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What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2012 Ford F-250 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a lot disparate 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 2012 Ford F-250. Some of these include shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, 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 disparate things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as alarming as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2012 Ford F-250, contact Coggin Ford Jacksonville. Contact Coggin Ford Jacksonville today! Our Ford service department can aid you learn what code is turning your check engine light on or observe why your check engine light is shining.

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

Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how several miles you can drive with the warning light on. It could be anything from a detrimental sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Coggin Ford Jacksonville to help prefer if your vehicle is protected to drive in or if we endorse a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.

Is it safe to drive your 2012 Ford F-250 with the check engine light on?

This question is not exceptionally attentive 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 frequently 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 unhealthy problem. If the check engine light is shining, this means that there is a unhealthy issue and it is recommended to service your Ford F-250 immediately. Call the mentors at Coggin Ford Jacksonville by dialing 9047478996 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2012 Ford to our certified mechanics as soon as likely.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2012 Ford F-250 will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is serviced. 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 intelligent, 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 2012 Ford F-250 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 Coggin Ford Jacksonville so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2012 Ford F-250?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as plain as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a compelling problem that could cause compelling break to your engine and come with a large repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow customarily means something less compelling but a shining check engine light implies that your vehicle’s engine is in compelling trouble and service is necessary at this moment. If your check engine light is shining in your 2012 Ford F-250, we immensely advocate not to drive the vehicle and schedule Ford service at this moment. Below is a list of the most normal reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your 2012 Ford F-250 has a vacuum leak. Every Ford F-250 has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower bad 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 heated.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are decisive for your 2012 Ford F-250. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel assortment in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires bring the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or historic, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In a microscopic 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, first-rate to more expensive repairs.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Ford F-250 is what determines how much fuel is decisive to run your engine efficiently by measuring the reward 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 Ford F-250 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a hasty change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or added item can wreak havoc on your 2012 Ford F-250 if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can discard the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even hinder the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound simple, bring your F-250 to Ford and have our squad of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a microscopic bit more but could save you money from having to get poor function and damage caused by poor installation function corrected.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2012 Ford F-250’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function 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 Coggin Ford Jacksonville offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Ford service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2012 Ford F-250 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 added problems from overheating.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2012 Ford F-250 is every decisive. 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 a microscopic decades ago, and they don't genuinely require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Ford you drive, but check our contemporary service coupons and specials.
  • One of the most contemporary and countless cause is that your 2012 Ford F-250 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2012 Ford F-250 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 historic 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 suddenly after you put gas in your 2012 Ford F-250, 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, simple as the O2 sensor, measures the reward of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be less possible 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 2012 Ford F-250's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to imply the honorable assortment 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.

2012 Ford F-250 Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard promptly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear polite 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 admitted as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your F-250. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling considerable diagnostics will give you essential knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, easy and handy vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of attainable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of attainable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is efficient for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. If the engine light comes on due to a compatible concern, you risk damaging your car further by not repairing the issue noble away. Call Coggin Ford Jacksonville at 9047478996 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a certified Ford mechanic.

2012 Ford F-250 Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are bountiful achievable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are copious accepted causes including something as prevalent as a loose gas cap. Contrasting accepted reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, 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 Ford Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as basic to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Ford issue was fixed.

Every 2012 Ford F-250 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its difficult systems. The sensors are frequently detecting conditions while sending data to the electrical control company. If the electrical control company 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 absolutely is amiss nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Coggin Ford Jacksonville 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 experienced.

Check Engine Light Service 2012 Ford F-250

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Ford F-250 and quickly, a yellow light brightens on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Ford owners, your heart sinks a small because you have small 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 imply 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 2012 Ford F-250 checked as soon as responsive. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major damage to fancy engine components.

When your 2012 Ford F-250's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t meager, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is often 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 elect for with an mechanical inspect tool that is used by our Ford auto repair mechanics at Coggin Ford Jacksonville. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you suggest that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an trained trained to suggest the issue and repair it.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The central cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is typically between $88 and $111. The confident news, Coggin Ford Jacksonville offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help designate the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not subsequently tightened to a more hazardous failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it confident to get the legal code reading and diagnosis.

2012 Ford F-250 Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2012 Ford F-250 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs urgent attention and your Ford should be delivered in expeditiously. A flashing light indicates that the problem is adequate and if not taken care of expeditiously may result in gargantuan damage to the vehicle. This blinking light usually indicates a competent engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be ejected into the exhaust system. There it can suddenly 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 solely be the cause. A harmful, departed 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 very expensive repair. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our department of automotive experts at Coggin Ford Jacksonville abruptly by calling 9047478996.