Engine Light Staying On Options

[The Easton Way]

My engine light is now staying on after 200 kilometre of having the altenator replaced.
All the manual says is take to a Authourized Smart service dealer.

Anyone know what causes the engine light to stay on, is it safe to drive the 80 km to dealer (closest)

Thanks
Scot

[planedriver]

It could be one of a thousand things. YOu could go to Princes Auto and for $80 get a scan tool that reads and clears codes. Works good. If you bring it to the dealer there gonna do the same and charge you more I think. Just hook it up to your OBD2 port thats under your steering column. THink of that light and a "somethings up/plug me in to see" light. It's not specific.

As for safe, if you alternator packs it in, your battery does not get charged and you wont be going far. COuld be as simple as a code to make the light come on, could be more. Until you know the code you will have no idea.


Cheers

[The Easton Way]

It could be one of a thousand things. YOu could go to Princes Auto and for $80 get a scan tool that reads and clears codes. Works good. If you bring it to the dealer there gonna do the same and charge you more I think. Just hook it up to your OBD2 port thats under your steering column. THink of that light and a "somethings up/plug me in to see" light. It's not specific.

As for safe, if you alternator packs it in, your battery does not get charged and you wont be going far. COuld be as simple as a code to make the light come on, could be more. Until you know the code you will have no idea.


Cheers

Thanks my mechanic is plugging me in this AM

[The Easton Way]

Turned out that the car misfired on cylinder two, causing the light to come on.
My mechanic cleared the code for free and suggested I use a good diesel fuel conditioner.
Anyone have a favourite brand.

[bilgladstone]

Turned out that the car misfired on cylinder two, causing the light to come on.
My mechanic cleared the code for free and suggested I use a good diesel fuel conditioner.
Anyone have a favourite brand.

LubeCorp! Made in Canada. Buy online here: LINKY They have several kinds. Read and choose the one you think you need. I use Cetane Booster all the time.

Bil

disclosure: I get a few points from each online sale through the link above.

This post has been edited by bilgladstone: Mar 9 2010 - 09:46 PM

[The Easton Way]

LubeCorp! Made in Canada. Buy online here: LINKY They have several kinds. Read and choose the one you think you need. I use Cetane Booster all the time.

Bil

disclosure: I get a few points from each online sale through the link above.

Thanks

This post has been edited by The Easton Way: Mar 9 2010 - 10:11 PM

[smart142]

Turned out that the car misfired on cylinder two, causing the light to come on.
My mechanic cleared the code for free and suggested I use a good diesel fuel conditioner.
Anyone have a favourite brand.

A word of caution. A friend of mine had this code, the code was cleared and a cleaner and conditioner was used.
Two months later the glow plug failed for that cylinder, read about our adventure here.. (scroll down to the bottom for my post)
You might want to consider having that injector checked by your dealer.
Good luck.

[bilgladstone]

... You might want to consider having that injector checked by your dealer.
Good luck.

Hey Glenn,

There is a guy near me whose shop pretty much exclusively just services injectors - checks spray pattern, etc., etc. Do these things need to be checked once in awhile, or is it another "don't mess with it 'til it breaks" kind of thing?

This is the first fuel-injected car I've had!

Bil

This post has been edited by bilgladstone: Mar 10 2010 - 04:36 AM

[The Easton Way]

A word of caution. A friend of mine had this code, the code was cleared and a cleaner and conditioner was used.
Two months later the glow plug failed for that cylinder, read about our adventure here.. (scroll down to the bottom for my post)
You might want to consider having that injector checked by your dealer.
Good luck.

Thanks, that is what the mechanic said, use the conditioner and have the injectors checked.
I will use Kingston Diesel service rather than MB, have used them before for my Cummins.
Only glow plugs that have ever failed for me was a VW Golf, 80K replaced and sold the car at 380k+

[smart142]

I checked a month ago at my local diesel pump/injector place. They still don't have the capability to check our injectors, because they are electronically controlled and they don't have the eqipment.

Bosch is not selling the tips either. And get this, Bosch has an exchange program, and the cost- $880- the same price as new. Can we say monopoly and rip off

[pinhead19]

Bosch is not selling the tips either. And get this, Bosch has an exchange program, and the cost- $880- the same price as new. Can we say monopoly and rip off

Oh no a thread-jack in progress..... If the are the only ones with this set-up, they likely sunk millions into development. How do they reap the benefits of all their efforts? Or are the electronics just an OEM handcuff?

[smart142]

Only a partial thread-jack ''the car misfired on cylinder two''