top reasons 2011 volkswagen cc check engine light

Blocked diesel particulate filterĪ diesel particulate filter (DPF) is fitted to modern diesel-powered cars in order to trap soot from the exhaust and reduce your emissions. If this happens, take your car to be serviced as soon as you can. Problems like unburned fuel leaking and/or a leaky exhaust valve can damage or even break your catalytic converter, which will subsequently activate your engine management light.Ī damaged catalytic converter is a major problem, proving environmentally unsafe and potentially expensive. It transforms toxic carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide gases into a mix of CO2, nitrogen and water. The catalytic converter is responsible for reducing harmful emissions made by your car. This is a serious issue, with the potential to not only turn the engine management light on, but also briefly cut the engine when you’re driving at high speeds. Over time, it’s easy for a fuel pump to become clogged or dirty, to the point where it doesn’t do its job properly. Just reattach it properly and the engine management light should turn after you’ve been on the road for a short while. Luckily, a loose fuel cap is an easy fix. This reduces your fuel efficiency and can also be a safety risk. This is because a loose cap can cause vapour loss, where fuel evaporates and subsequently escapes from the car.

If your fuel filler cap is loose or missing, it can set off your engine management light. Replacing one or more spark plugs should fix this issue, although the problem may be to do with something else, including coil packs, which control the spark plugs. If you’re in a petrol car, problems with your spark plugs can set off your engine warning light. Mass airflow sensors (MAF), meanwhile, measure the fuel/air mixture in an engine, and if they detect this blend is not right, of if a MAF develops a fault itself, the EML light can appear. This indicates whether or not an engine is burning too little or too much fuel and, if the sensors find a problem, they can set off the engine management light. Oxygen sensors measure how much unburnt oxygen passes through the exhaust. Here are some of the most common problems that could cause your engine management light to turn on: Oxygen sensors/mass airflow sensor What can cause the engine management light to come on? What to do if the engine management light comes onĪs outlined above, what you do if the EML appears will to a certain extend be determined by what type of EML is showing, but in short you should get your car looked at as soon as possible, stopping driving if the red EML appears, or you have any concern that your car may lose power or stop altogether – you don’t want to be on the road when either of those things happen. If you see this, you should stop at the nearest safe place and call your breakdown provider straight away. Red engine management lightĪ red engine management light means that there is a very serious problem. If this light comes on, you should take your car to be inspected immediately. You might be able to feel your car shake, or the engine could suddenly sound different. Flashing engine management lightĪ flashing orange light means that there is a problem that could affect how the car drives or handles, such as an engine misfire. If this light comes on and persists, it means that you should be able to keep driving as normal, but take your car to be looked at by a garage as soon as you can. What does the engine management light mean? Amber engine management lightĪn orange or amber light is the least serious. The EML is represented by a universal symbol in the shape of an engine outline, while each car can show an amber, red or flashing EML, with each indicating a certain severity of problem.

When something goes wrong – either slightly or seriously – the EML can illuminate to alert you. By measuring things like the amount of air being drawn into the system, the type of emissions being produced, how well the engine is igniting the fuel, and numerous other aspects, a car’s on-board computers can tell how well the vehicle is running. Modern cars feature multiple on-board sensors that monitor how the engine and other systems are performing. The EML will not alert you to a specific issue as a ‘low coolant’ or ‘check oil level’ message or light would, instead being a general warning that there is something wrong with your car. Having the engine management light appear can be concerning, but what does this light actually mean, how serious is it, and what can you do to sort it?Īn engine management light, or EML (sometimes also called the ‘check engine light’) is a dashboard warning light that illuminates when an issue with your car’s engine, exhaust or emissions system has cropped up.

Top reasons 2011 volkswagen cc check engine light