If your check engine light is on and you aren't sure what is wrong with your car, there are a lot of things that could happen, and there may not actually be anything wrong with your car. You want to take the vehicle to a diagnostic shop to have it looked at. The experts can look through a variety of things to see if the light is giving a false alarm.

Bad Wiring

A wiring shortage from one connection to the next could make the car read that there is something wrong, especially if the wire is connecting and then disconnecting because it's loose. The wire could be setting off the check engine light, and the mechanics may just need to check some of the connections to make sure everything is right. A small bolt or minor replacement part may be needed to fix this.

Blown Fuse

If any of the fuses are blown around the car, then this can cause the check engine light to appear. Even if the fuse is for the radio or something that doesn't really affect how the vehicle rides is problematic, and the fuse needs replaced, the engine light will come on. Sometimes these are things that need fixed right away, but often they aren't and you can wait until you get to an auto repair shop.

Internal Problem

 If the check engine light is working as it should be and there is a major problem, or something wrong internally that you can tell when you're driving it, then the light is working as it needs to be. This would mean that you need to have a mechanic look at the vehicle to diagnose the problem, and then the mechanic will give you a cost estimate for the repairs that are needed.

You won't know if the check engine light is on for no reason or if it's on because there is something wrong with your car. If there is an internal problem, continuing to drive the vehicle could make the situation worse, and you want to get to a mechanic shop to see what is wrong and what needs to be fixed. There are a lot of ways a car can tell you that there is something wrong with it, and you want to make sure that the engine light is on for a reason when you see it, so don't hesitate to get it checked out.