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How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. If you check engine light is flashing, we advocate that you pull over and contact Nalley Toyota Stonecrest to assist pick if your car is reliable to drive in or if we advocate a tow truck. It could be anything from a harmful sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since every check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how frequent miles you can drive with the warning light on.

Is it safe to drive your 2016 Toyota 4Runner with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a perilous issue and it is recommended to service your Toyota 4Runner immediately. This question is not very straightforward 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 commonly indicated by a dependable 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 alarming problem. Call the experts at Nalley Toyota Stonecrest by dialing 7706290279 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and transport your 2016 Toyota to our certified technicians as soon as conceivable.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most ordinarily misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2016 Toyota 4Runner 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 2016 Toyota 4Runner. Some of these include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of discrete things. It can be as straightforward as your gas cap being loose or as hazardous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2016 Toyota 4Runner, contact Nalley Toyota Stonecrest. Contact Nalley Toyota Stonecrest today! Our Toyota service department can help you read what code is turning your check engine light on or inspect why your check engine light is flashing.

Check Engine Light Service 2016 Toyota 4Runner

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Toyota 4Runner and swiftly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Toyota owners, your heart sinks a tiny because you have tiny idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the price of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t opt for 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 2016 Toyota 4Runner checked as soon as available. Ignoring that warning could end up causing extraordinary damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2016 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 positive, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically labeled ā€œcheck engineā€ or ā€œservice engine soonā€, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word ā€œcheck.ā€

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or ā€œtrouble codeā€ 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 inspect tool that is used by our Toyota auto repair mechanics at Nalley Toyota Stonecrest. There are also a number of comparatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you elect for that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to suggest the issue and repair it.

2016 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 several simple causes consisting something as simple as a loose gas cap. Substitute simple reasons for a Check Engine Light are damaged oxygen sensor, faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, or defective 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 repair it as mandatory to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Toyota issue was fixed.

Every 2016 Toyota 4Runner was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its decisive systems. The sensors are continuously detecting conditions while sending data to the electrical control unit. If the electrical 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 Toyota Stonecrest 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.

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 subsequently tightened to a more extraordinary failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it exciting to get the nice code reading and diagnosis. The average rate for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is mostly between $88 and $111. The exciting news, Nalley Toyota Stonecrest offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help imply the cause of your check engine light.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2016 Toyota 4Runner?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as authentic as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a important problem that could cause important damage to your engine and come with a extraordinary repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow frequently means something fewer important but a twinkling check engine light expresses that your vehicle’s engine is in important trouble and service is needed urgently. If your check engine light is twinkling in your 2016 Toyota 4Runner, we extraordinarily recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Toyota service today. Below is a list of the most acceptable reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • One of the most simple and frequent cause is that your 2016 Toyota 4Runner gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2016 Toyota 4Runner 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 common 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 2016 Toyota 4Runner, authentic 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.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2016 Toyota 4Runner is every critical. 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 various decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Toyota you drive, but check our present service coupons and specials.
  • 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 necessary 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 notable changes, like altitude. If your Toyota 4Runner is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your 2016 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. 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 common, 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, large to more expensive repairs.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2016 Toyota 4Runner’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's work 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 Toyota Stonecrest offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Toyota service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2016 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 different problems from overheating.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or different item can wreak havoc on your 2016 Toyota 4Runner if it’s not installed subsequently. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even hinder the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound commonplace, bring your 4Runner to Toyota and have our team of 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 authentic place might cost a small bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • Your 2016 Toyota 4Runner has a vacuum leak. Every Toyota 4Runner has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower damaging 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 important heat or extreme chilled.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, established as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less accessible 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 2016 Toyota 4Runner's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to mean the right mixture 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.

2016 Toyota 4Runner Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that slight light on your vehicle’s dashboard expeditiously flashes, 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 direct codes that your check engine light can suggest. While that sounds daunting, with a slight patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you comfortable knowledge about your car and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is genuinely supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, assorted and cooperative car symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of feasible OBD codes, there are also hundreds of feasible reasons for the light, including:

  • Old Battery
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • Transmission issues
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Computer output circuit issues
  • Ignition system faults
  • O2 Sensor
  • Bad Spark Plugs

This is why it is relentless for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Nalley Toyota Stonecrest at 7706290279 quickly 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 right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out swiftly by a certified Toyota mechanic.

2016 Toyota 4Runner Check Engine Light

A blinking light implies that the problem is relentless and if not taken care of suddenly may result in immense damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2016 Toyota 4Runner starts blinking, that means that the problem needs urgent attention and your Toyota should be delivered in suddenly. This blinking light usually suggests a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be ejected into the exhaust system. There it can expeditiously boost the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is achievable, requiring an fancy repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can precisely be the cause. A bad, classical or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Nalley Toyota Stonecrest now by calling 7706290279. 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 highly expensive repair.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2016 Toyota 4Runner will frequently 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 few 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 2016 Toyota 4Runner light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you commute over that reward and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Nalley Toyota Stonecrest so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.