Neither black tape nor a magic marker is the solution when your car or truck's check-engine light comes on. When the light, which is shaped like the outline of an engine, illuminates, do not panic!

Have your owner’s manual handy. Place your vehicle in “park,” or “neutral” for a manual transmission. Firmly set the parking brake. Download and install the manufacturer’s code reader app to your ...

Without a diagnostic tool, it's challenging to determine what is wrong with your car and whether to keep driving when a solid check engine light turns on.

In the Last diagnostics article, we outlined how to retrieve and decipher engine diagnostics for engines running OBD-I engine management computers. OBD or On Board Diagnostics is a subsystem of the ...

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us? The check engine light by its nature is vague, just a general indication that ...

If you own a car, you need an OBD2 scanner. The most basic function of these devices is to tap into your vehicle’s onboard diagnostics system to read and clear engine trouble codes. But then, ...

This is often the result of the cam-chain having stretched and requiring replacement. Fundamentally, once the chain stretches, the on-board computer detects this and illuminates the check-engine light ...