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The Battery/Charging System Indicator Light is amber in color and looks like a battery.  When this light illuminates, or stays illuminated or comes on and off while driving it is indicating that there is an issue in the charging or starting system of your vehicle.  There are several things that is could be, the battery not holding a good charge or having bad connections, bad connections at the starter, a broken or loose alternator drive belt, a failing alternator or again not having good connections.  We recommend having this inspected and tested immediately, this light usually indicates an imminent failure that will cause a breakdown situation.

The Oil Pressure Light this is indicated in an amber color with an oil can with a drip.  This light is often misunderstood as time for an oil change light.  That is not what it is indicating, when this indicator is illuminated it is indicating that your engine is not receiving enough oil.  This could be because of low engine oil level or low engine oil pressure.  An engine that is starved of engine oil or pressure can be damaged internally within seconds or minutes of continued operation.  We recommend if that light ever comes on, turn off the car immediately and have it towed to your trusted repair facility to have it diagnosed.

The Coolant Temperature Light is amber in color and shows a thermometer in a circle. When this light illuminates it usually indicates that your engine is operating at an excessively high temperature.  The sensor for this light is measuring the temperature of the engine coolant that is circulating in the engine cooling system.  If this light comes on it is recommended to turn off the vehicle immediately and have it towed to your trusted repair facility for a diagnosis of the overheating engine.  Please keep in mind that engine can overheat without that light coming on if the coolant level is low.  So make sure your coolant level is checked regularly with oil change services and immediately address any leaks of coolant that you may see from under your vehicle. Also, never attempt to remove a radiator cap on a vehicle that is overheating you can get seriously injured due to the amount of pressure build up in that system.

Lastly, there is the Transmission Temperature Light that is much like the Coolant Temperature Light, this light will illuminate when your transmission is operating at an extremely high temperature.  It can turn on due to low fluid level, or poor transmission fluid condition, transmission pump flow, or when the vehicle is being used for towing at high temperatures.  It is recommended to have the vehicle towed in to your trusted repair facility if this light stays illuminated, if it goes back off, then we would recommend having it diagnosed as soon as possible.  A transmission that is operating at too high of a temperature can cause internal damage to the transmission.

The different warning lights on your dash, which we have discussed in the past few articles, is your vehicles way of talking to you.  Make sure and listen then take the appropriate action to minimize any damage or down time with your vehicle.  Happy Motoring!

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Maintenance required light is often questioned by consumers.  This is a reminder light, not really a warning light and it is set by the mileage of your vehicle.  When the vehicle is serviced with oil changes or other maintenance items, this light should be reset.  Then it will come back on when it is due for maintenance.  If you look in your vehicle manual it is set up based on the scheduled service intervals recommended in your book.  If you would like to service your vehicle more frequently you can have the maintenance reminder reprogrammed based on your preference.

The malfunction indicator light is known as the check engine light or the service engine soon light.  It can illuminate as an Engine Symbol or the words Check Engine or Service Engine. If this light comes on this means that the computer of your vehicle has recognized that a circuit, system or sensor in your vehicle is working out of parameters.  This problem can affect engine performance and emissions.  If the light stays solidly on, we recommend making an appointment with your trusted repair facility soon and having the vehicle diagnosed and repaired.  If the light is flashing on/off this is considered a catalytic converter damaging condition and you will usually feel a difference in the performance of the vehicle.  In this type of situation you should pull over, turn off the car and have it towed to your trusted repair facility before further damage or a breakdown occurs.

During the next article we will go over a couple warning lights that have to do with some of the safety features of the vehicle.  Happy Motoring!

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