Ram 3500 Chassis Cab Check Engine Light

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 serious failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it good to get the appropriate code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is ordinarily between $88 and $111. The good news, Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th offers entirely complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab will frequently 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 immediately turn itself off. Again, if your catalytic converter is working properly, and you did a lot 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 Ram 3500 Chassis Cab light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Ram 3500 Chassis Cab Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, particularly to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminate, 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 3500 Chassis Cab. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can properly represent. While that sounds daunting, with a little patience, tackling basic diagnostics will give you advantageous knowledge about your car and will also allow that essential Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, apparent and helpful car symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of potential OBD codes, there are also hundreds of potential reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is essential for someone who does not have a lot of prevailing automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your vehicle further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out immediately by a skillful certified Ram mechanic. Call Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th at 7207347801 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!

Ram 3500 Chassis Cab Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention quickly and your Ram should be brought in immediately. A flashing light signifies that the problem is very serious and if not taken care of quickly may result in major and serious damage to the car. This blinking light usually signifies a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can promptly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive and extensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can specifically be the cause. A faulty, old or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is totally ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very costly repair. If your check engine light is regularly flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th promptly by calling 7207347801.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a Ram 3500 Chassis Cab?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as simple as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Still, the check engine light could again be a warning of a significant problem that could cause serious damage to your engine and come with a hefty and pricey repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady and continuous glow typically means something less serious but a flashing check engine light reveals that your vehicle’s engine is in meaningful trouble and useful service is required expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab, we remarkably propose not to drive the vehicle and schedule Ram service today. Below is a list of the most typical reasons your check engine light can come on:

• One of the most common and frequent cause is that your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab serves numerous purposes. It prevents hazardous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps manage pressure within the fuel tank. What occurs if you have a broken fuel cap? If your gas cap is old or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump and be more pricey. Luckily, to change a gas cap isn't pricey. If your check engine light turns on promptly after you put gas in your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab, first thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
• Your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab has a vacuum leak. Each Ram 3500 Chassis Cab has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps lower unhealthy 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, particularly if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme cold.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab if it’s not installed correctly. These aftermarket components and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even prevent the car from starting. If these issues sound familiar, bring your 3500 Chassis Cab to Ram and have our team of gifted certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed accurately and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, particularly aftermarket parts and accessories, or utilizing OEM components first place might cost a little bit more but could assist you save substantially from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab’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 repeatedly neglected maintenance, which is why Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th offers a complimentary multi-point check with each Ram service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your vehicle may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause other perilous problems from overheating.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab is each important. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won’t start, light up the road in front, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s vehicle 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 Ram you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are necessary for your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your car. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run smooth. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or old, you will experience a noticeable 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 obstructed catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more pricey repairs.
• 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 more quickly and your car will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what occurs if I don’t change your O2 sensor? A broken sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause serious damage to your catalytic converter and your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to determine the precisely correct mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A broken O2 sensor can also cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab is what determines how much fuel is necessary 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 certain changes, like altitude. If your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden quick change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a critical sign of a broken mass airflow sensor.

Check Engine Light Service Ram 3500 Chassis Cab

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Ram owners, your heart sinks drastically because you may have exactly idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the cost of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep, peaceful breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab checked expeditiously. Ignoring that warning could end up causing significant, major damage to expensive engine components.

When your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t right, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically 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 can promptly identify the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic scan tool that is used by our Ram auto repair mechanics at Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th. There are also a number of relatively inexpensive 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 determine the definitely correct issue and repair it.

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 propose that you pull over and contact Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th to assist determine if your car is secure to drive in or if we propose a tow truck. Since every check engine code has its own level of severity, it is generally difficult to predict how many miles you can be secure in driving with the warning light on.

Is it safe to drive your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is suggested to service your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab expeditiously. 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 usually indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the car, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. Call the experts at Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th by dialing 7207347801 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and bring your Ram to our certified mechanics as soon as imaginable.

Ram 3500 Chassis Cab Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless potential causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are various regular causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other often regular reasons for a Check Engine Light are dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, damaged oxygen sensor, damaged emissions control part, damaged 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 Ram Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and completely repair it as required to restore factory specifications. When this hits, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Ram issue was totally fixed.

Every Ram 3500 Chassis Cab was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the car on its crucial systems. The speedy sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending vital 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. Nevertheless, unfortunately that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what precisely is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th 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 professional.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most commonly misunderstood lights or indicators in your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the essential onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a wide range of different 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 wide range of things for your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab. Some of these essential duties include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing security control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a wide range of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as perilous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your Ram 3500 Chassis Cab, contact Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th. Contact Larry H. Miller Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 104th today! Our Ram service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing.