Check Engine light on! what does it mean???

Question

my check engine light went on a while back and my b/f checked it out with a diagnostic. it said "carbon" something. I wasnt to sure what it was. i forgot. maybe excess carbon or something. just wondering if anyone knows what this is and is it expensive to fix. i have a ford explorer.

Answer 1

Mine has been on for 6 years.  The first time it came on I had it fixed under warranty.  They told me it was just the sensor and not anything wrong with the car.  So when it came back on I figured that it was the same thing.  Well the other day my alternator went out and I fixed it and the check engine light went off.  So I guess it was trying to tell me that the alternator needed something.  But if I would have taken it to a diagnostic testing place and they would have told me the alternator was bad when it first came on I would not have gotten this past five years of use out of the bad alternator.  So I think those sensors are almost too sensitive when it detects things that still have 5 good years left.  Maybe you want to pay the cost to get a diagnostic test.  But if they tell you it is your alternator you may want to wait a while before you pay to have a new one.  I know that there can be serious problems  connected with the check engine light.  But in all my experience every situation that I know of with that light has been nothing more than the light itself being messed up or something that will go out and can be fixed at that point.  Keep the oil changed and keep driving I say.

Answer 2

i have a list of most of the trouble codes and none of them say any thing about carbon. i think that you should double check the information and repost the question.  

Answer 3

if it said carbon, it's probably emissions related. fixing may or may not expensive, and is a good idea, but if the engine's running OK, it's probably not a critical issue

Answer 4

it means check your engine before it spontaniously combusts.

Answer 5

Sounds like it has to do with emissions. The culprit is usually a oxygen sensor that has gotten gunked up with carbon. If it is the oxygen sensor it is not a big deal to replace although it could also something else that caused the excess carbon issue to begin with. Take it to a Ford dealer and have it diagnosed properly.