MIL?

[cjm]

I had the Malfunction Indicator Lamp come on this evening and not go off again, is there any simple way to check the fault code, find the cause or check anything or is it a trip to MMC??

Thanks

[MacK]

Someone might/should have a suitable cable and laptop.

[robin]

Assuming the car is an S2 elise and not S1 VVC then just about every garage should have an OBD2 code reader - pretty much mandatory equipment these days - so pick somewhere local and ask them if they have a code reader and what they'll charge to read out the codes and give you the list (that bit is important - you don't want them to clear the codes and not tell you what they were).

Then post the codes here and somebody will tell you what they mean

Cheers,
Robin

[cjm]

Where is the connector for the OBD?

[neil]

on the toyota s2's its under the dash on the left hand side

[robin]

The Euro emissions rules state that it must be within a certain distance of the driver's footwell; on the elise that means it's dangling around somewhere near the pedals If you "adopt the position" you'll see it ...

Here's an image of what it looks like:

clicky

Cheers,
Robin

[cjm]

Thanks, its a k series s2 111s and I've found out my uncle has a obd2 so I'll be visiting him tonight.

[cjm]

The light had gone off when I started the car to head to my uncles. Still went and got the following codes:

P0300 - random/multiple cylinder missfire detected
P0301 - cylinder 1 missfire detected
P0302 - cylinder 2 missfire detected
P0303 - cylinder 3 missfire detected
P0304 - cylinder 4 missfire detected

and also so

P1301 - ????

[robin]

The light will go off after a period of running with the fault not reappearing and a number of engine cycles. So that means your fault is/was intermittent.

The P1301 means that the emissions were increased by the misfires, I think. It's to be expected ... if the engine misfires repeatedly then a bunch of unburnt fuel goes down the exhaust and so will end up partially burnt, probably.

If the light stays off, and assuming you've now cleared the faults, it would make sense to hook up the code reader after another month of running to see if any new faults have accumulated.

Have you had a flat battery, difficulty starting the engine, or actually noticed any stuttering from the engine?

Cheers,
Robin

The light had gone off when I started the car to head to my uncles. Still went and got the following codes:

P0300 - random/multiple cylinder missfire detected
P0301 - cylinder 1 missfire detected
P0302 - cylinder 2 missfire detected
P0303 - cylinder 3 missfire detected
P0304 - cylinder 4 missfire detected

and also so

P1301 - ????

[cjm]

The car has been driving great and no hint of a missfire. I'll give the plugs and leads a check and have a look at there condition.

[robin]

It will not be plugs and leads.

The S2 K-series has coil packs configured for wasted spark ignition which means two coil packs, one for 1&4, one for 2&3. Any single failure in that system will, at worst, lead to misfires on two cylinders. You have random misfire across all four cylinders. This is more likely to be caused by either a sensor fault or a loss in fuel pressure, fuel contamination or (unlikely) some issue with the VVC mechanism if you have a VVC engine.

The chances are that a sensor fault that happens whilst the engine is running will also lodge a code.

So my money is on fuel contamination or some issue with the power to the fuel pump.

Time will tell which it is

Cheers,
Robin

[mwmackenzie]

Even though I can't always follow then due to being a tad thick, I love reading your replys Robin, your powers of deduction are second to none!

Awaits results

[cjm]

I'll be on the look out for any odd behavior and report bad!