Warning light

[AndrewSchofield]

Hi,

The engine warning light has come on on my '52 plate Ford Fiesta. The handbook says if its blinking, drive slowly avoiding high revs and take straight to a Ford dealer. If the light is on solid, take it to a Ford dealer. I'm assuming therefore that as the light is not flashing, the fault isn't as serious as if it was flashing? Am I ok to drive the car until I can get this seen to - i'm assuming the only way i'll get the fault diagnosed is to take it for a computer diagnosis?? To all intents and purposes, the car sounds the same as it always has, its not overheating and is starting and running as normal, no high revs...

Anyone any clues what the fault could be??

 

[Belle427]

the light means a fault has been logged so it will need to be code read.
you can buy cheap and cheerful code readers on ebay and do it yourself or pay a local garage to do it for you.
It may just be as simple as a erratic reading with an electrical sensor that needs clearing but can also mean a sensor (lambda etc) is starting to fail

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Hmmm, readers off eBay - sounds interesting. Are these reliable and worth getting, or should I just fork out for a garage to look at it? I've been told it could just be an error and there be nothing really wrong and the computer just needs resetting - if that could be the case, the garage would be charging me £30 to basically do nothing. Will these eBay readers reset the warning lights too? I assume when you plug in a reader it resets the light, and if the fault isn't rectified the light will come back / stay on? Will the reader tell me simply what the problem is, or will it display something that only a mechanic would understand anyway?

If i can get one off eBay for £25 ish, and they do the same as the garage will do, I may as well do that than pay £30 for them to do it for me. Not much difference in cost, but next time there's a fault (it has needed the diagnostics test before in the 10years i've had the car) it wont cost me anything to find out what's wrong as i'll already have the reader!

 

[Belle427]

you are correct in saying that once the fault is reset it may stay off, there are some good cheap code readers on ebay but make sure first it will read a ford as some are fussy.
The only issue with self code reading is understanding the codes but most half decent units come with a booklet with them listed for you.
The only difficult part is when you have multiple codes listed and how to go about the diagnosis but most smaller garages would struggle with this too.

 

[Belle427]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Mond...iagnostic_Tools_Equipment&hash=item2576025859

ive got one of these and it has worked well, cant comment on if will work on yours but its worth a punt, just do a search for u480 code reader

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Hiya, I found one on Amazon for £15 which has good reviews (average of 4 out of 5 from nearly 100 users) and it says it works with Fords from 2001 onwards, which covers mine. Most of the bad reviews are from Renault drivers who say it didn't work, but i've read elsewhere that Renaults can be problematic with code readers - I guess that's French cars for you!!

It also says it comes with the fault code list both in a printed booklet and on a CD-rom. And it even says if it doesn't work with your car, they'll refund the cost (less postage). Sounds like its worth a go to me!!

 

[Belle427]

worth a shot, you may be lucky and the light only needs resetting.

 

[Mursal]

If you have the security code for the radio, you could try disconnecting the batter overnight. Probably wont work, but it will only cost you a bit of time resetting the radio?

 

[grimep]

The trouble for DIY motorists using fault code readers is most don't realise that a fault code is just the first step in diagnosing and fixing the problem. A garage will start with a fault code reader, and then possibly use a multimeter and oscilloscope to test the signal coming from the suspect sensor(s). You can be lucky and find a code will lead you straight to a fix, but the internet is awash with owners who have replaced several expensive sensors because their code reader indicated a fault, without actually fixing the problem. By all means get a code reader but don't expect to find a solution simply by googling for the code or asking on an owners' forum

 

[Belle427]

very few garage actually know what an oscilloscope is let alone how to use one!

 

[Mursal]

A garage will start with a fault code reader, and then possibly use a multimeter and oscilloscope to test the signal coming from the suspect sensor(s).

Are you having a laugh? A sensor at £50 or spend 2 hours (at £80 an hour) checking with a scope. Only to find, what do you know, it was the sensor?

Only time you use a scope is when its been around all the garages in the area and it still wont clear the codes. But not as a starting point, especially if you want to keep customers

After tea when there's nothing on the telly, I might pull out the multimeter to compare sensor specification with the data sheet, but that's about it, I'm afraid.......

 

[grimep]

A fault code doesn't necessarily indicate a sensor fault, hence the need for further diagnosis. Perhaps its acceptable for you to replace sensors that aren't actually malfunctioning, but if you took your car to a garage and they started chucking things away that worked and charging you for new bits you'd not be a happy customer.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Thanks guys, all I would have done was find out what the fault code was then take it to a mechanic to sort for me, unless it was something I knew I'd got the capability to fix. I just didn't want to pay £30 for the garage to plug it in and tell me nothing's wrong, its a misleading error.

Anyway, as it is, I need to do neither. Haven't used my car for a couple of days and when I got in it this morning the light has gone off on its own accord, so unless it comes back on or there are other signs of a problem, i'm happy having spent nothing.

So now its just the new tyres it needs before its MOT... endless source of spending cars....