QuestionMy 2001 Hyundai Elantra's check engine light is flashing. What could be the reason? I havent tried to drive the car since I have never seen the light flashing before. The car has 79K miles on it. It has been pretty cold out here for the past few days & the check engine light began flashing when the cold wave started. Is it anything to do with the cold?
AnswerA flashing check engine lamp indicates that you have a misfire that's severe enough to damage the catalytic converter. To prevent damage to the catalyst, the car should not be driven.
If you have access to a code reader or scan tool, you can read the stored diagnostic trouble code, which should tell you which cylinder is misfiring. If not, it's best to try to diagnose without driving the vehicle to have the codes read.
Most misfires are caused by secondary ignition components, in your case the plugs, plug wires, and ignition coil. On your vehicle, the spark plug wires are the most frequent failure. If the spark plugs haven't yet been replaced, it's time to replace them as well. They're recommended at 60,000 miles.
