The Dreaded Check Engine Light

By Mister Transmission

Some of us are old enough to remember the pre-1981 vehicles, which weren’t equipped with on-board diagnostic systems. Much has changed and now we can learn about problems before they ruin our ride!

Cars born before 1981 would indicate a malfunction usually through one of four “idiot” lights, which would tell us that our car had lost oil pressure, over-heated, stopped charging the battery, or lost brake pressure. The problem with these lights is that they usually came on after the damage was already done due to their simplistic sensor systems.

Also, these sensors and systems didn’t give a hoot what was coming out of our tailpipes as far as pollution was concerned. That changed in 1981 when new regulations came out requiring catalytic converters for all domestic passenger vehicles.

The Advent of On-Board-Diagnostics

It was taken a step further in 1996 when automakers were required to upgrade their vehicles to a sophisticated system consisting of central processing units (CPU), sensors, actuators and valves known as OBD II (On-Board Diagnostics). When a problem with the vehicle’s engine, transmission, emission system or any of the myriad of sensors monitoring the aforementioned systems occurs, a code is stored in the computer and the “engine light” is illuminated to alert the driver.

As you may know, almost everyone (including the manufacturers who should know better) refers to the light as “the engine light”. This is one of those situations where one of the first manufacturers to equip their vehicles with on-board diagnostic (OBD II) systems called it an engine light, and now it’s the generic name for lights of that nature.

A few manufacturers did refer to it more accurately by calling it the Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL), since it true purpose is to indicate a malfunction in the systems the computer monitors, but not many.

The problem causing the light to come on could very well be a transmission fault. A technician would perform a scan to retrieve the trouble code from the computer and then cross-reference it to determine what area is at fault.

Where most technicians make an error, is to find a transmission-related trouble code in the computer, and then assume that it merely needs a flush, service, or “magic potion” poured into it to correct the problem. Fluids or aftermarket additives cannot fix worn clutch plates, broken gears or defective solenoids… only replacing them can.

When your vehicle has a transmission-related fault code in the computer, let us remove the pan for a visual inspection. If there is excessive metal on the magnet and/or the fluid is burnt, the transmission is going to need to come out.

If your engine light is on, please contact your local Mister Transmission and book an appointment for our FREE 21-Point Multi-Check Inspection which includes removing the pan on your transmission.

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Customer Reviews
Friendly and very helpful owners....
Lars Dijkema
Friendly and very helpful owners. Great service and a fair price for my transfer case rebuild.
Date: October 3, 2023
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Mark and Ty are an...
Stephanie Keillor
Mark and Ty are an incredible father son duo that know their stuff. I’ve taken my car to many places that guess and you can tell. These guys have tons of knowledge and will do the work to figure out what’s going on with your car and give quality work for the best price. They have also caught mistakes from other shops and fixed. Highly recommend!!
Date: October 3, 2023
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What a wonderful establishment. Dan...
Justin Schiavo
What a wonderful establishment. Dan was awesome with helping me out with anything I needed. Highly recommend this place.
Date: October 2, 2023
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Very good service
Ernest Ouimette
Very good service
Date: October 2, 2023
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Murray and his team were...
Darren Pady
Murray and his team were by FAR THEE, the folks to go see when your new or classic car gave you grief. I had everything from a Cadillac to a Ford Ranger in there, and ever time was always a success story. Im hoping Murray enjoys his retirement but Im sad to see him leave. Im hoping that the new owners will be full of the same knowledge and personality that Murray was.
Date: October 1, 2023
Website: Google
Chris the owner in Owen...
The Chicken
Chris the owner in Owen Sound went above and beyond to help my husband and I fix our van and help us with a way to go home while it was being fixed. We got stranded in Owen Sound and we’re 4 hours from home. He made us feel confident that he would fix the issues and comfortable to leave our van. When we returned to get our van he explained everything as to what was done and explained that we can call him anytime with questions. Our van will need to be checked in 10 days and he even called a mister transmission closer to our home to let them know we m would be coming.
Date: September 30, 2023
Website: Google
I would consider my experience...
Greg Hylton
I would consider my experience with Mr Transmission in Cambridge one of the better automotive experiences I’ve had and I have had many. I appreciated the openness, the professionalism and I found the management (Manny) to be polite respectful and easy to work with. He returned all calls promptly and attached images and pictures to text and email messages to assist with clarity.Would I recommend this business? I certainly would without any hesitation.
Date: September 30, 2023
Website: Google
Amazing customer service and repairs...
Mstfa Khalid
Amazing customer service and repairs Ill always be coming here in the future and dan was such a good help!
Date: September 30, 2023
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Extremely knowledgeable staff. Great customer...
Usama Amjad
Extremely knowledgeable staff. Great customer service!
Date: September 29, 2023
Website: Google
Gary was superb, took time...
Mary D'Alton
Gary was superb, took time to check everything and did not upswell me serviced I did not need. Drained excess oil someone else had put in and my car drove perfectly. So appreciated will return and refer!
Date: September 28, 2023
Website: Google
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