Help - I've got Mil :p
Discussion
Right, my M.I.L light is coming on. Never noticed it before, but then I never really looked. I only noticed it when I turned the engine off, but kept the ignition on.
I did a search, and came up with this www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=486&f=11&h=0&hw=M%2EI%2EL which doesnt tell me much.
What does the MIL light mean? I found no reference to it in the bible or the handbook. Could it have anything to do with my car leaking fluids, even though I am about 98% sure the fluid is the water coolant? Does anyone elses MIL light come on? Rob
I did a search, and came up with this www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=486&f=11&h=0&hw=M%2EI%2EL which doesnt tell me much.
What does the MIL light mean? I found no reference to it in the bible or the handbook. Could it have anything to do with my car leaking fluids, even though I am about 98% sure the fluid is the water coolant? Does anyone elses MIL light come on? Rob
Page 117 of the bible top left......
On the V8s, the mil light at the bottom of the rev counter is connected to the low oil pressure switch..........................................................
Do not continue to drive the car......Blah Blah Blah
But then again TVR electrics......
Better check it out...
SHPUB..?
On the V8s, the mil light at the bottom of the rev counter is connected to the low oil pressure switch..........................................................
Do not continue to drive the car......Blah Blah Blah
But then again TVR electrics......
Better check it out...
SHPUB..?
Right, here's what I think I know.
1) The car was leaking something. I still cant confirm it was oil, but it could have been. I really dont think it was oil, though.
2) The last time I filled the oil up was weeks ago. I overfilled by 20%, and it appears that NO oil has been lost. Its still 20% fuller than "FULL" 2 weeks after I overfilled it.
3) The M.I.L light was definitely on when the ignition was on and the engine was off. I dunno if the MIL light was on when the engine was running... was too busy concentrating on clutches and roundabouts
first car etc 
Can someone confirm that the M.I.L light does not go on (it says 'MIL') as standard, when the ignition is turned on.
4) I noticed yesterday (have never looked before or since) that the oil pressure gague(?) (the gague nearest the driver) was waving up and down (in 30% movements) when I was accelerating, same sort of movement as the rev counter. Is this normal? Seems to hang around the 35-40 mark, just below the 50. Is this normal?
5) Taking into account 4) what should I do? Start the car, and look for what signs??
-The MIL light turning off when the engine starts
-The oil guage reading a steady figure (what is it)
6) AND - could the juddering/misfiring Ive been experiencing on & off during the last 5 hours of driving be down to the oil pressure/MIL light problem?
1) The car was leaking something. I still cant confirm it was oil, but it could have been. I really dont think it was oil, though.
2) The last time I filled the oil up was weeks ago. I overfilled by 20%, and it appears that NO oil has been lost. Its still 20% fuller than "FULL" 2 weeks after I overfilled it.
3) The M.I.L light was definitely on when the ignition was on and the engine was off. I dunno if the MIL light was on when the engine was running... was too busy concentrating on clutches and roundabouts
first car etc Can someone confirm that the M.I.L light does not go on (it says 'MIL') as standard, when the ignition is turned on. 4) I noticed yesterday (have never looked before or since) that the oil pressure gague(?) (the gague nearest the driver) was waving up and down (in 30% movements) when I was accelerating, same sort of movement as the rev counter. Is this normal? Seems to hang around the 35-40 mark, just below the 50. Is this normal?
5) Taking into account 4) what should I do? Start the car, and look for what signs??
-The MIL light turning off when the engine starts
-The oil guage reading a steady figure (what is it)
6) AND - could the juddering/misfiring Ive been experiencing on & off during the last 5 hours of driving be down to the oil pressure/MIL light problem?
UKbob said:
Just a thought, does the V8S interupt the ignition circuit when there is a lack of oil pressure?
We had a Honda many years ago that did this as a warning and safeguard.
How do you mean, exactly?
The oil pressure switch could possibly be used as a trigger to interupt the ignition system. So when the oil is dangerously low you have a physical warning.
This was the system on the old Honda Accord I mentioned, does anyone know whether the V8S does something similar, it's possible?
I seem to remember reading on here that the MIL light is connected to the ECU on newer models, but that obviously may not be the case with the V8S.
My MIL light doesn't come on with the ignition, but that's on a V6.
You could have a look in Sprint for the number of the S Series expert and try giving him a ring, otherwise a call directly to TVR (01253 509000) might yield results.
My MIL light doesn't come on with the ignition, but that's on a V6.
You could have a look in Sprint for the number of the S Series expert and try giving him a ring, otherwise a call directly to TVR (01253 509000) might yield results.
Certainly on Chimaeras the MIL light (Malfunction Indicator Light) indicates that there is an ECU fault (could be minor). The ECU may well be running in the default "limp home mode" as a safety measure at the moment.
It will need a diagnostic code reader plugged in to the ECU to find out what the problem is. Dealer visit time I'm afraid.
Cheers,
Matt
Edited to Add - RichardR.. older models too such as my 93. Cheers Matt.
>> Edited by M@H on Tuesday 10th August 10:11
It will need a diagnostic code reader plugged in to the ECU to find out what the problem is. Dealer visit time I'm afraid.
Cheers,
Matt
Edited to Add - RichardR.. older models too such as my 93. Cheers Matt.
>> Edited by M@H on Tuesday 10th August 10:11
Heres what Ive diagnosed
1) Turn Ignition on, MIL light comes on after 3 seconds approx.
2) Turn key, start the engine, MIL light then goes off. Leave engine running, MIL light does not come on... which is good I suppose.
3) Turn engine off, MIL light goes off.
4) Turn just the ignition on again, wait a few seconds, and the MIL light comes back on again, but goes off when you start the engine.
Any ideas what it could mean? What will Austec check/what might the problem be, and will they be able to fix it (I mean I dont need a dealer, do I, when I have Austec?)
Finally, can I drive the car up to Austec, its a 1 hour trip. I dont know how many of you read my other post about the leaking substance, which I am 95% sure is water coolant.
Rob
1) Turn Ignition on, MIL light comes on after 3 seconds approx.
2) Turn key, start the engine, MIL light then goes off. Leave engine running, MIL light does not come on... which is good I suppose.
3) Turn engine off, MIL light goes off.
4) Turn just the ignition on again, wait a few seconds, and the MIL light comes back on again, but goes off when you start the engine.
Any ideas what it could mean? What will Austec check/what might the problem be, and will they be able to fix it (I mean I dont need a dealer, do I, when I have Austec?)
Finally, can I drive the car up to Austec, its a 1 hour trip. I dont know how many of you read my other post about the leaking substance, which I am 95% sure is water coolant.
Rob
It may be the MIL light comes on when the fuel pump primes but the engine is unstarted. Dunno, I will check if I get the chance.
Z
The oil pressure will increase as the speed of the revs increases and the oil pump pumps faster. The oil pressure will slightly decrease over time from starting as the thickness of the oil decreases as it becomes slightly warmer. AFAIK oil pressure is ok between 30 to 50 psi under normal operating conditions.
Edited to give more info,
You mentioned in another thread that you were loosing fluid from your car and loosing quite a lot.
Now you also mentioned that you over filled your oil by a small amount. This should not matter unless you go to mad. The 20% you mentioned should be ok and Steve Heath actually recommends this for track days. Any more than this and you may blow a seal.
You also said that the oil level is not decreasing much and so it cannot be engine oil, well the capacity is well over 6L especially when over full, so you would have to loose a lot of oil to see any real difference. It could still be engine oil.
On the other hand it could be gearbox oil, or diff oil. Gearbox / diff oil smells different to engine oil
This may help identify the leak, but you should be able to check by jacking the car up. The gearbox has from memory ca. 3 L of oil and the diff a bit less, so if you are loosing a lot get it checked quick. You can make a surprisingly large mess with only 200 ml of oil.
An easy way of identifying if you have oil, water, or a mixture of both is to take an old jar and scrape some in, fill the jar with water. If the stuff floats then it is a witch
, well actually oil, if it mixes then it is water based and most likely coolant.
I hope any of that drivel is of use,
Z
>> Edited by z_chromozone on Tuesday 10th August 11:23
Z
The oil pressure will increase as the speed of the revs increases and the oil pump pumps faster. The oil pressure will slightly decrease over time from starting as the thickness of the oil decreases as it becomes slightly warmer. AFAIK oil pressure is ok between 30 to 50 psi under normal operating conditions.
Edited to give more info,
You mentioned in another thread that you were loosing fluid from your car and loosing quite a lot.
Now you also mentioned that you over filled your oil by a small amount. This should not matter unless you go to mad. The 20% you mentioned should be ok and Steve Heath actually recommends this for track days. Any more than this and you may blow a seal.
You also said that the oil level is not decreasing much and so it cannot be engine oil, well the capacity is well over 6L especially when over full, so you would have to loose a lot of oil to see any real difference. It could still be engine oil.
On the other hand it could be gearbox oil, or diff oil. Gearbox / diff oil smells different to engine oil
This may help identify the leak, but you should be able to check by jacking the car up. The gearbox has from memory ca. 3 L of oil and the diff a bit less, so if you are loosing a lot get it checked quick. You can make a surprisingly large mess with only 200 ml of oil. An easy way of identifying if you have oil, water, or a mixture of both is to take an old jar and scrape some in, fill the jar with water. If the stuff floats then it is a witch
, well actually oil, if it mixes then it is water based and most likely coolant. I hope any of that drivel is of use,
Z
>> Edited by z_chromozone on Tuesday 10th August 11:23
z_chromozone said:Thanks Z. I was worried because when I did look, the needle seemed to swing pretty fast, maybe I just never looked at it before whilst accelerating.
The oil pressure will increase as the speed of the revs increases and the oil pump pumps faster. The oil pressure will slightly decrease over time from starting as the thickness of the oil decreases as it becomes slightly warmer. AFAIK oil pressure is ok between 30 to 50 psi under normal operating conditions.
Mike, I spoke to DOM - nice guy, very helpful etc - he said he's positive the MIL light should come on, on all the S's, when the ignition is turned on. Then when the engine is started, the MIL light should go off... If this is so, I wonder why the MIL light doesnt come on for anyone else
and I only noticed it for the first time yesterday. Rob
ukbob said:
he said he's positive the MIL light should come on, on all the S's, when the ignition is turned on. Then when the engine is started, the MIL light should go off...
AAAhh.. I thought you meant it was on when you were driving.. !?
My MIL light on the 93 Chim (same engine) was on with the ignition on and engine off.. then went off the moment you fired her up. You should only worry (IIRC) if its on at the same time as the engine is running. Your car sounds normal to me.
Cheers
Matt.
M@H said:
AAAhh.. I thought you meant it was on when you were driving.. !?
Nope, only on when the ignition is on. What worried me was the fact that Id not seen it before. Im about 95% sure the one time I did study at the dash (as you do with a new car) the only light that was on was the handbrake light. I remember playing with it, in a 5-year-old-kid kind of way
Never noticed the MIL untill the other day - its possible that it has not been coming on due to the electrics gremlins, not sure.
Best keep an eye out for more of my erronus panic stations posts
Sorry guys
And there I was, searching for an oil leak, running down every few hours to lick coolant off the driveway
edited by space monkeys from mars
>> Edited by ukbob on Wednesday 11th August 20:03
ukbob said:
Heres what Ive diagnosed
1) Turn Ignition on, MIL light comes on after 3 seconds approx.
2) Turn key, start the engine, MIL light then goes off. Leave engine running, MIL light does not come on... which is good I suppose.
3) Turn engine off, MIL light goes off.
4) Turn just the ignition on again, wait a few seconds, and the MIL light comes back on again, but goes off when you start the engine.
Rob
Rob
Yes my V8S is exactly the same and always has been, looks normal to me.
Paul
RichardR said:
You could have a look in Sprint for the number of the S Series expert and try giving him a ring,
I looked for the help lines the other day.
I think they are gone, due to the clubs new policy of no information that could leave them open to legal action.I think pies ran a thread on the club forum about this in connection with the alt parts list.
I mailed Marcus Brady recently (he of the S help line marcus@tvr-scotland.co.uk) He was not aware the details were no longer in Sprint.
I may have the facts wrong on this ,I did consider asking the question on the club website but the words, worms and can came to mind.
mycroft said:Time to dig out an old copy of Sprint, or is it only me that keeps them?
You could have a look in Sprint for the number of the S Series expert and try giving him a ring,
I looked for the help lines the other day.
I think they are gone, due to the clubs new policy of no information that could leave them open to legal action.
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