<p>Our 1997 Subaru Outback’s check engine light is on. It has been on before but the mechanic said it was a problem with the sensor, as opposed to the engine. We replaced the sensor and the light became off. Now that it’s on again and we won’t be able to get to a repair anytime soon, we were wondering if anyone knows this to be of immediate concern in terms of safety? Thanks.</p>
<p>Did you check your gas cap? Leaving the gas cap off cam make your check engine light go on. It’s impossible to tell if it’s a serious problem. It probably isn’t, but it could be. No way to tell from here. :)</p>
<p>My daughter has a '90 Ford Probe that was gifted to her by her uncle, and the check engine comes on and off periodically every time it’s driven. This has been over the last five or six years. </p>
<p>Any number of specific sensors, working or faulty, can set it off. As long as your oil level and pressure are fine, your coolant level is ok, the vehicle is not overheating, it’s most probably driveable provided you have not noticed hard starting, poor performance or running rough.</p>
<p>Our particular Probe problem is caused with sensor incompatability. When my brother in law owned the vehicle, he had to replace the cooling fan with a different make/model as part was “no longer available”. My mechanic, who I trust completely, told me not to worry.</p>
<p>Had just this same thing happen when driving in a slightly newer vintage Subaru than yours, perhaps 2002. We had just gotten gas, and the check engine light came on. The manual said to check to make sure the gas cap is tight, as is can be a pressure issue. Check the oil, and if ok, don’t worry.</p>
<p>I helped a lady yesterday who was stuck at a gas station because her car (Mercedes SL) wouldn’t start because the gas cap wasn’t tight but she couldn’t get the cap off. I got it off and she was okay.</p>
<p>Check your owner’s manual as it generally will have guidance as to how urgent your particular check engine light is. As violadad said - make sure the basic important things are okay - oil level, oil pressure, coolant level, temperature. Most of these check engine lights are due to faulty sensors.</p>
<p>You can take your car to an Autozone, Kragen’s etc. and they’ll usually read the trouble code for free and then you’ll know what it is.</p>
<p>We also have a more recent Subaru Outback, and this has also happened because of the gas cap not being put on properly (tight enough). Perhaps a phone call to your dealer might be helpful in determining what other reasons, if any, it could be.</p>
<p>If it’s a '97, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the light pops on and off for no reason. My car (a '96 Saab) continues to tell me that my brake light is off, but they’re all working fine. Unfortunately, there’s not a good way to tell whether or not the problem is serious. Run through the basics, and if those are all fine, then just take the car in sometime when you have a chance to get it checked out. It would be a good idea to get a AAA card, if you don’t have one already.</p>
<p>check your O-ring on your gas cap. If it’s cracked, you may not be getting a tight enough seal (and you won’t pass your next smog check if you’re in California). I had a problem with my check engine light and found out I just needed to replace my gas cap.</p>
<p>Had you driven through a puddle? That can cause the check engine light to come on (at least on GM products). My truck (a despised '99 Chevy Sliverado stretch cab) has the light come on sporadically, but it’s the transmission going out in it (confirmed by the fact the it doesn’t want to shift half the time, beats you to death doing it the other half of the time and the guy at AutoZone).</p>
<p>CHeck engine lights (CEL) come on when a “code” is generated by any number of onboard sensors. It can be any number of things. Autozone will loan you a diagnositic code reader to plug into the car (usually just under the dash) which will give you the number of the code that is being generated. You can then look it up on one of the Subaru boards. </p>
<p>In other models of cars, some of the more common codes relate to the exhaust gas recirculation system, the oxygen sensors, etc. None of these are life threatening and many people drive with CEL lights on all the time. I think more than 80 % of NYC cabs have the CEL on. Depending on the car, some can be cleared by simply disconnecting the battery for a minute or two. </p>
<p>Go to autozone and use the code reader, and then look it up through google. You will be able to find a Subaru message board with lots of very smart DIY ers who can guide you more honestly than your dealer probably will.</p>
<p>Do make sure to check the coolant and the oil the old fashioned way. IF you have coolant, oil, transmission fluid and the brakes are OK, then you are probably safe to drive. Keep an eye on the engine temperature gauge.</p>
<p>I had a Saturn wagon. The check engine light kept coming on. I took it to the mechanic and he could find nothing wrong and said “it must be a problem with the light”. Then it came on and stayed on, I went to another mechanic. He said he could find nothing wrong but suggested I take the car to a transmission place - his computer was just giving him an error message but not diagnosing any problem. He explained that the computer he uses for testing checks the engine but not the transmission. So I went to a transmission shop. Sad story. It was too late for the transmission. I ended up buying another car rather than dumping money into a car I never liked.</p>
<p>Our Ford Explorer (2001) light comes on when the gas cap isn’t tight. However, it will not go off right away once the gas cap is on tight… take about a day for it to go off.</p>
<p>Same thing with my Toyota. I accidentally left the gas cap by the tank at the gas station (just flipped the gas door closed and drove off…duh). About 24 hours later my check engine light came on. We discovered the missing gas cap and went to the dealership to buy a replacement. It took about 2 days for the check engine light to go off.</p>
<p>BMW has a gas cap light, which if the cap is not clicked in place, or if gas cap is taken off while car is still running, it comes on. Service folks said it used to register as “check engine”, which panicked people, so they added this specific gas cap light. Once this gas cap light is triggered, even after tightening, next time it is driven, it will recycle the check to be sure everything is okay, then it goes off. Good luck!</p>
<p>I am having this problem right now. The light came on five days after I got gas (in NJ, where self-service gas is apparently illegal), and sure enough the attendant had not put the cap on correctly. However, it’s now four days (and about 90 miles) since I fixed the cap problem, and the light is still on.</p>
<p>In Subaru’s, it usually takes several cycles for the check engine light to go off if it was due to a loose gas cap. You can take your car to auto zone & they can clear out the code with their hand-held code checker - for free.</p>
<p>As ucla dad said, go to a local auto parts store. They often for “free” will run a diagnostic (shop cost around $100)test that will indicate what the car’s computer says is faulty. </p>
<p>As my favorite brother in law (my car care jesus) says… start with the cheapest solutions first when a problem occurs. A free diagnostic helps alot.</p>
<p>What is this “Autozone”? It sounds lovely.</p>
<p>EDIT: Ha! The store locator tells me I drive by two of them on a regular basis. Could’ve fooled me!</p>
<p>Coincidentally, a lady was visiting my wife yesterday and when she left in her 1998 Subaru her check engine light came on. She came back to our house since she was worried about the light. I checked the water, oil, temp, gas cap, etc. and all was okay. I checked the engine compartment and didn’t see anything obvious. I told her it s/b okay to head home but gave her my suggestion of stopping at an Autozone on the way and getting the trouble code read. I told her it was likely due to a faulty sensor or an ignition problem. </p>
<p>She stopped by the Autozone, they read her code and told her it was a misfiring in the number 3 cylinder, and she continued on her way home. Her husband ended up with some unexpected work to do when he came home yesterday!</p>
<p>We have some talented automotive mechanics and/or diagnosticians at CC…wow…I can just imagine the look from my H if I expected him to fix my third cylinder???</p>