My check engine light came on last night, what are some things i should check to get rid of it?

I also noticed that every time i start my engine a puff of white smoke comes out of the exhaust? How can i fix this? suggestions?

Thanks

 

mine does the same thing many people say that mine has a bad valve seal since it has a blue tinge to it. if it is all white some say do a compression test. head gasket? or gas?

 

Puff of smoke at startup is normal - like mentioned, it's a valve stem seal leak - it can be repaired without head removal, but it's not a critical thig to do anytime soon.

Engine Codes - get a paperclip and read:

https://www.thirdgen.org/service-eng...ht-error-codes

 

Like others said, if the puff of smoke only comes out when the car first starts up, it's just your valve seals. Not a problem if the smoke doesn't bother you.

If the code came on while you were on highways, or any time over 50mph for about 10-20 seconds, and there are no drivability issues after it came on, it's your EGR system. Figure out the code and report back to us though.

 

Thats actually exactly how it happened ill look into the codes asap.

 

Oh, if it's your EGR system, there is no dire need to replace it right away. It will help with gas mileage by a point or two, but other than that, the engine will be fine. I ran two years with a bad EGR valve.