Engine warning light :(

After all the trouble with my wheels, I wa hoping for a relatively trouble free trip…

Just before reaching the south of France, my engine warning lamp came on. The car drives perfectly ok, but I’m worried that I might do some damage if I keep driving it. There doesn’t seem to be a Lotus dealer anywhere nearby to get it checked out, do I’m not sure what to do.

My mate has phoned his Toyota dealer friend who says its most likely due to crap French fuel. I’m guessing it might be related to the fact I’ve just switched from a stage 2 to a stage 1 exhaust. Maybe that combined with my induction kit means Thr fuel mixture is slightly out?

The only thing other than the light that seem slighty off is that the engine sometime idles at about 1500 rpm for a couple of seconds before settling at a more normal speed.


Can anybody suggest anything I should check? Do you think I should continue using it? I think there’s a Lotus dealer in Milan that I could get to. Seems a long way to go just to find out whether it’s safe to drive the car…

Or should I call the AA? Can they do any diagnostics? I know they can sort me a hire car to finish the holiday, but that’s a real last resort.

Most likely nowt to worry about and will probably go off of It’s own accord.
Could be numerous reasons and a simple OBD reader is all you need to find ,most garages will have one ,I use my Android phone and a lead to reset mine.
A wild guess here but it could be as simple as the ecu adjusting the mixture due to altitude and not reverting back quick enough as you descend back into the valleys etc.
I often get “mixture too rich” when I read mine cos I’m on bigger injectors…

I like that theory. I’ll try to find a friendly garage tomorrow. Hopefully somewhere they speak English better than I speak French :slight_smile:

Brendan, are you using the top grade fuel (97+ octane) or the standard stuff? If I were you, I’d always use the higher octane.

Hope you get it sorted, & enjoy the rest of your trip :sunglasses:

Hey Pesky! I’m using only the higher grade juice, and it’s only been the big name brands; BP, Shell, Total and Agip. I think the light came on as I was coming towards the end of the tank full of Agip.

Thanks, I’m certainly not going to let a little yellow light spoil the trip. I’m thinking I can cure the problem with a small piece of insulation tape :wink:

where are staying in France?

there are some Lotus indies near Nice

this one is recommended by local lotus owners
http://www.meca-propulsion.com/
243 chemin de saquier
06200 Nice (France)

Tel: Ludo 06.29.84.73.92
Tel: Leo 06.30.51.94.75

if not available, you can try this one
1-11 Motorsport
Adresse:
202 Route Felix Garrel
Colomars
06670
T�l. mobile: +33 6 12 25 39 76
http://www.1-11motorsport.com/

regarding the fuel, as long as you use SP98 that you can find at most gas stations, you’ll be fine

As John has said, I wouldn’t worry about it too much as it could be a load of very minor things.

What OBD app do you use John and what lead?

Great stuff “Frenchie” - thanks for posting that information :sunglasses:

Invest in a bluetooth ODBII reader and an app for your phone, can read DTCs and reset them out and about then.

I agree with everyone , who says it’s something very minor.When I had my Elise just changing the induction air filter to some whizzy foam one upset the light, and it would come on . It took ages and many trips to PMS for them to find out / sort the issue. This was 6/7 years ago , and I think the problem is so widespread , everyone knows the issue.

I am 100% certain that it is not a serious problem . That MIL light is very very temperamental :wink:

It’s so NOT an issue , someone even makes a gizmo to stop it coming lighting up. :smiley:

I have bought this and it works a treat.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280807097815?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_2348wt_1079

[quote=SeanB]
What OBD app do you use John and what lead? [/quote]
I use “torque” App and a Kiwi Bluetooth adapter.
Such a handy combination.

KIWI WiFi here and Rev app. I’ve been told wifi works better on iPhones, hence this combo.

Thanks. I’m staying in Port Grimaud for the next week and we’re heading across through Nice next so I’ll try to get in to Meca Propulsion either on our way, or as a day trip whilst we’re still based in Port Grimaud.

Unbelievably, I called the AA this morning, and the car decided this was a good point to switch off the warning light. Hopefully I won’t see any more trouble, but it’s worth getting the error code at least.

Thanks all for your advice. I plan to simply enjoy the rest of the trip.

I had a similar issue 2-3 years ago. Started with intermittent high revs on idle when coming to a stop. Quick blip of the throttle and the rev settled back to the normal, but this was getting more frequent. My mechanic friend took the throttle body off and the inside was filthy so the valve wasn’t closing properly. Good soak and clean with WD40 sorted it. Cleaning the TB & idle valve sorted the issue temporarily for a few months, but the problem came back again. I had PSR read the code who said the yellow warning light indicated the high rev issue. Seeing the cleaning was only a temporary fix, I decided to a new throttle body (lucky I had a spanking new TB attached to my spare engine :slight_smile:) and it’s been fine ever since.

my mil light was on for 2 years due to my lack of cat even with mil eliminators fitted, only pnic if the light is flashing or the car goes into limp mode :wink:

Same here - MIL light seems impossible to keep off for long if running non standard and de-cat etc. I just check mine regularly to make sure nothing else is up and clear the MIL warning.

Another +1 for getting soem sort of OBD reader that can clear warnings.

Here’s a little clip that illustrates why it’s worth the effort to drive all the way down here:



[video:youtube]To Digne by Exige - YouTube[/video]

Nice one “B” and not a single pot hole in that road! The frogs know how to lay Tarmac