Engine Management Light

[AlanS.]

Hi everyone my name is Alan, i've just joined the the forum.

i've got a problem with my 53 plate 1.8 avensis tourer.

was driving along on the motorway yesterday, all fine then suddenly the engine management light came on. but the car just seems to drive okay and i've got another 100 miles till i get home so i carried on. phoned my local dealer and they wanted £80+ just to plug a computer onto my car to find out the fault code.

i think this is ridiculous, so can i simply take the car to a local garage will they be able to diagnose the fault or i'd have to bite the wallet and take it back to the dealer?

also checked the oil level and its on the top mark...

any suggestions? :(

[Beagh1958]

Pay up. It's the only way, what with all the sensors on your car & ECM unit's etc etc. Unless you open bonnet & can see broken sensor or faulty wiring you will not find problem. It's either Mr-T or perhaps local garage with good reputation. Worked in main dealers for the last 20 odd years & the days of DIY mechanics are gone ( wear & tear items easy enough ) but on the electric side it's a nightmare. A main German car maker sells cars that if you try to change front brake pads for example if car senses any electrical spike through car system it will automatically lock caliper pistons on to disc. You name a car maker & with a few exceptions they want your car back to the garage every time for repair. Simple, parts & labour make series money.

Some Toyota mechanics on forum may be able to help, but you will need error codes for proper diagnosis.

[shuggybhoy]

Pay up. It's the only way, what with all the sensors on your car & ECM unit's etc etc. Unless you open bonnet & can see broken sensor or faulty wiring you will not find problem. It's either Mr-T or perhaps local garage with good reputation. Worked in main dealers for the last 20 odd years & the days of DIY mechanics are gone ( wear & tear items easy enough ) but on the electric side it's a nightmare. A main German car maker sells cars that if you try to change front brake pads for example if car senses any electrical spike through car system it will automatically lock caliper pistons on to disc. You name a car maker & with a few exceptions they want your car back to the garage every time for repair. Simple, parts & labour make series money.

Some Toyota mechanics on forum may be able to help, but you will need error codes for proper diagnosis.

You do have the option of buying an OBD11 code reader, i have just been reading the following blog: http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.p...90&hl=OBD11 which may help. I am thinking about investing in one because at the end of the day it would be nice if we could go to MR T armed with some knowledge of what the problem is with the car?

Only problem i have, is locating the OBD11 socket on my 53 D4D T-spirit, so if anyone out there can point me in the right direction I would be more than pleased

[AlanS.]

SHOCKED!!!

just back from the dealer for a ECU light diagnosis which costed me £82. they told me the ECU and the CAT is gone which will costs £1674 to replace inc labour!!!! the report says P0420 in memory req CAT and ECU.

my car only done 73k , so surely this is unusual for the ecu + cat to go for a fairly new average mileage car.

what can i do....help please!

[Beagh1958]

To shuggyboy & Alan.s.

OBD11 connection just below right hand dash, just above your shin bone would be if foot on throttle pedal, sort of looks like scart socket.

To Alan.s it's allways struck me as odd that whenever a cat fails it is in conjunction with ECU or ECM. Ask Toyota for a full copy of diagnostic log that would have been created in the finding of these faults.

Cat can fail way before your milage, but ECM allways baffles me, you would think they are bolted together.

It would be interesting to know from any Toyota mechanic on forum why above faults allways seem to require renewal of ECM.

[caolan]

SHOCKED!!!

just back from the dealer for a ECU light diagnosis which costed me £82. they told me the ECU and the CAT is gone which will costs £1674 to replace inc labour!!!! the report says P0420 in memory req CAT and ECU.

my car only done 73k , so surely this is unusual for the ecu + cat to go for a fairly new average mileage car.

what can i do....help please!

sorry but they are having a laugh.£1600 wuold get you a new car£40 will get you a code reader on ebayUNIVERSAL Diagnostic code reader OBD11 reset tool for £30

[tezza]

i sympathise with you. Exatly the same thing happened to me the other week. Had to pay for the diagnosis first. I was told same money to repair. No problem I thought I had bought a Toyota extended warrantee. When they contacted Toyota insurance they wouldnt cover it at first because I had missed the 90k service. But I argued that the car had a new short engine under Toyota UK known fault for excessive oil consumption problem at 86k, so I had the car serviced at 96k instead. They relented in the end and said that a new engine equalled a minor service! Goes in tomorrow to get replaced. If they werent paying I would just stick some tape over the light and carry on driving as the car performs just as well. Like you I cant believe that one fault can cause the ecu to go at the same time. Also goes back in on Thursday to the dealer who replaced the engine cos the second dealer found an oil leak on the timing cover - again no charge. Phew!!

[terryirwin]

SHOCKED!!!

just back from the dealer for a ECU light diagnosis which costed me £82. they told me the ECU and the CAT is gone which will costs £1674 to replace inc labour!!!! the report says P0420 in memory req CAT and ECU.

my car only done 73k , so surely this is unusual for the ecu + cat to go for a fairly new average mileage car.

what can i do....help please!

[terryirwin]

SHOCKED!!!

just back from the dealer for a ECU light diagnosis which costed me £82. they told me the ECU and the CAT is gone which will costs £1674 to replace inc labour!!!! the report says P0420 in memory req CAT and ECU.

my car only done 73k , so surely this is unusual for the ecu + cat to go for a fairly new average mileage car.

what can i do....help please!

My Avensis (2001 1.8 VVTi ) had new short engine under warranty at 40000 miles. They did not change the Cat (front one ) although understand from other comments that this really should be done.

About a year ago Engine Management Light came on and stayed on although absolutely no effect on performance.

To cut a very long story short.

The original high oil consumption damaged the front catalyst although not thought at the time to be bad enough to changeit.

Engine light is on now ( same fault code P0420 ) because performance of the catalyst has slightly reduced to below the tolerance level set by Toyota ECU. It still passes the MOT emissions test with flying colours.

Later models can be sorted by adjustment, reprogramming the ECU but my model ( Feb 2001 ) cannot.

The light can therefore only be turned off permanently by changing the damaged front Cat.

It can be turned off temporarily by usual Battery disconnection but always comes back on within a week or two.

ECU does not need to be changed and I believe the ECU cannot be upgradedto the later one which can be reprogrammed.

Toyota should accept responsibility to change the front Cat for free due to the high oil consumption causing the problem.

I have completed the above analysis of the problem with my local Toyota dealer relatively recently but have yet to go back to the Toyota dealer who did the original short engine replacement due to moving house recently.

I recall seeing another thread saying this problem had been given a seven year warranty by Toyota.

In short, P0420 is damaged Cat from excessive oil burning and Toyota should replace for free. ECU does not and cannot be changed/substituted.

Hope this helps

[AlanS.]

thanks for the reply

terry- so your saying the cat might have been damaged due to the engine burning excessive oil and toyota should replace it for free?

i dont know if my cat is damaged by the engine due to high oil comsumption. my local dealer done a oil comsumption check on it where they've topped it up and told me to come back after 500miles which i did and they told me the egnine hardly used any?

what about the ECU does it really need replacing i.e their tryin to rip me off or is it just the CAT?

did you get your problem sorted?

thanks

[terryirwin]

thanks for the reply

terry- so your saying the cat might have been damaged due to the engine burning excessive oil and toyota should replace it for free?

i dont know if my cat is damaged by the engine due to high oil comsumption. my local dealer done a oil comsumption check on it where they've topped it up and told me to come back after 500miles which i did and they told me the egnine hardly used any?

what about the ECU does it really need replacing i.e their tryin to rip me off or is it just the CAT?

did you get your problem sorted?

thanks

When they are checking the excess oil consumption problem they are supposed to visually inspect the front cat to see if ruined but of course easy to say "looked OK". When I had their oil consumption check ( it is 1000 miles not 500 ) it went from max to min before the 1000 miles were up so they said no problem - new short engine.

Don`t rely on them to tell you how much oil has been used. Check it yourself.

If they change the short engine insist they change the Cat due to almost certain damage.

As I said , eng man light comes on due to too fine ECU tolerances which cannot be adjusted ( unlike later models).

Only answer is for them to change the front cat at their cost.

cheers

[AlanS.]

i'll booked another oil comsumption check at another dealer as its free anyway.

[daddydoos]

Hi all,

I appreciate that this thread is a couple of months old, but I think I am about to go down this road :(

I've got a 52 plate Vermont and the warning light came on yesterday. Booked in to the dealers (who quoted £45 for the diagnostic check - seems cheaper than most other users here have had to pay ). Be interested to see what they come back with. Like most other people with this problem, the car performs fine (or, at least, no better or worse than it did before).

I'm a bit nervous because my car is vital for my work (I work for myself and travel around *alot*). I'll report back when the car has been in this Thursday.

Cheers,

Ian.

[wardy2]

Wardy 2

53 plate Avensis 1.8VVTI Short Engine fitted last year MIL light on this year PO 420 / 430 Fault

after paying £68 to plug in at the main dealer

TOLD 1500 exclud labour req'd to replace front Cat Exhaust Manifold + ECU

Second letter to Toyota GB MD this should have been replaced last year with the Short Engine

NOT the customer !!!

Need a reply from FLYINGJETMAN321 how he got on with small claims court Feb this year

[Starensis]

you'll more than likely find it will be 1 of the oxygn sensors on the exhaust its probably the most common fault for that perticular engine. there is 4 oxygen sensors on the on this engine and the diagnosis tester will indicate which1 of them is faulty. if this is the problem then the parts usually cost between 90-150 quid .

[MoneyInTheUK]

Hi Guys new member here.

The engine management light came on on my Toyota Avensis Vermont. Anyway I was reading another thread and the guys there suggested disconnecting the -ve lead of the Battery for 10 seconds. Given the alternatives as some people have experienced I tried it and guess what. The light has reset and now working as it should. Just thought I would mention it as some are asking the same thing here. I am off now to add to the original thread.

Excellent forum