All About Flashing check engine light & Blinking cruise control light

Last updated on July 11th, 2023 at 04:47 pm

This article will answer all your questions on Check Engine Light, what flashing check engine light means and Blinking cruise control light and will discuss in detail all about flashing check engine light

Here are the highlight of subtopics relating to flash check engine light the will discussed:

The truth about check engine light
What to do when check engine light flashing
what does flashing check engine light means
How to Diagnose Flashing check engine light?
Why Is My Check Engine Light Flashing And Car Shaking
What it means when check engine light flashing then stops (flashing check engine light then stops)
What a Blinking Check Engine Light Mean

With the list above in mind let’s get right into each of them. Feel free to skip to the part you are having difficulty with.

What is a Check Engine Light? (The Truth about Flash check engine light )

Part of your car OBD (on-board diagnostic) system is a Flashing check engine light which is run by the electronic control module also referred to as ECM present in the car’s processor.

ECM controls the majority of the electrical system connections in resent modern cars. The ECM constantly scans for out of range operating parameters which is recounted by lots of other sensors and actuators.

The sensors and actuator are what sense a bad fuel injection, a misfire, irregular fuel pump activities and engine performance issue, etc.

When any of these are noticed, the first thing your car computer will try to correct itself and it couldn’t then your car computer will try to correct the issue.

If the car computer could not rectify the problem, the car OBD processor will then save a DTC (diagnostic trouble code) in memory which is what makes the check engine light to come on.

Usually, it could either be a still check engine light or a flashing check engine light

If it is a Flashing check engine light, then know it’s serious.

In this guide, you’ll find out what type of issues normally will turn on the check engine light, what it means when it flashes, how you can retrieve the trouble codes stored in your car’s computer, and how to go about deciphering those codes to help you fix your vehicle.

What could cause the check engine light to come on?

Your car engine computer performs two-trip monitoring and it usually takes two failures to account before the check engine light will then appear on in your car.

So there are mainly two kinds of checking that your engine computer does: continuous and non-continuous checking or monitoring.

On continuous monitoring, the computer systems present in your car are constantly observed and monitored whenever the engine is on.

The most common ones are engine misfire and engine timing concerns. If something goes wrong with the two, then there can be a serious failure.

When it comes to non-continuous monitoring, your vehicle’s engine computer will run the required tests when the conditions are right.

For example, when your engine computer runs the catalytic converter test, it has to conduct the test when the catalytic converter is at the ideal temperature.

Also, watch this video where Scotty discusses more on the truth about check engine light.

So what happens if you drive with your check engine light on?

Nothing really will happen while driving when the check engine light comes on. It all depends on the reason the light is on in the first place and whether the light is solid or its flashing.

The solid light just tells you that the ECU has faced something outside normal operating parameters in the car engine.

How long can you drive with check engine light on?

So you are driving and suddenly the check engine light appeared and then you start wondering how long can you drive with check engine light on?

The answer to this question will depend on whether the light is solid or not.

If the car’s check engine light is solid, you will be able to drive the car for 160kilometres without any problem, but after then you might start experiencing issues.

This also depends on the type of code that is stored in the car’s computer. If it is a faulty engine sensor, the car typically will use made up sensor values to keep running for a while.

There will be a decline in fuel productivity and car performance, but you will be able to drive without trouble. It’s not an emergency, but you should still try to see your mechanic as soon as possible

Can You Drive with the Check Engine Light On?

You will be able to drive your car If the car’s check engine light is still or solid, your only limitation is when the car is not running smoothly while the engine light is on. In this case, you have to stop driving it.

If it is flashing the even, try moving it all else this might lead to major costly problems that will cost you’re a lot of money.

car shaking check engine light blinking

What happens if you drive with your check engine light on

As stated above it depends on whether the check engine light is flashing or solid.

If the light is flashing, then it is an emergency and if it is solid you still can drive without causing more damage.

A solid check engine light shows that there is a stored error code in the computer system of the car.

This also indicates that there have been multiple records of the stored error that should be attended to by you or a trusted mechanic, but you can drive when it solid check engine light.

So basically nothing will happen if you drive with your check engine light on and solid.

Flash check engine light: So what does flashing check engine light mean?

When the check engine light is flashing, it simply shows that you are creating more damage to the vehicle while driving it in the current state.

Usually, the car manufacturers created the flashing check engine light to notify or warn you that the vehicle’s catalytic converters will be damaged and broken if you keep driving.

Driving in this condition can lead to a very expensive repair later, which may require a replacement of the catalytic converter of which the average cost is: $1,000 above.

Or even lead to replacing the entire engine which might cost anything around $4,000 or more.

There are so many other direct causes of this flash check engine light the video below will show you some more.

Watch this video to see them.

Flashing check engine light

What to do when: check engine light flashing then stops (flashing check engine light then stops)

Check engine light flashing when accelerating

when a check engine light is flashing while accelerating at the same time it is mostly a sign of an unclean and failing idle air control valve.

The idle air control valve reads out the air ingestion when it is mixed with fuel prior to being introduced into the engine at low speeds and at idle state.

The valve, on the other hand, is controlled by the car’s computer which usually modifies the idle speed based on so many other measurements like engine temperature, intake air temperature, and electrical system load or voltage.

So when you put the car on acceleration, the engine RPM rises, and when you let off the gas, the RPM gradually moves back to the normal idling speed.

If the engine RPM drops lower than the standard range (i.e. 750 – 800 RPM), it will in most cases cause the car engine to stall, signifying a dirty or faulty idle air control valve.

I will recommend in this situation that you consult an expert mechanic you trust to look into it.

Why Is My Check Engine Light Flashing And Car Shaking

if you note a check engine light flashing and car shaking it is highly possible you might be having an ignition-related problem. Which is really bad and has started damaging the catalytic converters already.

Normally car engine requires 3 things to run smoothly which includes: air, spark, and fuel.

If the car is flashing and shaking, it is most likely that the sparks are not happening.

It could also be the sparks are happening at intermittently or the wrong time.

It is less possible that a stutter in combustion pulses is caused by air or fuel problem.

Anyway, if you can, take it to an Auto-Zone or Pep-Boys (in the US) and ask them to scan your OBD II for any stored diagnostic codes. then you can look the codes up, on the internet.

If it is ignition related e.g. “misfire in cylinder #13″ (your car has a VW W18 18-cylinder engine in it, no?

Start by narrowing down the probabilities by switching out components.

If your car has one coil with a distributor (electronic or mechanical), try swapping spark plug from the faulty cylinder with the spark plug from another cylinder and see if you get a different code.

If the engine has one coil per cylinder (a “coil pack” that sits atop the spark plug), try exchanging the entire coil pack and spark plug unit with an alternative cylinder.

check engine light flashing then stops

Check engine light flashing then stops (If flashing check engine light then stops)

If you have read this article the beginning to this point, then you should have known that when driving your car, it runs series of test on own when it notices any problem it then stores an error code in the memory.

This is when it turns on the check engine light in the first place, but that doesn’t stop there,

The car computer after turning the check light will still continue to run a series of more text to ascertain the condition of the car.

And when the check engine light stops flashing that means that it could dictate further problem.

Don’t get his wrong this could also mean worse.

Maybe severe damage has occurred of which you need to be looking out for other signs in the car.

Like sound, smooth rid, etc.

Car Shaking Check Engine Light Blinking

What Does a Blinking Check Engine Light Mean?

A blinking check engine light means that your car computer control system has encountered or discovered an issue the system on its own cannot handle or resolve.

This makes the computer to store a trouble code in the memory and then triggers the check engine light to come on.

The stored code’s main purpose is to ascertain the cause of the problem.

So to read this code and understand the problem, you will be needing a diagnostic computer or an electronic scan tool. Commonly called an OBD2 scanners

There are also numerous inexpensive code readers in the market for your DIYs.

The one I most recommend is here on Amazon

Usually, the code will only show you the issue, but you will have to meet an expert to do a complete diagnosis and repair.

Check engine light blinking (engine light flashing)

A blinking check engine light is a major issue and it important you conduct a proper diagnosis to find out what the exact issue is.

And to carry out this diagnosis you will need an OBD2 scanner to do this at home yourself if you do not want to go to a dealer or shop and pay huge for them to scam and get the code so you know what to do next.

You can find a good OBD2 scanner on Amazon.

When you have got yourself a scanner the then watch above to see how you can use it to diagnose and fix the problem.

Get OBD2 Scanner on Amazon

So if you are wondering: Can I drive my car with the check engine light blinking?

Well, my honest answer is no you cannot drive the car if the check engine light is blinking.

A blinking engine light means there is an emergency and immediate action is needed.

You have to either take your car to the shop, seek help or try to diagnosis the problem at yourself. Using an OBD2 scanner.

Blinking cruise control light.

A blinking cruise control light is due to the fact that Subaru has built most of its cars to turn on the cruise control light whenever there is an issue with the power train system.

This prevents and stops you from using cruise control if there is a problem.

If you notice a catalytic converter code, then know that it could be due to a failure in the converter or there could be an issue with an oxygen sensor.

Majority of the time this happens due to the converter, but try also check the oxygen sensor readings first That could also be another cause for a blinking cruise control light

Watch this video also to learn more.

Check engine light cruise control flashing Subaru legacy

You are likely to experience a check engine light cruise control flashing Subaru legacy light if one or more of your car fuse is blown.

This can happen when you change a new battery or installed a new battery. In most case it advisable that you pull you out the 7.5 arm fuse before any battery installation.

To rectify or stop the check engine light cruise control flashing Subaru legacy, you have to replace the blown fuse and it will solve the problem.

Watch below video to see affected fuse.

Concluding on flash check engine light

If you are faced with a blinking, flash or a flashing check engine light, it simply means a major issue has taken place within your car engine which could most likely lead a serious problem such as a misfire.

It is totally not recommended you drive your car at all when the check engine light flashing but you can drive some kilometers if the check engine light is solid while you look for a solution and run a proper diagnosis with an OBD2 scanner later on.

You can scan your car at home yourself or better still go to the shop for scan and repair/check which is a little on the high side.

You can get a scanner for cheat on Amazon to see my recommendation here.

If you have any other questions about a flashing check engine light or want to share your story of how you fixed it, comment down below.

Don’t forget to share this article to help others who will need the information. Be sure to look through AutoVfix.com for more helpful articles about your car.