Flashing 'Engine Management /Exhaust' Light

[Tubs and Flo]

Hello, please bear with me I'm new to'gassing'. I currently have a Fabia mk2 (2007) 1.2 HTP 70 which has full dealer service history from new.It has done 34k miles. Never had any issues until this weekend where the engine management light flashes. Here's the symptoms......

• Only ever happens at speed on the Motorway when its been at the constant speed for a while (around 3000 revs). Engine Management Light flashes & car goes into limp mode.
• When I pull off the motorway, stop & restart the engine, the light goes out. If I stick to 'A' & 'B' roads light stays off. It only happens when on motorway 60-70mph.
• No faults are showing when it's 'plugged' in to computer.
• Car runs totally fine at all other times. Good MPG, no misfire.

I don't really want to be taking it to a garage who might charge for things that really don't need doing as guesswork!

A couple of people have said to take it for a 'good run', but not sure what they mean by this.

I welcome any ideas & appreciate any help you can offer please.

[Tubs and Flo]

Hi stevieturbo, thank-you so much for replying. Yes, the light just flashes. (It's the orange light in the shape of an engine). When I stop & restart the engine the light goes out. It only comes back on when I drive 60-70mph (2800-3500 revs) for 10 minutes or so.

Other than that, it drives, revs & ticks over perfectly.

Not sure exactly what kit my mechanic has. He's been very reliable over the 20+ years I've used him & he seems to keep up to date with technical kit.

The only thing i've done differently prior to this happening is put some different fuel in. It was running perfectly & incident free on 'Tesco Momentum 99ron'.

Two days before the fault showing i filled up with 'Esso Premium 97ron' from a Tesco express.
Could this change cause a problem??

[Tubs and Flo]

Hi Max_Torque, thank-you very much for your detailed reply, it really gives me somethings to work with.

I really appreciate your input.

P.S. nothing to do with fuel then?

[Tubs and Flo]

Hi AER,
By 'limp mode' I mean what the owners manual describes as "The engine management system selects an emergency programme which enables you to drive to a garage...using a gentle style of driving".

So I believe the loss of power is enforced by the 'emergency programme'.

[Tubs and Flo]

The car was driving along perfectly, when all of a sudden the engine light started to flash.

After the flashing started, the car started to slow down as if there was a limiter on it.

Pressing on the accelerator would not increase the speed or revs, it seemed limited at around 40mph.

(after looking in the owners manual, I concluded the car had gone into emergency mode).

I pulled off the motorway at next junction, turned the engine off. Turned engine back on & no light.

Carried on to my destination on main roads & car drove perfectly. On my return journey I went back on the motorway & what I described above, happened all over again.

Prior to this there were no signs of a problem, no misfire, car drove perfectly & still is on main roads.

I am sticking to main roads for now & car is still driving perfectly.

My local mechanic has plugged my car into vag-com & no faults show. He's checked the car over & changed the plugs as these were passed their best. He could find nothing else that was wrong.

I tried motorway again with new plugs & exactly the same thing happened!

[Tubs and Flo]

Hi Le TVR

Technically it is the exhaust warning light, but so many components affect it. Including plugs, coil, bad wire etc.

I've taken it for a good 'hard workout' today to burn off the Esso fuel. Filled it back up with Tesco Momentum 99Ron & the problem seems to have gone!!??

I'll see how it goes over the weekend.

[Tubs and Flo]

Yes, a proper, up to date, legit copy of VCDS & no fault codes.

I've also been looking on Briskoda & it's not uncommon for faults not to be logged if the warning light only flashes. If the light stays solid then that's a different matter....apparently.