Engine Management Light illuminated

mharbon1 · Aug 30th, 2008, 17:06

My V40 diesel with 115k on the clock was running a bit rough last week and I thought it was probably the injectors needing a good clean out. I bought some Redex fuel system cleaner and put it in last weekend. I ran the car normally all week but it didn't seem to be clearing. So yesterday on my home from work on the dual carriageway I gave the engine a good hard run by revving it up to 4-4.5k revs in 2nd, 3rd and 4th before changing gear. I could see in my rear view mirror that I was leaving an enormous cloud of smoke trailing behind me and this did the trick as the engine is back to running smoothly. Ironically at this point the Engine Management System Malfunction warning light has come on. The manual says a fault has been detected in either the fuel or ignition system. This could mean that the engine does not meet exhaust regulations.

The car starts and runs ok and I cannot hear any unwanted noises from the engine bay so what could be the problem? Should I just persist with another dose of injector cleaner?

Finally, when I resolve the problem how do I stop the warning light coming back on or will it reset automatically?

Dandle · Aug 31st, 2008, 18:54

It probably is to do with the emissions. You need to reset it wit an OBD2 scan tool(assuming the car is post 99 as they dont work with cars before that).

mharbon1 · Aug 31st, 2008, 19:22

It is a 99 model - so I guess that won't work.

Dandle · Aug 31st, 2008, 19:29

It might do as 99 was the change over year. My Sept 99 car was OBD2 compliant.

smartbomb · Sep 3rd, 2008, 09:42

OBDII will work on '99 cars. The engine management light will go off by itself in a set amount of engine hours, or miles, depending on how it's set up. This is assuming the problem which caused the light to come on in the first place was only temporary. It's always best to find out the fault code number so you know what the problem is. You could either fork out £40ish every time to get a dealer to diagnose it, or buy yourself an OBDII scanner. You can get them off ebay for about £25.

Paul

mharbon1 · Sep 4th, 2008, 22:29

Thanks Paul, is there a particular scanner you can recommend? Do they just give you the error codes or do they tell you the meaning of the error codes also?

smartbomb · Sep 5th, 2008, 09:13

Can't find the ebay link for the one I got, but it came with a manual which lists all the fault codes and their meanings. Just search ebay, I remember there were at least half a dozen different ones one there, all do exactly the same thing.

Paul

Aug 30th, 2008, 17:06	#1
mharbon1 New Member Last Online: Jan 18th, 2009 12:04 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redditch	Engine Management Light illuminated My V40 diesel with 115k on the clock was running a bit rough last week and I thought it was probably the injectors needing a good clean out. I bought some Redex fuel system cleaner and put it in last weekend. I ran the car normally all week but it didn't seem to be clearing. So yesterday on my home from work on the dual carriageway I gave the engine a good hard run by revving it up to 4-4.5k revs in 2nd, 3rd and 4th before changing gear. I could see in my rear view mirror that I was leaving an enormous cloud of smoke trailing behind me and this did the trick as the engine is back to running smoothly. Ironically at this point the Engine Management System Malfunction warning light has come on. The manual says a fault has been detected in either the fuel or ignition system. This could mean that the engine does not meet exhaust regulations. The car starts and runs ok and I cannot hear any unwanted noises from the engine bay so what could be the problem? Should I just persist with another dose of injector cleaner? Finally, when I resolve the problem how do I stop the warning light coming back on or will it reset automatically?

Aug 31st, 2008, 18:54	#2
Dandle Master Member Last Online: Dec 29th, 2013 22:39 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Ashford	It probably is to do with the emissions. You need to reset it wit an OBD2 scan tool(assuming the car is post 99 as they dont work with cars before that).

Aug 31st, 2008, 19:22	#3
mharbon1 New Member Last Online: Jan 18th, 2009 12:04 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redditch	It is a 99 model - so I guess that won't work.

Aug 31st, 2008, 19:29	#4
Dandle Master Member Last Online: Dec 29th, 2013 22:39 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Ashford	It might do as 99 was the change over year. My Sept 99 car was OBD2 compliant.

Sep 3rd, 2008, 09:42	#5
smartbomb VOC Member Last Online: May 4th, 2011 11:56 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mansfield	OBDII will work on '99 cars. The engine management light will go off by itself in a set amount of engine hours, or miles, depending on how it's set up. This is assuming the problem which caused the light to come on in the first place was only temporary. It's always best to find out the fault code number so you know what the problem is. You could either fork out £40ish every time to get a dealer to diagnose it, or buy yourself an OBDII scanner. You can get them off ebay for about £25. Paul

Sep 4th, 2008, 22:29	#6
mharbon1 New Member Last Online: Jan 18th, 2009 12:04 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redditch	Thanks Paul, is there a particular scanner you can recommend? Do they just give you the error codes or do they tell you the meaning of the error codes also?

Sep 5th, 2008, 09:13	#7
smartbomb VOC Member Last Online: May 4th, 2011 11:56 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mansfield	Can't find the ebay link for the one I got, but it came with a manual which lists all the fault codes and their meanings. Just search ebay, I remember there were at least half a dozen different ones one there, all do exactly the same thing. Paul

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