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Is it safe to drive your 2013 Ford Explorer with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a precarious issue and it is recommended to service your Ford Explorer suddenly. This question is not very practical 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 typically indicated by a practical 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 Coggin Ford Jacksonville by dialing 9047478996 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2013 Ford to our certified mechanics as soon as potential.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2013 Ford Explorer will frequently 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 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 2013 Ford Explorer 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 transport it in to Coggin Ford Jacksonville so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Check Engine Light Service 2013 Ford Explorer

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Ford Explorer and swiftly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Ford owners, your heart sinks a miniature because you have miniature 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 2013 Ford Explorer checked as soon as applicable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing major break to expensive engine elements.

When your 2013 Ford Explorer's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electrical control system that it can’t honorable, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is consistently 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 probe 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 edge that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to opt for the issue and repair it.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2013 Ford Explorer?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as accepted as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a hazardous problem that could cause hazardous damage 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 typically means something fewer hazardous but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in hazardous trouble and service is mandatory expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2013 Ford Explorer, we immensely express not to drive the car and schedule Ford service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2013 Ford Explorer 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 a few decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Ford you drive, but check our prevailing service coupons and specials.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Ford Explorer is what determines how much fuel is needed 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 bold changes, like altitude. If your Ford Explorer is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a abrupt change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2013 Ford Explorer’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 fixed, your 2013 Ford Explorer 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 further problems from overheating.
  • Your 2013 Ford Explorer has a vacuum leak. Every Ford Explorer has a vacuum system that performs a wide assortment of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower detrimental 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, exceedingly if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme bleak.
  • One of the most common and bountiful cause is that your 2013 Ford Explorer gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2013 Ford Explorer 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 former 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 at this moment after you put gas in your 2013 Ford Explorer, first thing you should check is to make courageous the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your 2013 Ford Explorer. 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 former, 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 wear and tear to ignition coils and O2 sensors, big to more expensive repairs.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, known 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 handy 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 wear and tear to your catalytic converter and your 2013 Ford Explorer's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the noble 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.
  • Issues with all aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or further item can wreak havoc on your 2013 Ford Explorer if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound famous, bring your Explorer to Ford and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed perfectly and aren't causing all issue. Getting accessories, exceedingly 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 wear and tear caused by poor installation function corrected.

2013 Ford Explorer Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2013 Ford Explorer starts shining, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Ford should be brought in suddenly. A shining light indicates that the problem is risky and if not taken care of suddenly may result in major break to the vehicle. This flashing light usually indicates a rigid engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can rapidly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is probable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can explicitly 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 fancy repair. If your check engine light is glaring, please contact our unit of automotive advisors at Coggin Ford Jacksonville abruptly by calling 9047478996.

2013 Ford Explorer Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that meager light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear prudent 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 chummy as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Explorer. There are hundreds of substitute codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a meager patience, tackling critical diagnostics will give you essential knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is absolutely supposed to do: be your guide. Regrettably, clear and handy vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of achievable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of achievable reasons for the light, including:

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

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

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most typically misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2013 Ford Explorer is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in bountiful 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 assortment of things for your 2013 Ford Explorer. Some of these include controlling engine speed, ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing stability control, just to name excellent. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a mixture of diverse things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as draconian as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2013 Ford Explorer, contact Coggin Ford Jacksonville. Contact Coggin Ford Jacksonville today! Our Ford service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.

2013 Ford Explorer Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are copious capability causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are plentiful fair causes encompassing something as prevailing as a loose gas cap. Back-up fair reasons for a Check Engine Light are damaged oxygen sensor, faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty emissions control part, 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 crucial 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 2013 Ford Explorer was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its principal systems. The sensors are consistently detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control company. If the electronic 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 exactly is liable 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 Remarkably Qualified Service professional.

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. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. Since all check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how many miles you can commute with the warning light on. If you check engine light is flashing, we advise that you pull over and contact Coggin Ford Jacksonville to help pick if your vehicle is safe to commute in or if we advise a tow truck.

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 appropriately tightened to a more alarming failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it various to get the detailed code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is consistently between $88 and $111. The various news, Coggin Ford Jacksonville offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help select the cause of your check engine light.