I'm new to this website and relatively new to the Dodge Avenger. I don't know anything about the car so I figured it would be a good lesson. I was driving yesterday and a light popped up on the right side of my dashboard. I know what all the lights are on the left side (Oil, battery, brake, etc) but I never saw the light before that popped up on the right until yesterday. I have absolutely no idea what it's for and it's worrying me since I want to fix it before it ends up costing me $200. Can anyone tell me what the light is? It looks like a battery but with a line in the middle making it seem like a type of liquid is low. I'm just a plain old girl who doesn't know a damn thing so don't be too hard on me. I already had guys in Advance Auto tease me since I didn't know what I was doing so be kind lol

Crissy

 

What motor do you have Crissy? I4 or V6. Sounds like an I4 because I don't have the light you speak of...that I recall.
It does, however, sound like a fluid light to me too. Check all your fluids just to make sure....coolant, brake fluid (though your brake light would come on if this was it...wouldn't hurt though ), transmission fluid, and the oftem missed but sensored...windshield washer fluid (I'm thinking your light is being set off by this).

If it isn't the fluid...can you take a pic of it and add it as an attachment to your next post?

 

Thanks for your help. I'll try to do those things tonight and if that doesn't work, I'll def take a picture and show it. I just put oil in it a few days ago and only reason I knew to do that was because my oil light came on. I'll check the other fluids that you mentioned. Thanks

 

...about the oil, do you have an oil leak? I ask because it's usually not a good thing that the light came on...unless, you noticed it while on an incline with the front of the car facing up, then it's no big deal. On a flat surface and oil light...not good. You may have one of those cars that you need to check fluid levels every week.
Keep your eye on the oil

 

Crap, well I hope I don't have an oil leak. I look under my car whenever I let it sit and there's never anything there on the ground leaking. My dad said that whenever I start the car a big gust of smoke or something comes out of my back and it smells like oil so he said I'm burning it. So I don't know, I'll prolly go check my oil now when I get off this thing.

 

So your motor burns oil at start up then...how about while you're driving around town or the highway/interstate?
Big gusts of smoke isn't good either, lol. Check for the color of the smoke when you get a chance. Smoke that comes out of a tailpipe usually isn't good but generally the dark colored smoke is better than the white or white-blue smoke. If the "gust" was meant as a wispy puff of black smoke, then you're better off, though you are still possibly burning oil.

 

Damnit. Well I don't think anything happens when I'm driving on the highway, I never noticed anything. The gust looks white though. So I guess that's not good. I tried to take a pic of that damn light that keeps popping up but whenever I'm driving and trying to fish my camera phone out it turns off and I can never get it and of course it doesn't pop up when someone is there to look at it. Stupid car. Is there anything that I could do (or have a friend do who knows cars) that could fix the oil problem, or would I have to take it to a shop?

 

You can have someone look at your car while in the driveway or just parked. Rev your motor and take notice of the color...also, do this after the car has been driven for a bit and warmed up (normal operating temps). Look around the motor for oil leaks also. Check your coolant level in the coolant fill neck and the coolant resevoir. Look in the coolant resevoir for any oil "bubbles" and check your oil dipstick for any coolant "bubbles". That is a quick and sure way to see if your car is having motor problems, like head gasket leaks.

 

check your windsheild washer resevoir, seriously stupid huh ? I couldnt believe they had a light for it either .