Check Engine

Every morning when I go to work, I've noticed that my car idles a little rough for the first two or three minutes before it smoothes out. It's never really been a big deal, and it only seems to happen in the mornings. Well, this morning the idle was a little rougher than usual, but the car still got up and ran. However, about a quarter of a mile from my place, I noticed the check engine light was on. D'oh!

Check Engine is about the scariest light your car can show you because you never know what you're gonna get into. It could be as simple as a bad sensor, or as complicated as an overhaul. The engine sounded like it was running okay, but it's better to be safe than sorry, so I called my brother and boss and let them know that I was headed straight to the Toyota dealership.

Dropped it off, signed some papers, blah blah blah, etcetera etcetera. Got Brandon to pick me up and take me to work, and it was no big deal. Now, besides finding something minor wrong or something major wrong, there exists a third possibe diagnosis: they can't find anything wrong. That is where I am right now.

The specific error code from the OBC was "Multiple Misfires", which indicates that there were several misfires in several of the chambers in a short period of time. The mechanics' first impression was that there might be water in my gas, but after drawing some out and testing it, it looked good. The only thing we can try to do is let the car sit overnight again, and the mechanics will give it one more try in the morning. That way they're simulating my environment exactly.

All that is great, except that it leaves me without a car, which is a semi-sickening feeling. I don't really have to go anywhere tonight, but there's a certain sense of security in knowing that it's there for you to use if you need it.