trouble at mil (light).brown trousers ready please
Discussion
hi gang,
so, im now a part-fledged member of the tvr club, had my first "oh feck, what the feck does that mean?" moment this evening when the mil light came on and started playing what seemed to be a fairly accurate rendition of the inspector morse theme tune. great. i always hated morse. he was so rude to lewis.
so, i gingerly drive home, light flickers on and off for a minute or two, then stops. cos light has stopped i pass home, assuming its cos its been bleeding cold and wet here today (genuinely, my village was on the national news for its rubbish weather today) and that somethings got damp and that the light probly means nothing. a minute or two later it starts again, so i head back in again. by the way, its snowing while this is happening (a powerful image n'es pas? almost Dickensian. whatever that means). i had only been driving for about two mins when it started and was really dawdling along cos its really treachorous here tonite,in fact i hadnt exceeded 2000 revs once. didnt test to see if more revs would cure the problem as car was still coolish (running for about 5 mins).
so first port of call, i check the oil (havent done so yet as havent driven the car more than 60 miles since it was delivered from the dealer, apparently fully checked over). oil was only just visible on the dipstick so i top up with a little under a litre and a half of mobil 1. test the car, over about a 10 mile run, no more mil light or john thaw related accoustics.
so, was it the cold and damp that caused this? or was it the low oil? if so, why didnt the oil warning light alert me before the dreaded mil? or was it a heady mixture of the lot? sound common to anyone?
i shall check oil religously now to get an accurate picture of its usage, but it looks to be that its used about a litre in the last thousand miles, assuming it wasnt topped up after service. from what i can gather this is ok, for my lemony speed 6 car. im okay with that if you all are. i know, i should have checked it sooner, but i havent been here or driven it and i guess i assumed 'checked over' meant 'full to the gunnels with goey mobil stuff'. more fool me, but valuable lesson learnt. and im hoping thats the end of this mil trouble. that sound feasible?
im wondering if it might be worth checking stored error codes (got quite adept at reading flashing lights on both my impreza's) and since one of you nice chaps on here was kind enough to send me the software to run diagnostics at home, might it be worth running a check to make sure thats all it was? if so (so many questions, so little charm) what cable will i need to attach my laptop (its a 8 month old Hp compaq nx9005 if that helps) and will the diagnosis code be able to be interpereted by a thicko like me?
anything you all could offer would be greatly appreciated.
thanks again for your time, apologies for dribbling on and on.
mjb
so, im now a part-fledged member of the tvr club, had my first "oh feck, what the feck does that mean?" moment this evening when the mil light came on and started playing what seemed to be a fairly accurate rendition of the inspector morse theme tune. great. i always hated morse. he was so rude to lewis.
so, i gingerly drive home, light flickers on and off for a minute or two, then stops. cos light has stopped i pass home, assuming its cos its been bleeding cold and wet here today (genuinely, my village was on the national news for its rubbish weather today) and that somethings got damp and that the light probly means nothing. a minute or two later it starts again, so i head back in again. by the way, its snowing while this is happening (a powerful image n'es pas? almost Dickensian. whatever that means). i had only been driving for about two mins when it started and was really dawdling along cos its really treachorous here tonite,in fact i hadnt exceeded 2000 revs once. didnt test to see if more revs would cure the problem as car was still coolish (running for about 5 mins).
so first port of call, i check the oil (havent done so yet as havent driven the car more than 60 miles since it was delivered from the dealer, apparently fully checked over). oil was only just visible on the dipstick so i top up with a little under a litre and a half of mobil 1. test the car, over about a 10 mile run, no more mil light or john thaw related accoustics.
so, was it the cold and damp that caused this? or was it the low oil? if so, why didnt the oil warning light alert me before the dreaded mil? or was it a heady mixture of the lot? sound common to anyone?
i shall check oil religously now to get an accurate picture of its usage, but it looks to be that its used about a litre in the last thousand miles, assuming it wasnt topped up after service. from what i can gather this is ok, for my lemony speed 6 car. im okay with that if you all are. i know, i should have checked it sooner, but i havent been here or driven it and i guess i assumed 'checked over' meant 'full to the gunnels with goey mobil stuff'. more fool me, but valuable lesson learnt. and im hoping thats the end of this mil trouble. that sound feasible?
im wondering if it might be worth checking stored error codes (got quite adept at reading flashing lights on both my impreza's) and since one of you nice chaps on here was kind enough to send me the software to run diagnostics at home, might it be worth running a check to make sure thats all it was? if so (so many questions, so little charm) what cable will i need to attach my laptop (its a 8 month old Hp compaq nx9005 if that helps) and will the diagnosis code be able to be interpereted by a thicko like me?
anything you all could offer would be greatly appreciated.
thanks again for your time, apologies for dribbling on and on.
mjb
Mil light and oil levels not related am afraid.
It is probably just a sensor eg temp sensor that has gone awol.
Just take it to the dealer and get them to check n sort. The main reason that you shouldnt drive with mil light on is that it COULD be overfuelling and this CAN damage the cats (IMHO).
It is probably just a sensor eg temp sensor that has gone awol.
Just take it to the dealer and get them to check n sort. The main reason that you shouldnt drive with mil light on is that it COULD be overfuelling and this CAN damage the cats (IMHO).
ok, thanks gazza.
actually, now that you say the temp sensor, do you mean the engine/ coolant temp? cos as it happens, the ice warning light was on to begin with but then wasnt on 5 minutes later, even though it got muh, much colder. this sound connected?
thanks again bud, shame its not oil related, felt quite proud id averted my first spd 6 catastropy without going to pieces (either mentally or mechanically).
also, can i rely on the oil warning light? pressure was fine by the way...
actually, now that you say the temp sensor, do you mean the engine/ coolant temp? cos as it happens, the ice warning light was on to begin with but then wasnt on 5 minutes later, even though it got muh, much colder. this sound connected?
thanks again bud, shame its not oil related, felt quite proud id averted my first spd 6 catastropy without going to pieces (either mentally or mechanically).
also, can i rely on the oil warning light? pressure was fine by the way...
As it's a speed 6 in your Cerbera, the MIL light is probably the same as the EFI warning us Tuscan owners get sometimes after washing the car or if it's damp.
As your engine has a dry sump you must check the oil level when the engine is hot, immediately after switching the engine off. 1 litre per 1000 miles is acceptable but all Sp 6 engines seem to drink it differently.
Lots more info on the above two topics in the Tuscan section.
cheers
Whitey
As your engine has a dry sump you must check the oil level when the engine is hot, immediately after switching the engine off. 1 litre per 1000 miles is acceptable but all Sp 6 engines seem to drink it differently.
Lots more info on the above two topics in the Tuscan section.
cheers
Whitey
Not a sp6 but..... couple of weeks back my MIL light started flashing. Got it to the dealer and it was sorted in an hour. The temp sensor was faulty and when the engine was hot the ECU thought the engine was still cold and was fueling for a cold engine.
Hope your problem is something as easy as this.
Dave
PS The temp sensor is not connected in any way to the temp gauge!
Hope your problem is something as easy as this.
Dave
PS The temp sensor is not connected in any way to the temp gauge!
thanks buddy, am hoping that it will be too.
before i go to my nearest dealer (80 miles) im gonna try and rig my laptop to the ecu and see if that can tell me anything. that way if its nothing (and lets face it, it wont be) ive saved myself a nerve inducing trip and the need to pass the norfolk/ suffolk border with their rigorous immigration control and probing hands (insert wince at the memeory here). im guessing the code will say summat like 'faulty temp sensor'?
thanks again.
before i go to my nearest dealer (80 miles) im gonna try and rig my laptop to the ecu and see if that can tell me anything. that way if its nothing (and lets face it, it wont be) ive saved myself a nerve inducing trip and the need to pass the norfolk/ suffolk border with their rigorous immigration control and probing hands (insert wince at the memeory here). im guessing the code will say summat like 'faulty temp sensor'?
thanks again.
Python said:
Chapman: Trouble at mill.
Cleveland: Oh no - what kind of trouble?
Chapman: One on't cross beams gone owt askew on treadle.
Cleveland: Pardon?
Chapman: One on't cross beams gone owt askew on treadle.
Cleveland: I don't understand what you're saying.
Chapman: [slightly irritatedly and with exaggeratedly clear accent] One of the cross beams has gone out askew on the treadle.
Cleveland: Well what on earth does that mean?
Chapman: *I* don't know - Mr Wentworth just told me to come in here and say that there was trouble at the mill, that's all - I didn't expect a kind of Spanish Inquisition.
[JARRING CHORD]
[The door flies open and Cardinal Ximinez of Spain [Palin] enters, flanked by two junior cardinals. Cardinal Biggles [Jones] has goggles pushed over his forehead. Cardinal Fang [Gilliam] is just Cardinal Fang]
Ximinez: NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.
(Well you started it with the thread title.
) Hope you get everything sorted out.
you forgot "and nice red uniforms".
i love when chapman switches between his northern dialect and then starts speaking >ahem< normally. i just love that sketch, in fact rarely a day passes where i dont say "wait, ill come in again", consistently to no effect whatsoever. rarely even a titter. and never a guffaw.
thanks for a good start to the day!
i love when chapman switches between his northern dialect and then starts speaking >ahem< normally. i just love that sketch, in fact rarely a day passes where i dont say "wait, ill come in again", consistently to no effect whatsoever. rarely even a titter. and never a guffaw.
thanks for a good start to the day!
Oil consumption on S6s...
1 litre per thousand miles on an S6 is fine (but generally the sign of an earlier engine). A post-recent-rebuild engine generally uses no oil. Not a drop. (As in I've done 5000 miles without putting ANY in since the latest rebuild)
If the consumption is greater than a litre every 7-800, then I'd be getting worried. Actually, I wouldn't be worried, I'd be straight back down the dealer muttering "valve guides", "rebuild", and "refund" in some kind of crudely constructed sentence.
And as mentioned, accurately checking the oil on an S6 is a blob. When the car's on an incline, you'll get it wrong. When the engine's off you'll get it wrong. When you try to screw the dipstick back in to get a reading, you'll get it wrong. Unless you hold the dipstick to one side when you slide it down, you'll probably get it wrong. When the engine's cold, you'll probably get it wrong. Took me a good couple of weeks to get the knack on the Tusc...
1 litre per thousand miles on an S6 is fine (but generally the sign of an earlier engine). A post-recent-rebuild engine generally uses no oil. Not a drop. (As in I've done 5000 miles without putting ANY in since the latest rebuild)
If the consumption is greater than a litre every 7-800, then I'd be getting worried. Actually, I wouldn't be worried, I'd be straight back down the dealer muttering "valve guides", "rebuild", and "refund" in some kind of crudely constructed sentence.
And as mentioned, accurately checking the oil on an S6 is a blob. When the car's on an incline, you'll get it wrong. When the engine's off you'll get it wrong. When you try to screw the dipstick back in to get a reading, you'll get it wrong. Unless you hold the dipstick to one side when you slide it down, you'll probably get it wrong. When the engine's cold, you'll probably get it wrong. Took me a good couple of weeks to get the knack on the Tusc...
oohh great. something else to add to my CV of things i can only do wrong... you dont, by any chance, work for my wife do you?
engine was apparently rebuilt at 15k, now at 16150. as i say i reckon i used a little over a litre. im guessing that in the two months it sat at the dealers it was given quite a lot of testing by potential buyers, so im hoping that, and its inconsitent use, explains its oil consumption despite the recent rebuild. gonna keep a religous eye on it for a while (i borrowed it from the pope) and see how i go. sound a feasible explanation or am i deluding myself?
thanks again gang,
engine was apparently rebuilt at 15k, now at 16150. as i say i reckon i used a little over a litre. im guessing that in the two months it sat at the dealers it was given quite a lot of testing by potential buyers, so im hoping that, and its inconsitent use, explains its oil consumption despite the recent rebuild. gonna keep a religous eye on it for a while (i borrowed it from the pope) and see how i go. sound a feasible explanation or am i deluding myself?
thanks again gang,
FETCH THE SOFT CUSHIONS! Poke! Poke! Poke her with the soft cushions! Resistance is futile!
aah, another happy five minutes of wandering through the back-catologue of my mind. if nothing else it beats working for a living (especially what i do for a 'living')(clue: im sore, but i need the money)
aah, another happy five minutes of wandering through the back-catologue of my mind. if nothing else it beats working for a living (especially what i do for a 'living')(clue: im sore, but i need the money)
of sorts, but it barely pays the rent. lets just say i NEED those soft cushions more than most.
do you know, ive actually just made myself feel nauseous with that last joke? quite an achievement, doncha think? (especially if you saw my wife, youd realise my threshold for nausea was quite high) (oow ow ow but not pain evidently)
do you know, ive actually just made myself feel nauseous with that last joke? quite an achievement, doncha think? (especially if you saw my wife, youd realise my threshold for nausea was quite high) (oow ow ow but not pain evidently)
of sorts, but it barely pays the rent. lets just say i NEED those soft cushions more than most.
do you know, ive actually just made myself feel nauseous with that last joke? quite an achievement, doncha think? (especially if you saw my wife, youd realise my threshold for nausea was quite high) (oow ow ow but not pain evidently)
do you know, ive actually just made myself feel nauseous with that last joke? quite an achievement, doncha think? (especially if you saw my wife, youd realise my threshold for nausea was quite high) (oow ow ow but not pain evidently)
nervous said:
it was given quite a lot of testing by potential buyers, so im hoping that, and its inconsitent use, explains its oil consumption despite the recent rebuild. ... sound a feasible explanation or am i deluding myself?
Not sure on that one. If it was driven when cold, the oil'll be thicker, which I wouldn't expect to p*ss out as much. But I've really no clue when it comes to that.
Just keep a watchful eye on it, check for (oil) smoke from the exhaust on start-up/when pulling away from a standstill (e.g. traffic lights), etc. And make sure you're taking the reading correctly!
flashheart said:
Nervous, I note yours is a speed six so I wonder if the MIL is trying to tell you that it has recognised that there is not a 4.5 litre engine under the bonnet. I have a 4.5 and my MIL does not come on.
Maybe it just points out that a Speed Six engine has been installed, I have a 4.2 and my MIL light also does not come on !!
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