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Is it safe to drive your 2013 Honda Pilot with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a bizarre issue and it is recommended to service your Honda Pilot promptly. This question is not very simple 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 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 inconceivable problem. Call the experts at Nalley Honda by dialing 7707568717 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your 2013 Honda to our certified mechanics as soon as productive.

2013 Honda Pilot Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right 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 known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Pilot. There are hundreds of distinctive codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling large diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, overt and possible vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of conceivable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of conceivable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is main for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out immediately by a certified Honda mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a unsafe concern, you risk destructive your car further by not repairing the issue right away. Call Nalley Honda at 7707568717 hastily or schedule your check engine light service online today!

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

It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. If you check engine light is flashing, we advocate that you pull over and contact Nalley Honda to help learn if your vehicle is safe to commute in or if we advocate a tow truck. Since all check engine code has its own level of severity, it is difficult to predict how countless miles you can commute with the warning light on.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2013 Honda Pilot?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as friendly as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a strict problem that could cause strict damage to your engine and come with a big repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow generally means something less strict but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in strict trouble and service is necessary instantly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2013 Honda Pilot, we highly recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Honda service today. Below is a list of the most friendly reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • 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 authentic 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 2013 Honda Pilot's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to indicate the right 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.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are mandatory for your 2013 Honda Pilot. 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 bring 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 damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, large to more expensive repairs.
  • Your 2013 Honda Pilot has a vacuum leak. Every Honda Pilot has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps cut 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, extremely if they’re exposed to notable heat or extreme bitter.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or additional item can wreak havoc on your 2013 Honda Pilot if it’s not installed properly. 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 natural, bring your Pilot to Honda and have our company of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, extremely aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a scant bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • One of the most natural and copious cause is that your 2013 Honda Pilot gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2013 Honda Pilot 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 immediately after you put gas in your 2013 Honda Pilot, first thing you should check is to make fearless the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2013 Honda Pilot is every imperative. 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 Honda you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Honda Pilot is what determines how much fuel is mandatory 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 conclusive changes, like altitude. If your Honda Pilot is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden 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 Honda Pilot’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 Nalley Honda offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Honda service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2013 Honda Pilot 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 additional problems from overheating.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2013 Honda Pilot will typically shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. 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 several 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 Honda Pilot light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you commute over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Nalley Honda so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Check Engine Light Service 2013 Honda Pilot

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Honda Pilot and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Honda owners, your heart sinks a tiny because you have tiny idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the rate 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 Honda Pilot checked as soon as friendly. Ignoring that warning could end up causing big damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2013 Honda Pilot's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the professional control system that it can’t good, 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 find out with an technological scan tool that is used by our Honda auto repair mechanics at Nalley Honda. There are also a number of relatively justifiable code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to pick the issue and repair it.

2013 Honda Pilot Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are plentiful potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are copious friendly causes including something as conspicuous as a loose gas cap. Supplemental friendly reasons for a Check Engine Light are damaged oxygen sensor, faulty emissions control part, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty head gasket, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Honda Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Honda issue was fixed.

Every 2013 Honda Pilot was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its critical systems. The sensors are continuously detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit 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 specifically is amiss nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Nalley Honda provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Exceptionally Qualified Service licensed.

2013 Honda Pilot Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2013 Honda Pilot starts shining, that means that the problem needs immediate attention and your Honda should be brought in hastily. A shining light indicates that the problem is dangerous and if not taken care of hastily may result in big damage to the vehicle. This flashing light frequently indicates a severe engine misfire allowing unused fuel to be ditched into the exhaust system. There it can instantly expand the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is feasible, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can surely be the cause. A bad, popular or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our department of automotive experts at Nalley Honda rapidly by calling 7707568717. 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 particularly expensive repair.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most naturally misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2013 Honda Pilot is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few chance 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 collection of things for your 2013 Honda Pilot. Some of these include controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions ignition timing, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a assortment of contrasting things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as stern as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2013 Honda Pilot, contact Nalley Honda. Contact Nalley Honda today! Our Honda service department can help you pick what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.

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 properly tightened to a more indisputable failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it comfortable to get the accessible code reading and diagnosis. The middle cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is generally between $88 and $111. The comfortable news, Nalley Honda offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help recommend the cause of your check engine light.