3200GT Check Engine Light Advice Required
Discussion
My check engine warning light came on today in standing traffic. I turned off and reset but the light came on again instantly. I have checked all the usual stuff (brake pedal switch, had a blast down the motorway to clear the lambda sensors etc.) to no avail.
Interesting thing is that if I turn the ignition on and let the checks run the light goes out, if I then wait a few more seconds it comes on without starting the engine. I thought the whole point of letting the checks run was that when the lights went out you were ok?
The engine is running fine and has not gone into limp mode. Oil and water are spot on. I have even made sure the fuel cap is not loose (someone else said this could cause the light to come on).
Can anyone shed any light? It’s a 100 mile round trip to the dealer and the car is booked in for a service next month so I would rather not take it twice.
All info highly appreciated as I don’t have time to s*** at the moment let alone take time off to drive a neurotic Mazzer to the clinic.
Interesting thing is that if I turn the ignition on and let the checks run the light goes out, if I then wait a few more seconds it comes on without starting the engine. I thought the whole point of letting the checks run was that when the lights went out you were ok?
The engine is running fine and has not gone into limp mode. Oil and water are spot on. I have even made sure the fuel cap is not loose (someone else said this could cause the light to come on).
Can anyone shed any light? It’s a 100 mile round trip to the dealer and the car is booked in for a service next month so I would rather not take it twice.
All info highly appreciated as I don’t have time to s*** at the moment let alone take time off to drive a neurotic Mazzer to the clinic.
The lambda sensors can get so dirty that they require a clean. They can also get very dry I believe due to the high temps they are exposed to, requiring attention.
Why not give the dealership a call and see what they recommend. They see Check Engine problems all the time, so should be able to give some direction based on the symptoms you describe.
A good dealership will help you out rather than just say 'bring it in and we'll have a look'. My nearest dealership is 60 miles away but they have been exceptionally helpful to date.
Why not give the dealership a call and see what they recommend. They see Check Engine problems all the time, so should be able to give some direction based on the symptoms you describe.
A good dealership will help you out rather than just say 'bring it in and we'll have a look'. My nearest dealership is 60 miles away but they have been exceptionally helpful to date.
Not that unusual - could be dirty lambda sensors - seems to be the most commonly reported cause of this behavior.
As the man said - speak to your dealer - tey'[ll probably tell you that it everything else is running fine (oil, water, oil pressure, temp etc) then carry on but keep an eye on it.
If it is the lambdas then from memory it'll be about 1500 quid - they have to take the interior to bits to get them out...
As the man said - speak to your dealer - tey'[ll probably tell you that it everything else is running fine (oil, water, oil pressure, temp etc) then carry on but keep an eye on it.
If it is the lambdas then from memory it'll be about 1500 quid - they have to take the interior to bits to get them out...
I've had the yellow engine light come on twice now.
The first time it was the brake pedal sensor which was adjusted free of charge.
The last time was after the car had been sat for a week with less than 1/4 of a tank in, it came on after driving it for about 10 mins. Stuck some super unleaded in and on restarting it was fine.
The first time it was the brake pedal sensor which was adjusted free of charge.
The last time was after the car had been sat for a week with less than 1/4 of a tank in, it came on after driving it for about 10 mins. Stuck some super unleaded in and on restarting it was fine.
craigw said:
have u tried turning the battery terminal to off on the switch in the boot, leave it a few mins then turn on, cured mine.
Don't forget to write down your radio code first though - might need it if the power is off for more than a couple of minutes!!! Oh - and that will probably set off the alarm too, so beware!
Shoudl fix the issue though. If it doesn't then it's time to head to the dealers methinks...
It sounds like your throttle motor needs reseting. It's a simple proceedure that should be carried out on the annual service, but is often overlooked.
Proceed as follows:
1. Hold your foot on the accelerator.
2. Switch on the ignition.
3. Keep your foot on the throttle for 60 seconds.
4. Cycle the ignition off and then back on again.
5. try it up the road!
Proceed as follows:
1. Hold your foot on the accelerator.
2. Switch on the ignition.
3. Keep your foot on the throttle for 60 seconds.
4. Cycle the ignition off and then back on again.
5. try it up the road!
Thanks for the advice
You all must have better dealers than me. When i ring mine the very helpful service receptionist will only condone having the car towed in. If I ask to speak to a mechanic there are never any available. (I see hourly rates quoted at 90ish qid an hour. Mine is £110 + vat)
Where is the battery off switch n the boot? I can only see the terminals. should i just take the +ive off and wait?
Tried the throttle reset. It didn't work. Was i doing it right? I got in put my foot to the floor turned to MAR counted 60 seconds turned it off took foot off then started up.
I am sure there is nothing wrong (used to spend hours stripping motorbike engines and then racing them when a youngster).
I am sadly going to have to sell the car soon & just want to have some fun first but obviously want to sort the problem before it goes on the market.
Really gutted because I will pay for a 4 wheel align 2 fronts and a service next month. Wanted to have acouple of months driving and then sell (wife expecting). If I dont't sort this wife will make me pay out and sell straight away.
You all must have better dealers than me. When i ring mine the very helpful service receptionist will only condone having the car towed in. If I ask to speak to a mechanic there are never any available. (I see hourly rates quoted at 90ish qid an hour. Mine is £110 + vat)
Where is the battery off switch n the boot? I can only see the terminals. should i just take the +ive off and wait?
Tried the throttle reset. It didn't work. Was i doing it right? I got in put my foot to the floor turned to MAR counted 60 seconds turned it off took foot off then started up.
I am sure there is nothing wrong (used to spend hours stripping motorbike engines and then racing them when a youngster).
I am sadly going to have to sell the car soon & just want to have some fun first but obviously want to sort the problem before it goes on the market.
Really gutted because I will pay for a 4 wheel align 2 fronts and a service next month. Wanted to have acouple of months driving and then sell (wife expecting). If I dont't sort this wife will make me pay out and sell straight away.
For what it's worth whenever my warning light has come on I just ignore it for a couple of days and hey presto! one morning I start the car it doesn't stay on, seems not to cause any problems and never any comments when it goes in for a service. If it's not causing any problems pehaps it may be worth keeping an eye on the dashboard infromation and waiting until it's service before doing anything, just a thought as my local dealer did say "these lights tend to come on and then dissappear for no obviouse reason"
3200gt said:
Try:-
ignition on in mar position (engine not running)
leave for 2 minutes
fully depress the throttle for 5 seconds
relase throttle for 5 seconds
switch off.
Straight from the maser workshop manual.
I agree that 360 Stradale was wrong but yours is not right either. There are 2 separate operations as my original thread ( 3200GT OVERSENSITIVE THROTTLE ADJUSTMENT ) states. The correct procedure for resetting both upper and lower throttle limits is as follows:
1) Reset the mechanical zero position
- Put gear lever in neutral
- Switch on ignition (to MAR position) but do NOT start the engine
- Do not touch the throttle pedal for 2 minutes
- Switch off ignition
2) Reset the mechanical Full Throttle position
- Put gear lever in neutral
- Switch on ignition (to MAR position) but do NOT start the engine
- Fully depress throttle pedal and hold for 5 seconds
- Release throttle pedal completely
- Switch off ignition
The full text does not specify waiting until the various warning lights have extinguished themselves after switching on ignition, but I do not depress throttle (item 2) or start timing until they have.
Source: Official Factory Workshop Manual (Engine) page 96 of the Fuel supply section.
Hope this helps
The method i have described for carrying out throttle reset is not as described in the 3200 workshop manual. It isn't, however, incorrect. This is the method that you are told of during the 3200 engine course, which, as a Maserati/ Ferrari technician, i attended some time ago. I'm sorry to hear it didn't cure the problem, and if none of the desribed method's for resetting the throttle's adaptive values work, then there may be further isssues concerning the throttle. Another thing you could try, is disconnecting the throttle pedal plug, as i've known of instances of exessive resistance at this point, causing the engine managment issues.There is a modification to the wiring carried out by dealers on earlier cars because of this. Lean under the driver's footwell, and you will see a white multiplug just above the throttle pedal, connected to a black cylinder. Disconnect the plug, and clean out the pins using a cotton bud. Reconnect plug and retry the throttle learn proceedure.
having paid up for lambda replacement the cost is due to the fact that they are apparrently single piece units with wires attached@ meaning that they are located ont he underside of the car inside the exhaust, then the wires feed back inside the floorpan. The cost is the time charged due to dissasembling the interior to route the wires back to the EMS. Well thats what the dealer told me when they relieved me of my hard earned!
I'd get a second opinion from somewhere unless you're 100% certain it is the lambdas though, I negotiated with my dealer due to another issue and didn't pay full whack, but I understand the bill was over 1,500 quid....
Normally hope to see nigelo turn up on one of these threads - might be worth mailing him, he knows the score better than most regarding the possiblities here...
I'd get a second opinion from somewhere unless you're 100% certain it is the lambdas though, I negotiated with my dealer due to another issue and didn't pay full whack, but I understand the bill was over 1,500 quid....
Normally hope to see nigelo turn up on one of these threads - might be worth mailing him, he knows the score better than most regarding the possiblities here...
I think you are thinking of gas tempreture sensors Mr. Tony, as fitted to 4200's.The wiring for these do indeed protrude into the cabin area, and to renew them you have to strip out the centre console. The Lambda sensor wiring is situated at the rear of the engine(accessable from the rear of the engine bay) and the other two plugs are underneath the car.Replacement is quite a simple job- there are two per bank. It takes around an hour and a half to do all four.
360 stradale said:
I think you are thinking of gas tempreture sensors Mr. Tony, as fitted to 4200's.The wiring for these do indeed protrude into the cabin area, and to renew them you have to strip out the centre console. The Lambda sensor wiring is situated at the rear of the engine(accessable from the rear of the engine bay) and the other two plugs are underneath the car.Replacement is quite a simple job- there are two per bank. It takes around an hour and a half to do all four.
must be gas sensors then. The dealers were convinced this was causing my check engine light to come on, and once replaced all was well....
Sorry for the delay in responding but have just caught up again with this thread.
Engine warning light came on in heavy traffic. Usual resets have not altered the condition but light does momentarily go out after self tests when powering on ignition, only to reappear seconds later. You also say that car has not gone into "limp mode".
The first and last points seem the most significant especially if you mean you still have turbo boost. If that is indeed the case, the problem may be a battery needing a good charge (using a CTEK conditioner etc) or replacement if incapable of properly sustaining a charge. Insufficient voltage is known to play havoc with the elctronics and we are mid-Winter. A fast run down a motorway would not neccessarily have cured this but in any event would require a battery disconnect / reconnect to properly reset the system. Also worth checking the earthing resistances in the usual places for the same reason.
Hope this helps
Engine warning light came on in heavy traffic. Usual resets have not altered the condition but light does momentarily go out after self tests when powering on ignition, only to reappear seconds later. You also say that car has not gone into "limp mode".
The first and last points seem the most significant especially if you mean you still have turbo boost. If that is indeed the case, the problem may be a battery needing a good charge (using a CTEK conditioner etc) or replacement if incapable of properly sustaining a charge. Insufficient voltage is known to play havoc with the elctronics and we are mid-Winter. A fast run down a motorway would not neccessarily have cured this but in any event would require a battery disconnect / reconnect to properly reset the system. Also worth checking the earthing resistances in the usual places for the same reason.
Hope this helps
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