53 Avensis Engine Management Llight Fault

[sheila99]

We have a constant light for the enging management system and the dealer is saying we need a new Cat system including manifold and ECU unit with control and are quoting around £1500! Help !!

[richard.c]

We have a constant light for the enging management system and the dealer is saying we need a new Cat system including manifold and ECU unit with control and are quoting around £1500! Help !!

Hi,

First off, does the car appear to drive normally or are there obvious problems other than the check light.

Did the Dealer - Toyota ?? - show you the error code listing he has to read out of your ECU to provide the correct diagnosis ?

Cannot say with any certainty what you fault is, but its quiet common for just one of the oxygen sensors to fail - so a simple replacement should sort it.

Whatever that dealer said, at that price you certainly must go to at least one other Toyota dealer for a second opinion - then try and find a known good independant toyota garage as see what they say.

Any dealer or garage that will not show you the error code list - then walk away...

[sheila99]

Hi, yes, it was a Toyota dealer. I'm going to get the error code in the morning (they gave me am 0906 number that costs £1.50 a minute as the parts department was too busy) and my husband is going to another Toyota dealer in the morning. Do we just ask them to change the sensor and then run another diagnostic?

Our normal dealer charged us £40 last time but the second one has agreed to do it for £10.

[richard.c]

Hi, yes, it was a Toyota dealer. I'm going to get the error code in the morning (they gave me am 0906 number that costs £1.50 a minute as the parts department was too busy) and my husband is going to another Toyota dealer in the morning. Do we just ask them to change the sensor and then run another diagnostic?

Our normal dealer charged us £40 last time but the second one has agreed to do it for £10.

Hi, 0906 numbers - they are having a laugh !!! - leave well alone !!

Try the other dealer £10 is not bad for a read out.

If the read out says a sensor, then replacing should cure the fault, and the ECU should be reset by the dealer.

They may want to do emmission tests etc to ensure things are ok even when the check light is out.

[sheila99]

Thanks, Richard and apologies if you've received this before. Are the emissions part of the diagnostic? If the light is still showing, and the emissions are OK, can we do the MOT? Sorry to ask so many questions but we don't know much about cars, as you can see.

[richard.c]

1. Are the emissions part of the diagnostic?

2. If the light is still showing, and the emissions are OK, can we do the MOT?

Hi,

1. Afraid I do not actualy know what Toyota do as a Diagnostics test, but would seem unlikely not to include the emissions, as I would think most of their diagnostics are done on similar faults.

2. Again do not know, but I would suspect that if the mot emissions tests were ok, they might just give an advisory note on the check light being on.

Have a look at the VOSA mot site for info, although if your check light is on and the emissions are ok, then something else must be wrong ....

[Beagh1958]

To sheila99.

Have seen this fault before, from memory the ECM (engine management unit) on the first MK11 2003 D4D is not programable ie: ECM gives false readings to lambda sensor which causes over fuelling which destroys cat, thus the horror price. I certainly would not take this as read & would seek a second opinion. Any decent garage with top end diagnostics equipment can read codes of in minutes not 1/2 an hr or more.

Regards, Beagh.

PS: If your going to go to another Toyota garage in the morning, make absolutely no mention of your previous visit to another dealer. Just tell them the light came on, but to be on the safe side you thought it would be best to check it out & tell them the car is running perfectly. Make no mention of emissions atall.

[sheila99]

Thanks Beach, unfortunately too late as my husband had already told him we'd had one diagnostic test run. I won't tell them the fault number and just see if they match it.

[Welshcakes]

Just my two penneth here but our engine management light came on within half an hour of our car passing its MOT with our mechanic of twenty years who we know is very thorough and wouldn't let anything slip by unnoted. The car runs perfectly and I have read that the light can come on for the smallest of things, often not requiring attenmtion/replacement. I'm not suggesting anyone should ignore the light (especially when a diagnostic has identified a problem) however I also think it's useful for alleviating stress to bear in mind that the Death Light might not necessarily mean a lighter wallet.

[sheila99]

Thanks Richard, Beagh (sorry for the mis-spelling before)and Welshcakes, the garage this morning did the diagnostic including emissions and they were both OK - no fault found. My husband spoke to the senior mechanic and the owner who kindly explained that Toyota tolerances were very strict as to what they recommend, whereas from experience they had found that very often nothing needed to be done, which is the case with our car thank goodness. They said that very often they came on for no reason and that the car runs perfectly normally. Apparently it might have been that there was a hiccough in the running at low revs which we wouldn't notice but the engine management system. So thank you everyone once again for your help. Have a good Easter.