Hi all, im hoping someone can help me. Ive own a ‘56 Reg Fabia 1.4 16v Ambiente. 

I parked on a hill yesterday leaving the car running whilst my wife popped into the bank, when another driver parked in front of me very close to the front of me.

so i wanted to reverse up hill away from the back of the car that had parked in front of me. I put it in reverse, but as i started reversing i didnt give it enough revs and very nearly stalled it, but when i dipped the clutch, it came back to life.

When this happened, the yellow engine light immediately came on the dash and has stayed on ever since. The car still drives fine, no noises or loss of power, just this light on the dash.

i know i should get it plugged in for the codes etc, but it just seems really strange that the light came on at the exact same time as me nearly stalling it.

Any thoughts at all? Is it ok to drive? Many thanks in advance. 

 

 

Our  2002 Polo  1.4 16v 9n throws up an engine management light occasionally - I bought a cheap U281 code reader from ebay,quite often I can just do a 'reset' using the U281 - unless it is a major problem code that does need sorting out LOL.At least a code reader will give you any stored codes and i usually make a note of the code numbers and then do a reset which puts the light out.
The reader just plugs into the OBD port which on our wee Polo is just under the drivers small parcel shelf (ie just above the pedals) - on our 9n the OBD socket is not even covered - easy to see.I don't usually worry too much about management lights unless they keep re occurring.

 

Sorry about the strange text - I am 'quoting' myself on a previous post on a Polo forum LOL  

Edited 21 March, 20188 yr by YS53

Thank u YS53 for your help. I’ll have to get meself a reader. Just cant understand why nearly stalling it would cause the light to come on.

thanks for your help 

The extra 'kick' of the engine on its mounts during a near-stall may have snapped an almost broken wire going to a sensor?

Have a look at the connections on a bracket on the front of the gearbox. The biggest connectors there go to the pre-cat lambda sensor, look for loose/broken wires; probably best from below if you can get under it safely and remove the undertray.

 

I’d have to take it to a mechanic i think. I knew my way around an engine when it was a mk1 escort or Capri, but im lost with modern cars. Thank u for your help

The 1.4  16v engine management system seems very sensitive and prone to throwing up the management light,if the car is running ok and going well I would still suggest buying a code reader as a first step.Just see what codes have been stored - there are lists of  the fault codes online and you can always ask on here about any particular codes if you are unsure.

The code reader is easy enough to use,I have reset lights many times on VW cars/Fabia - if they keep recurring than I will usually fix the problem.

Thank u YS53, much appreciated:)

Pleasure - and hope it turns out OK

We have an 09 Fabia as well as the Polo,the OBD port on the Fabia is in the fuse box under the steering  wheel - not sure if it is in the same posn on your Fabia ?

Yeh i think it is, ive read that it is on many different posts.

thank u so much for all your help. Really appreciate it

For your information, if that was an intermittent fault, ie one that only existed for that "reversing almost stalling" event, then after a few engine starts, that light will go out - but as YS53 says, it can be very useful to carry a cheap scan tool in the car, if only to see what is being reported then you can make a decision on whither to continue on a planned long journey or get back to your friendly garage, it can take the worry out of warning lights appearing, but always consider and log what fault is being logged and under what driving conditions.

Thank u rum4mo, I completely agree. Im going to order a u281 reader and see what codes come up, log them and it will help me determine whether it needs sorting.

thank u