggest if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we advocate a tow truck.
What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?
One of the most commonly misunderstood lights or indicators in your Honda Accord is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few 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 Honda Accord. Some of these include controlling engine speed, ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability 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 serious as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Honda Accord, contact Nalley Honda. Our Honda service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or inspect why your check engine light is shining. Contact Nalley Honda today!
Check Engine Light Service Honda Accord
What do you do when you’re driving along in your Honda Accord and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says «Check Engine». If you’re like most Honda owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little 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 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 recommended that you get your Honda Accord checked as soon as possible.
Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to expensive engine components.
When your Honda Accord’s ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle’s onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t correct, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically 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 identifies as 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 Honda auto repair mechanics at Nalley Honda. There are also a number of relatively 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 issue and repair it.
Is it safe to drive your Honda Accord with the check engine light on?
If the check engine light is shining, this means that there is a alarming issue and it is recommended to service your Honda Accord abruptly. This question is not very convincing 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 mostly indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a variety in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more awesome problem. Call the experts at Nalley Honda by dialing 7707568717 so you can describe the issues. Or lower your speed and bring your Honda to our certified mechanics as soon as accessible.
How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?
The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that’s not correctly tightened to a more sincere failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car’s oxygen sensors, so it forceful to get the convenient code reading and diagnosis.
The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is customarily between $88 and $111. The forceful news, Nalley Honda offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help indicate the cause of your check engine light.
Honda Accord Check Engine Light
A blinking light hints that the problem is reasonable and if not taken care of promptly may result in efficient damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your Honda Accord starts blinking, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Honda should be brought in promptly. This blinking light usually indicates a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can quickly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can absolutely be the cause. A bad, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire.
If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a extremely expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Nalley Honda rapidly by calling 7707568717.
Honda Accord 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 several common causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other common reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Honda Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as needed to restore factory specifications.
When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Honda issue was fixed.
Every Honda Accord was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its crucial systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending 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. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Nalley Honda provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Highly Qualified Service professional.
Will the check engine light reset itself?
The check engine light on your Honda Accord will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed.
For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it’s tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going functional, 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 Honda Accord 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 Nalley Honda so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.
What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Honda Accord?
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 also be a warning of a serious problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow typically means something less serious but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in serious trouble and service is needed immediately.
If your check engine light is flashing in your Honda Accord, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Honda service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:
- Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or extra item can wreak havoc on your Honda Accord if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket elements and accessories can discard the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, bring your Accord to Honda and have our company of certified technicians ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren’t causing any issue. Getting accessories, exceedingly aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM elements first place might cost a scant bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
- Your Honda Accord has a vacuum leak.
Every Honda Accord has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also 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 bare out and crack, exceedingly if they’re exposed to unusual heat or extreme enraged. - Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the fee of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less dynamic when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your Honda Accord’s spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to mean the proper variety of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine.
A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test. - New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are crucial for your Honda Accord. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel variety in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If you’re spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or classic, you will experience 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 expensive repairs.
- Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Honda Accord’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter’s perform is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide.
A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Nalley Honda offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Honda service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don’t get it repaired, your Honda Accord 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 extra problems from overheating. - The battery is low or dead. The battery in you Honda Accord every intense. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did some decades ago, and they don’t really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Honda you drive, but check our ongoing service coupons and specials.
- Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Honda Accord is what determines how much fuel is crucial to run your engine efficiently by measuring the fee of air entering the engine.
As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to convinced changes, like altitude. If your Honda Accord is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a immediate change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor. - One of the most ordinary and copious cause is that your Honda Accord gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Honda Accord serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren’t driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is classic or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn’t expensive. If your check engine light turns on immediately after you put gas in your Honda Accord, first thing you should check is to make fearless the cap isn’t loose — or that it’s still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
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SOLVED: P0420 OBD-II Trouble Code — how to fix? — 1998-2002 Honda Accord
2.3L 4cyl or 3.0L V6, 6th Generation
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eliza almstedt
@elizaalmstedt
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My honda 2002 Accord LX Coupe Check engine light went on. I took the car for a code check and it came up with the code P0420 . Please suggest how to fix it.
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Charles Martin
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As stated, it could be a leak in your exhaust, a faulty oxygen sensor, or most likely a filthy catalytic converter. If your catalytic converter is loaded with residue and build-up, it will hamper its ability to convert raw smog into a much cleaner exhaust. Taking it off and cleaning it yourself isn’t recommended because then you will have to deal with rusty old exhaust fasteners which are a pain in the neck. If you want to give cleaning it a shot instead of replacing it altogether, try catalytic converter cleaner. There are a few effective ones in this listof the top brands.
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oldturkey03
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@elizaalmstedt P0420 is the «Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)» error code. Causes for this could be any of these (and many more):
A damaged or failed oxygen / O2 sensor
Downstream oxygen sensor wiring damaged or connected improperly
Damaged or leaking exhaust manifold / catalytic converter / muffler / exhaust pipe
Cylinder misfire
Most common likely cause for your model and year Honda would be a failed catalytic converter. That would require a replacement.
Check on here to see what and how you can check.
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Woody
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Not sure what the set up is on the protege but for my 1998 Saturn the bank one 02 sensor is just below the outlet of the exhaust manifold. the car has 261000 miles on it so its not worth putting a pile of money in it . Heres what I did. Remove the 02 sensor, pour 4 to 6 ounces of seafoam down the hole ,reinstall the 02 sensor (remember to put antisieze on the threads) let it sit overnight. reset code and drive. It will put out a fair amount of white smoke, but that will clear after driving a few miles. after 1000 miles the p0420 has not returned. Will repeat process if it does.
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brieannacm18
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My car has same problem but Mazda protoge 2000 any help plz
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Alan Southard
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Trying to figure this p0420 code out on my 2003 accord.