There is no doubt that the check engine light is a very useful tool when it comes to diagnosing problems with your car. One of the most common questions we get asked here at. Depends. Most of the time, if there’s something wrong with your car, it will throw a code and set off your check engine light.
This can happen even if you have no idea what’s causing the problem! But there are some scenarios where this isn’t always true.
If you’ve recently changed your battery or had it replaced by a mechanic who didn’t reset the computer after installation, then you might be able to drive for days without setting off any lights at all.
If there’s something wrong with one of your sensors, then it might not throw up any lights at all even though it’s still throwing codes and telling the computer that there’s something wrong with this sensor.
This can happen if you have an intermittent fault or if the sensor itself has been damaged from age or corrosion over time which means it will occasionally work correctly.
How can a car throw codes without the check engine light?
A car can throw codes without the check engine light because many modern cars have a computer that monitors the car’s performance and processes information from sensors throughout the vehicle.
When something goes wrong, this computer sends out a code that identifies the problem. At least one of those codes will involve a sensor, which is what allows the computer to determine that there is an issue with your car.
The most common reason why a car would throw a code without the check engine light would be due to an issue with one of these sensors. If your car is throwing codes but not showing any other signs of trouble, then it could be due to one of these sensors not working properly or being damaged in some way.
To find out what’s causing these errors, you’ll need to take it to an auto repair shop so they can diagnose the problem for you.
What are the different types of codes?
There are two main types of codes: stored and active. A stored code is one that’s been recorded in your car’s computer but isn’t an active problem right now. An active code is one that’s causing a problem and causing the check engine light to come on.
The check engine light can be triggered by either type of code, but it will only stay on until the problem is resolved so if you have a stored code, but the check engine light goes out when you turn off your car and then comes back on when you start it again, that means there’s an active problem with your car.
What causes a car to throw a code?
The most common cause is a bad oxygen sensor. The oxygen sensor tells the computer how much oxygen is in your exhaust, which helps with fuel efficiency and emissions. When it fails, the computer throws a code for it.
Another common cause is a damaged catalytic converter. The catalytic converter takes toxins out of your exhaust and sends them off into the air so they don’t damage the environment or harm people.
When this happens, carbon monoxide starts getting into your car’s cabin instead of being dispersed by the catalytic converter. The computer will throw a code because it can’t figure out what’s going on with your exhaust system it thinks there’s something wrong with it.
Is it possible to throw a code without the check engine light?
Codes are displayed by your car’s ECU. The ECU runs through a series of self-diagnostic checks every time you start up your car. Sometimes, if there is an error in one of these checks, the ECU will trigger a code and display it as a warning on your dashboard.
If you have a modern car that uses a CAN bus system (as opposed to an older OBD1-style system), then you’ll see an indicator light on your dash to indicate that there’s something wrong with your vehicle.
But if you have an older model or one with a less-sophisticated CAN bus setup, then you might not be able to see any visual cues that there’s something wrong with your car which means that it could be throwing codes without any visual clue whatsoever.
What happens if the check engine light goes out?
The most likely possibility is that you have a broken wire, which will cause the check engine light to go off. You need to figure out which wire has broken and repair it. This can be done by tracing wires from the ECU back to their source. It may also be necessary to test each wire individually with an ohmmeter or multimeter in order to find which one is broken.
Another possibility is that there are two separate issues going on at once—one causing the CHECK ENGINE light not to come on, and another causing the CEL code. If your fuel pump stops working, it won’t trigger any indicators on your dash however, this could trigger a CEL code because now there’s no fuel getting into your engine.
Conclusion
It’s possible for a car to throw codes without the check engine light is on. However, it’s important to realize that if you do have a problem with your car and expect it to be covered under a warranty, you’ll need to bring it in for repairs before the 24-month mark. If you wait too long, then you may not be able to get coverage for your work.
You should also be aware that if your car throws codes but doesn’t have any other issues that are related to those codes, then it’s likely that your car will still pass inspection.
