2023 Lexus IS 500 Check Engine Light

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2023 Lexus IS 500 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the important onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a variety 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 variety of things for your 2023 Lexus IS 500. Some of these essential duties include ignition timing, controlling engine speed, shifting automatic transmissions and implementing cohesion control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of different things. It can be as simple as your gas cap being loose or as dangerous as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2023 Lexus IS 500, contact Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood. Contact Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood today! Our Lexus 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.

2023 Lexus IS 500 Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating, exceptionally 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, still known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your IS 500. 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 helpful knowledge about your car and will still allow that essential Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Sadly, obvious and helpful car symptoms do not regularly accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of conceivable OBD codes, there are still hundreds of conceivable reasons for the light, including:

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

This is why it is essential for someone who does not have a lot of prevalent automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood at 7204191927 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out quickly by a adept certified Lexus mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a serious concern, you risk damaging your vehicle further by not repairing the issue right away.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2023 Lexus IS 500?

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 likewise be a warning of a meaningful 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 ordinarily 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 quickly. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2023 Lexus IS 500, we exceptionally propose not to drive the vehicle and schedule Lexus service today. Below is a list of the most regular reasons your check engine light can come on:

• Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Lexus IS 500 is what determines how much fuel is needed 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 Lexus IS 500 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden rapid change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a crucial sign of a defective mass airflow sensor.
• One of the most regular and frequent cause is that your 2023 Lexus IS 500 gas cap is loose, broken or missing. The gas cap for your 2023 Lexus IS 500 serves different purposes. It prevents dangerous gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps cultivate pressure within the fuel tank. What results if you have a defective 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 expensive. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't pricey. If your check engine light turns on promptly after you put gas in your 2023 Lexus IS 500, 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 catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2023 Lexus IS 500's exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A broken catalytic converter is usually caused by repeatedly neglected maintenance, which is why Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Lexus service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2023 Lexus IS 500 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 delicate problems from overheating.
• Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or other item can wreak extreme havoc on your 2023 Lexus IS 500 if it's not installed accurately. 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 IS 500 to Lexus and have our team of skilled certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed perfectly 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 considerably from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
• New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your 2023 Lexus IS 500. 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 endure a conspicuous 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 blocked catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, leading to more pricey repairs.
• The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2023 Lexus IS 500 is every essential. Without a vehicle battery, your vehicle won't start, light up the road ahead, 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 Lexus you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.
• 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 instantly and your car will be less efficient when it comes to fuel economy. So what results if I don't replace your O2 sensor? A defective sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause meaningful damage to your catalytic converter and your 2023 Lexus IS 500's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle's onboard computer to determine the explicitly correct mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A defective O2 sensor can again cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.
• Your 2023 Lexus IS 500 has a vacuum leak. Every Lexus IS 500 has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system again helps lower adverse 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.

Check Engine Light Service 2023 Lexus IS 500

What do you do when you're driving along in your Lexus IS 500 and suddenly, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you're like most Lexus owners, your heart sinks extremely because you may have definitely 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, tranquil breath and realize the light coming on doesn't mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is advised that you get your 2023 Lexus IS 500 checked instantly. Ignoring that warning could end up causing significant, extensive damage to expensive engine components.

When your 2023 Lexus IS 500's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can't correct, 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 expeditiously 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 Lexus auto repair mechanics at Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood. There are still a number of comparatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you pick 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 specifically right issue and repair it.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. If you check engine light is flashing, we recommend that you pull over and contact Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood to assist determine if your car is safe to drive in or if we recommend a tow truck. Since any check engine code has its own level of severity, it is usually difficult to predict how multiple miles you can be safe in driving with the warning light on. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced.

2023 Lexus IS 500 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 different regular causes including something as simple as a loose gas cap. Other generally regular reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty emissions control part, damaged oxygen sensor, faulty head gasket, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, or damaged spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Lexus Certified Mechanics and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and entirely repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this hits, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Lexus issue was entirely fixed.

Every 2023 Lexus IS 500 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the car on its vital systems. The fast sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending important 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. Yet, sadly 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; Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood 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 Knowledgeable Service professional.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2023 Lexus IS 500 will normally 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 swiftly turn itself off. Again, if your catalytic converter is working correctly, 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 2023 Lexus IS 500 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 Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

Is it safe to drive your 2023 Lexus IS 500 with the check engine light on?

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 vehicle, it could be an indication of a more serious problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a serious issue and it is advised to service your Lexus IS 500 rapidly. Call the experts at Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood by dialing 7204191927 so you can describe the issues. Or lessen your speed and bring your 2023 Lexus to our certified mechanics as soon as conceivable.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is ordinarily between $88 and $111. The good news, Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood offers completely free multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to assist determine the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not correctly 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.

2023 Lexus IS 500 Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2023 Lexus IS 500 starts flashing, that means that the problem needs attention expeditiously and your Lexus should be brought in rapidly. A flashing light signifies that the problem is very serious and if not taken care of expeditiously may result in significant and serious damage to the car. This blinking light ordinarily indicates a severe engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can instantly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is likely, requiring an expensive and considerable repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can exactly be the cause. A defective, 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 constantly flashing, please contact our team of automotive experts at Stevinson Lexus of Lakewood immediately by calling 7204191927.