Engine management warning light advice please (1 Viewer)

[Vennwood]

I have the Fiat 3 ltr engine and have a problem (at least I think I may have one) and here are the events. When driving down through France the amber engine management warning light came on. The engine appeared normal and the handbook says it is ok to continue and if it persists then go to the Fiat dealer. Well it did persist so I went to the next Fiat dealer who connected his magic box and declared "a flat battery" We checked the battery, alternator and connections and all was well. We load tested the battery and it held its level. I should say the battery is almost two years old. The mechanic reset the error with his box and off I set. The following day back came the warning light. I took it in to another dealer and back came the response "flat battery". Getting frustrated I got the dealer to replace the battery, reset the controls and off I went again. It was no surprise when the following day back came the offending light. By this time I decided I had spent enough money on nothing (including €399 on a bog standard engine battery). After another day the offending light suddenly went out never to return. We have driven over 1000 miles since and nothing. Has anyone ever experienced this? It will be difficult to go to my local dealer and say "over 1000 miles ago this light came on but hasn't since - can you fix it"

 

[tonka]

Can't help .. BUT
Consider in investing in an OBD reader so you have it to go check any faults as they show... Readers from £10 on eBay and free apps for phone / tablet.

 

[TheBig1]

Broken Link Removed £10.59

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[sciac2001]

The wonders of "advanced" engine management.
We had similar issues on our Peugeot-based mh. The "problem" would never repeat when plugged into the magic-box and I would be sent off (£80 lighter) every time. I must have gone into the dealers at least 4 times.
How manufacturers can get away with this scam is beyond me. The technology is obviously not mature enough to have been let loose for general retail.

Incidentally, we ended up selling our mh as we very quickly lost confidence in its reliability. Unfortunately, all mhs are similarly equipped and reliability is as always in the lap of the gods.

 

[Vennwood]

Thanks guys, I've never heard of these things being "available to DIY'ers" I thought they were dealer only and cost hundreds of ££'s

 

[Vennwood]

The wonders of "advanced" engine management.
We had similar issues on our Peugeot-based mh. The "problem" would never repeat when plugged into the magic-box and I would be sent off (£80 lighter) every time. I must have gone into the dealers at least 4 times.
How manufacturers can get away with this scam is beyond me. The technology is obviously not mature enough to have been let loose for general retail.

Incidentally, we ended up selling our mh as we very quickly lost confidence in its reliability. Unfortunately, all mhs are similarly equipped and reliability is as always in the lap of the gods.

I know exactly what you mean about loosing confidence - every time we started the engine my heart was in my mouth thinking we could be stuck. I'll certainly try and get one of these ODB readers

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[Vennwood]

Broken Link Removed £10.59

Thanks TheBig1 - this could be the answer

 

[pappajohn]

Thanks guys, I've never heard of these things being "available to DIY'ers" I thought they were dealer only and cost hundreds of ££'s

They are if you want bells and whistles type which read ALL the sensors inc brakes, abs, traction control, lighting, tyre pressure system, immisions and a whole myriad of other things.
All you need a a basic cheap OBD11 reader to get engine fault codes and reset them.

 

[2bob]

have you got a heater on the front of engine
its a black box

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[2bob]

http://www.fiatforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=122747&stc=1&thumb=1&d=1376822404

 

[tonka]

Ref the reader.
I bought one that is Wifi like this.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WiFi-ELM3...052402?hash=item35e63d6eb2:g:e3sAAOSwNSxVSxuB
Had a free app for my iPad that read the codes, paid £11 for the full version that would then clear the codes.
Even a basic one is of some help, lots out there.

 

[TheBig1]

Ref the reader.
I bought one that is Wifi like this.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WiFi-ELM3...052402?hash=item35e63d6eb2:g:e3sAAOSwNSxVSxuB
Had a free app for my iPad that read the codes, paid £11 for the full version that would then clear the codes.
Even a basic one is of some help, lots out there.

personally I have both and prefer the Bluetooth one with an app on my phone and tablet for realtime monitoring and a few other bells and whistles. that though is complicated for the average diy owner. so I recommend the basic plug in version. its simplicity itself to use. just note down the code of any fault before clearing. if it keeps occurring, get expert advice based on the code

the concept of being charged £50 or more to reset management and servicing lights is to make people believe its a dark art. Its also worth keeping a code reader in the glove box of each car. if the car defaults to limp mode, it will help you get home by resetting the code in seconds. if the car goes straight back to limp mode, you really do have a problem. i have a friend who is an RAC patrol man and he sees so many modern cars going spuriously into limp mode and a code read and reset at the roadside gets a great many of them back on the road

back to the OP, a low voltage reading can just as easily be a loose plug or corroded terminal. if the problem persists get somebody who knows about electrics to check and clean the relevant plugs. this type of fault comes and goes like the weather so can be very frustrating

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[Bobby22]

I have the Fiat 3 ltr engine and have a problem (at least I think I may have one) and here are the events. When driving down through France the amber engine management warning light came on. The engine appeared normal and the handbook says it is ok to continue and if it persists then go to the Fiat dealer. Well it did persist so I went to the next Fiat dealer who connected his magic box and declared "a flat battery" We checked the battery, alternator and connections and all was well. We load tested the battery and it held its level. I should say the battery is almost two years old. The mechanic reset the error with his box and off I set. The following day back came the warning light. I took it in to another dealer and back came the response "flat battery". Getting frustrated I got the dealer to replace the battery, reset the controls and off I went again. It was no surprise when the following day back came the offending light. By this time I decided I had spent enough money on nothing (including €399 on a bog standard engine battery). After another day the offending light suddenly went out never to return. We have driven over 1000 miles since and nothing. Has anyone ever experienced this? It will be difficult to go to my local dealer and say "over 1000 miles ago this light came on but hasn't since - can you fix it"

Your original problem might have been a tank of rogue fuel, we once had problems with original egr valves on a citroen relay.

Poor burning fuel could cause the light to come on......Tesco documented problem a few years ago.

Once you used the tank of fuel and replenished it may have corrected its self.

 

[Vennwood]

have you got a heater on the front of engine
its a black box

I don't know but will check as soon as it stops raining

 

[Vennwood]

personally I have both and prefer the Bluetooth one with an app on my phone and tablet for realtime monitoring and a few other bells and whistles. that though is complicated for the average diy owner. so I recommend the basic plug in version. its simplicity itself to use. just note down the code of any fault before clearing. if it keeps occurring, get expert advice based on the code

the concept of being charged £50 or more to reset management and servicing lights is to make people believe its a dark art. Its also worth keeping a code reader in the glove box of each car. if the car defaults to limp mode, it will help you get home by resetting the code in seconds. if the car goes straight back to limp mode, you really do have a problem. i have a friend who is an RAC patrol man and he sees so many modern cars going spuriously into limp mode and a code read and reset at the roadside gets a great many of them back on the road

back to the OP, a low voltage reading can just as easily be a loose plug or corroded terminal. if the problem persists get somebody who knows about electrics to check and clean the relevant plugs. this type of fault comes and goes like the weather so can be very frustrating

Excellent analysis TheBig1 - my thoughts were along those lines of loose or corroded terminals once the battery had been changed. It was disappointing that the so called "dealer mechanics" either weren't aware of this or they just saw another Brit they could take money from.

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[tonka]

A bit late now but there have been a few incidents where the negative lead on the cab battery comes loose.
It's a clip on terminal and can be easily jolted, ours came loose one day and i went from normal running, stopped to check out a campsite and returned to nothing on the battery side. Clipped back on and sorted.
Have seen it mentioned a few times on forums etc.

 

[Viennese]

Suspect the diesel particulate filter - it probably cleared itself.

 

[Vennwood]

A bit late now but there have been a few incidents where the negative lead on the cab battery comes loose.
It's a clip on terminal and can be easily jolted, ours came loose one day and i went from normal running, stopped to check out a campsite and returned to nothing on the battery side. Clipped back on and sorted.
Have seen it mentioned a few times on forums etc.

In my case it wasn't as simple as that. The light came on, I stopped and read the manual, started up and drove on. Then we stopped for lunch and afterwards nothing - the engine wouldn't start. Gave all the symptoms of engine immobiliser working. I even rang Van Bits to see if it was the alarm system. I tried all what I thought were common possibles like loose terminals, loose wires to starter motor. I had a multimeter and checked the battery voltage. I got a little bit of movement on the main battery terminals but nothing much. I even linked jump leads from the habitation batteries to the engine battery. Nothing worked. Then a passing fellow camper van owner suggested I tried the Fiat master key and hey presto it started. I still don't know why it worked with the master key as that didn't work on subsequent occasions. and the Fiat dealers say it had nothing to do with the problem. That's when I went to the first Fiat dealer.

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[laird of Dunstan]

Handy to know all this stuff guys , I'll buy a code reader for mine

 

[mf51y]

Had a similar intermittent problem on with our fiat ducato...engine bay wiring loom fault.... brought up the same general fault warning light...a known problem supposedly.. New loom it's sorted...touch wood.

 

[Larby]

May I suggest you ensure good earths, chassis and engine?

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[Scattycat]

When our engine management light comes on the OBD reader finds it to be excessive exhaust gasses.
It usually happens when the engine is cold or we've not let it run for a minute or so when we've stopped, or not let it run for a minute or so before setting off.
Keeping the revs low also tends to coke up the erg valve which causes this problem, also dodgy fuel doesn't help, but regular doses of injector/exhaust cleaner helps to reduce the frequency of the problem.
We now keep the revs to around 2500 to 2750 and rarely get the light come on.
Also found using the more expensive diesel keeps the engine cleaner and gives slightly better fuel consumption

 

[Vennwood]

When our engine management light comes on the OBD reader finds it to be excessive exhaust gasses.
It usually happens when the engine is cold or we've not let it run for a minute or so when we've stopped, or not let it run for a minute or so before setting off.
Keeping the revs low also tends to coke up the erg valve which causes this problem, also dodgy fuel doesn't help, but regular doses of injector/exhaust cleaner helps to reduce the frequency of the problem.
We now keep the revs to around 2500 to 2750 and rarely get the light come on.
Also found using the more expensive diesel keeps the engine cleaner and gives slightly better fuel consumption

Our problem was/is something different as every time the magic box ODB reader is connected the error code said flat battery

 

[DBK]

I had the same light come on mine when it was less than a year old. Turned out to be a bad connection on a sensor.

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