Regular car maintenance helps to prevent the appearance of the dashboard warning light. A Dashboard warning light has different categories. These are;
- Warning light.
- Safety warning light.
- Lighting symbol.
- Common dashboard warning light.
- Advanced feature light.
- Unique engine CC size waring light.
Modern cars have an onboard computer that monitors the operating conditions and gives a dashboard warning light when something is wrong. This alerts the driver to do something about the underlying conditions of the car’s system.
Unfortunately a dashboard warning light doesn’t tell you where the issue arises from. The only thing it tells you is that there is a random problem involving a certain area of the car.
On the bright side, it shows the driver the area that needs investigation. For example, the reduced engine power warning light usually indicates that the power for acceleration had been reduced but the light doesn’t tell you what causes power reduction. Read this article to find out why the engine power can be reduced. This warning light causes the car to slow down and denies the driver acceleration capacity.
Common dashboard warning light.
These dashboard warning lights are in almost every car no matter the make, model or year. Let’s start with these ones because most cars with an on board computer share them in common.
1. Oil pressure warning light.
The car’s computer is trying to communicate that there is a problem with oil supply system. It could mean that there is a loss of the oil pressure meaning that some parts of the engine aren’t receiving this essential fluid. The different types of oil provide the car’s engine with lubrication. Further, the oil helps to keep the car’s engine from wear and tear that could come from friction.
Oil pressure becomes lost when there is an oil leak. This comes about because of worn out oil pipes and other issues like clogged fuel filters. If you can see a colored puddle under the car, make sure to investigate the exact color of the puddle to assess if it’s leaking oil or something else.
2. Brake warning lights.
Well, in most cases the brake warning light turns on as soon as you start the car engine. It is such a common warning light that comes on if you start driving the car without disengaging the hand brake. This may also cause the car to start shaking.
If you disengage the handbrake and the warning light still stays on, there is a possibility that the hydraulic pressure has been lost. Meaning that there is a low amount of the brake fluid in the master cylinder.
3. Battery charge warning light.
The car’s electric system comprises of the battery and alternator. The battery charge warning light indicates that something is wrong with the battery. This is supposed to relate to the battery charging system whereby if the battery is low, then the alternator is not recharging it.
Well in some cases a car battery could just be past it’s expiry date and this can’t be helped. Hence the reason why you need to check out some essential things before purchasing a car battery. But if the battery is relatively in between 1-5 years, then the alternator is the cause for this battery charge warning light.
4. Engine Temperature warning light.
This is one of the warning lights that should be taken really seriously. It indicates that something is wrong with the car’s cooling system components. If it appears ”red” immediately the engine starts, just give it a few seconds or a minute and it will turn green. Alternatively, if it appears red when you’re driving, it means that the engine is about to overheat. That is a sign that the engine coolant is below operation capacity and the engine isn’t getting cooled. Here there is a likely hood that the engine is about to overheat and a lot of white smoke is going to come out of the engine area as well as the exhaust pipe. So, stop the car immediately.
The other categories of dashboard warning, lights will vary in terms of the image that your onboard computer will display.
