Malfunction Indication Light Came On

[Grazeygrey]

Hi

I have a 2001 Celica 1.8 VVTI. As I was driving home last night the Malfunction Indicator Light (little yellow engine symbol) came on.

In the manual it says that this is either fuel shortage or electrical malfunction.

Can I ask - is this safe to drive until I get the chance to get a mechanic to check it out? We've had extremely cold weather but don't know if this has had a bearing on this?

Thanks

Graham

[Scarlett Arrow]

Hi Graham and welcome to TOC.

Yes, but get hold of a code reader ASAP to find out the cause of the CEL.

[Grazeygrey]

Hi Graham and welcome to TOC.

Yes, but get hold of a code reader ASAP to find out the cause of the CEL.

Hi - thanks very much. So just to confirm . . .is it unlikely I would damage the car by driving it in the interim until I can get hold of a code reader or take it to a mechanic?

Cheers

Graham

[Scarlett Arrow]

Correct. I'm not going to try and guess the problem as it could be one of many things. The most common is when someone has just fitted a cone type Air Filter which changes the air/fuel mixture. You need something like a OBDII Reader to give you a code like P0410 and then you'll know where to start. If you disconnect the Battery for a few minutes, it will clear the ECU and remove the CEL, but the chances are it will be back after a few miles.

[Jamesbelfast]

The most common cause of the engine management light illuminating on most cars (not just Toyotas) is because the Lamda sensor in the exhaust has detected gases outside its normal parameters. The most common causes are incomplete combustion or over-fuelling. If this is the case then the CAT (if fitted) in the exhaust system can be damaged and will either fail or its lif-span will be severely restricted.

My personal advice would be not to drive the car unecessarily until the problem has been sorted. Could well save you money in the long run.:)