What Does It Mean When My “Check Gauges” Light Comes On?
I recently had a customer call me because her check gauges light has come on several times when stopping at a light or parking. She wanted to know if this was something she needed to bring in or was it just a bad gauge.
Usually when the Check Gauges light illuminates it is due to one of the gauges going out of range, such as your electrical system, low engine oil or other type of fluids being monitored through the gauges. I asked her when was the last time she checked her engine oil and her response was, “I am not sure”. I always recommend checking the fluids under your cars hood at least once a week. The engine oil lever was so low it wasn’t even registering on the dipstick. Low oil levels reduce the life of the engine and could cause it to seize up depending on how low it had fallen.
If this lady had checked her engine oil regularly, she may not be looking at having to install a rebuilt engine due to lack of lubrication. A very costly mistake. So remember to check your fluids weekly and don’t forget your tire pressure, this too can cost you money.
Nov 17, 2017 - 03:17 AM
I have a 1998 Jeep Cherokee sport xj and the check gauges light is on and won’t go off, I’ve checked all the fluid levels and fuses and they are all fine can you please give me an idea on what it might be please?
Dec 04, 2017 - 10:11 AM
First off you need to scan the trouble codes to determine the area of concern, then tests may need to be performed to pinpoint the exact problem. Some issues are fixed easily others may take a bit more diagnostic measures. Many of your local auto parts stores can pull the code for you. But do not purchase parts if they advise that since that may not be the problem. When the check engine light trips, it shows an area that went out of manufacture range of that sensor, but may not be the cause. If you send me the code, I will research it for you through the access I have.
Dec 04, 2017 - 10:16 AM
Also, if your check gauges light has come on, the one of the gauges is not indicating the correct information, such as your battery gauge may be reading a low voltage, or the speedometer may not be indicating the correct speed that you are actually going. So check all gauges to insure they are indicating correctly. If not then further investigation of that one will need to be done. Such as if the battery is indicating low voltage, it could be a bad alternator, bad fuse in that circuit or needs a new battery.