# Blinking Check engine light **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2012, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022 "2012-06-04T12:39:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022/141 "2012-06-13T18:49:25Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > My best guess is that by driving around 400 miles with the CEL light blinking the cat converter was poisoned. I won’t need to get emission inspected again for two years. Wow. By delaying this repair 5 days, you’re going to be looking at a CEL for 2 years\*, then have to pay to get the converter fixed anyway, a converter that you destroyed. Even if you try to sell the car prior to the next emissions inspection, you’re going to be selling a car that won’t pass inspection, that’s a big ding on your resale value. All for what, delaying a repair that you wound up paying for anyway? If you had listened to the CEL, blinking to warn you of a severe problem, your Cat would still be OK. \*if something else goes wrong with the car, the CEL won’t give you any warning, because it’ll always be on. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022/142 "2012-06-13T19:06:57Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > You _did_ make yourself clear. We’re just telling you that you’re wrong. When he said “I thought I had made myself clear” he wasn’t responding to the things people have said he’s wrong about. He was answering **SmellMyWort’s** calling him to task for griping about “not because of any problem that affects its drive ability” when he also said there were idle and mileage (i.e., driveability) issues. I have to agree that **Smell** was in error to conflate those two statements; they were made at different times about different issues. One was about dealing with the CEL when there were no symptoms, while the other was about an obvious problem that **dauerbach** has not complained about fixing. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022/143 "2012-06-13T19:42:20Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > Get a) a life or b) a brain. > [@dauerbach](#): > > Perhaps you should home brew less and read more carefully. Considering the level of ignorance you have displayed in this thread, it might be prudent to refrain from insulting people. Though personally I agree with the poster who indicated that this thread would be better off in the pit. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022/144 "2012-06-13T20:04:30Z")
Thank you Gary T. What you have said is exactly my point. Bucketybuck, I truly have no idea what you are talking about. I have disagreed with many people, but we have different OPINIONS. I am unaware of any significant factual errors or lack of facts that I have displayed. I am thinking that the chance of any car lasting over 300K is small. I will take the chance that in two years I may have to shell out the money. A car with this mileage has taken all the resale hits it can. Resale value is less than $1,000 anyway. So when the CEL came on the last time it was 3 days before my daughters wedding. My choices were to keep driving for the dozens of errands I had to do, or make my family down one car and hugely inconvenience everyone. Or I could say “Oh my God!!! A light is on on the dashboard. I had better stop everything and get this light turned off.” I honestly feel sorry for anyone who would have done the latter. And I do apologize for an insult I made just to prove I knew what wort was. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022/145 "2012-06-13T20:14:06Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > . . . > > Prior to that the CEL had been illuminated for almost two years. The cat converter was dead. The dead cat converter had no effect on the car as far as I was concerned. > > . . .n. Believe me, I had LOTS more important things to do than worry about that light. > > Perhaps you should home brew less and read more carefully. I have one last suggestion. Call your insurance agent and make sure you have towing coverage on your policy. Too bad this isn’t a pit thread. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022/146 "2012-06-13T22:47:22Z")
Ok, I don’t get that comment at all. My car is running fine. What is that supposed to mean? Also, don’t be shy, I will start a pit thread right now. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022/147 "2012-06-14T00:22:03Z")
A link to your [pit thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=655166). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022/148 "2012-06-14T00:35:41Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > Get a) a life or b) a brain. **Moderator Warning** **dauerbach** , you’ve been around long enough to know that insults aren’t permitted in GQ. This is an official warning. Do not do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator ETA: Since this has gotten too acrimonious for GQ, and there is already a Pit thread, I’m going to close this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blinking-check-engine-light/624022.md?page=7)