Check engine control light is on right after starting the engine

CHECK ENGINE LAMP

Monitoring the operation of the various inputs and outputs is what on-board diagnostics is all about. When computerized engine controls went nationwide in 1981 to comply with federal emission regulations, the "Check Engine" lamp became a new feature on the instrument panel.

The "Malfunction Indicator Lamp" (or MIL as it is called today) is supposed to alert the driver when a problem occurs in the engine control system. Depending on how the system is configured and the nature of the problem, the lamp may come on and go off, remain on continuously or flash. Some types of intermittent problems will make the lamp come on only while the fault is occurring. When the problem goes away, the lamp goes off. Other types of problems will turn the light on, and it will remain on until the fault is diagnosed and repaired.

The Check Engine lamp has proven to be a great annoyance to many motorists (as well as many professional technicians) because it seems to have a mind of its own. For one thing, it doesn't tell you anything about the nature of the problem. It might be something serious - or it might not. There's no way to tell without plugging in a scantool, such as AutoTap.

Consequently, many motorists ignore the warning light and keep on driving if they don't hear, feel or smell anything unusual (even then, some continue to push onward until things get worse or the engine dies altogether). It's amazing the lengths some people will go to just to avoid a quick diagnosis when the Check Engine lamp is on. Many people don't really want to know what's wrong with their vehicles because they fear it will end up costing them several hundred dollars to get it fixed. So they'll put tape over the lamp, attempt to disconnect the bulb or cut the wires to the bulb - in an attempt to make it go away. But engine performance problems don't go away and they don't fix themselves. And for motorists who live in areas with vehicle emission testing, the day of reckoning arrives sooner or later since modern emissions testing uses a scantool to check if the Check Engine lamp is on, and if the light has been tampered with. Whenever the Check Engine light comes on, a "diagnostic trouble code" (DTC) is also recorded in the on-board computer's memory that corresponds to the fault. Some problems can generate more than one fault code, and some vehicles may suffer from multiple problems that also set multiple codes.

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Any auto shop will check your light a scaner has to check it it usualy is free