There's nothing more irritating than the amber glow of your Check Engine light staring at you from the dashboard. Maybe it's something serious, maybe it's your car with a case of the hiccups. How is one to know what to do?

There was a time not long ago that anything lighting up on the dashboard was a sign of serious trouble. Driver's Ed instructors told us, "If that red light right there comes on, you better dive for the side of the road. You'd be better off hittin' an oak tree than drive with that light on." He was known for exaggeration, but there was truth underneath the hyperbole. If you saw any of the lights come on, pull over and call the tow truck.

These days things are much different. Auto makers have the warning system set up so that the Check Engine light comes on if anything is amiss under the hood. It can be anything from a serious emission control malfunction to a weak spark plug. We worked on a Ford truck one time whose Check Engine light came on every time it rained. After weeks of poking, we figured out that little drops of water were touching one of the spark plug wires and dripping down to the top of the plug. It didn't affect anything, but the light came on. Another time it was a Toyota, and after checking it top to bottom (including the car's four oxygen sensors which cost $300 each to have replaced) we found out that the light would come on if you didn't tighten the gas cap enough. Thanks Toyota.

The next time you're haunted by that orange mind control beam in your dash, remember that it could be something real, or it could be nothing at all. If you've been having Check Engine light issues, have a look at the Check Engine Checkup to make sure it's not an easy (and free) fix before you start adding up hours at the repair shop. Or you can just put a piece of tape over it and hope for the best, but that's not a good long term solution.