People tend to freak out when the "dreaded" CEL is on.
The MIL - Malfunction Indicator Light, commonly known as the CEL - Check Engine Light, when on is just an indicator of environmental non-compliance.
It doesn't mean that the car is about to blow up or self-destroy. It's just warning you that the emissions is out of spec.
You can resume your driving without fear regarding the life of the engine.
It could be from a loose gas cap, a faulty valve in the gas tank, etc.
Any MIL/CEL will turn itself off once the issue has been solved or the emissions is back to spec.
That's why you'll see MIL/CELs that sometimes activate and other times are dormant, depending on weather, type of driving, etc.
OTOH, if your MIL/CEL starts flashing on-and-off ... STOP the car because a blinking MIL/CEL is a missfire indicator which, if not addressed can cause damage to the engine.
Happy Porscheing,
Pedro
Pedro Bonilla1998 Boxster 986 - 311,000+ miles:
[www.PedrosGarage.com]
PCA National Club Racing Scrutineer - PCA National HPDE Instructor - PCA Technical Committee (Boxster/Cayman)
Racecar spelled backwards is Racecar
"Racing is life. Anything before or after is just waiting" ... Steve McQueen as Michael Delaney in "LeMans"
"If you wait, all that happens is that you get older"... Mario Andretti
"Being second is to be the first of the ones who lose" ... Ayrton Senna