Engine warning light advice required

[fuzzybunny]

Hi All,

Yeti wouldn't start today, battery flat and I had lent out my jump leads (doh!) so called out the home start and they started it straight away with a power pack.

they checked the battery and found it OK and the alternator was charging OK but the car has been left for 10 days (it has done 71,000 miles)

So as advised let it run for 20 mins then took it on a 40 mile round trip.

Battery was charging OK as far as I could tell but the engine warning light came on.

Water temp was 90C and oil temp 95C and the oil level was fine so not sure why it came on.

Any ideas what it might be?

Sounds like I need to take it to Skoda for a connection to their diagnostics.

Happy days!

 

 

 

[RicardoM]

The main question is: how did they check the battery is OK? Just checked the voltage on it with engine running? If yes, that is equal to zero. For now the main suspect is the battery (is it as old as the car?) or an aftermarket electrical device that draws current while standing. Ten days means nothing for a car without parasitic electrical loads. Of course, a check engine light could mean a lot of things but it is well known that an old battery can set odd warnings. It is mandatory to read the stored errors and (most importantly) interpret them correctly. Bottom line is that based only on information provided nobody can tell what problem is with the car.

Edited 14 July, 2019 by RicardoM

[KenONeill]

The "Engine Warning Light" is NOT the same thing as the "Oil Pressure Light". So I have no idea why you would check the oil level rather than fault codes.

[fuzzybunny]

16 hours ago, RicardoM said:

The main question is: how did they check the battery is OK? Just checked the voltage on it with engine running? If yes, that is equal to zero. For now the main suspect is the battery (is it as old as the car?) or an aftermarket electrical device that draws current while standing. Ten days means nothing for a car without parasitic electrical loads. Of course, a check engine light could mean a lot of things but it is well known that an old battery can set odd warnings. It is mandatory to read the stored errors and (most importantly) interpret them correctly. Bottom line is that based only on information provided nobody can tell what problem is with the car.

Thanks for this. The battery was checked with a voltmeter think it was 11.8 when it was nearly flat and was showing 14 .5 when the engine was running and charging. I think you are right though it's probably a poor battery its the same age as the car. Can I check fault codes myself easily?

[fuzzybunny]

1 hour ago, KenONeill said:

The "Engine Warning Light" is NOT the same thing as the "Oil Pressure Light". So I have no idea why you would check the oil level rather than fault codes.

I had just checked the oil level the day before so knew it was OK. Is there an easy way to check fault codes without any kit?

[KenONeill]

29 minutes ago, fuzzybunny said:

Thanks for this. The battery was checked with a voltmeter think it was 11.8 when it was nearly flat and was showing 14 .5 when the engine was running and charging. I think you are right though it's probably a poor battery its the same age as the car. Can I check fault codes myself easily?

Well, the 14.5 proves that the alternator is charging, and, frankly, nothing else. Getting 12v first thing, engine off, would indicate good battery health.

 

Amazingly enough, you do actually need a fault code reader to read fault codes.

[RicardoM]

51 minutes ago, fuzzybunny said:

Is there an easy way to check fault codes without any kit?

No, there isn't. It is better to buy your own specific OBD II interface and associated software for Android to read errors using your Android smartphone. Then learn to diagnose the engine computer errors. Otherwise you will pay much more to garages.

[Llanigraham]

11.8 volts would signify a battery on it's last legs!

[fuzzybunny]

2 hours ago, Llanigraham said:

11.8 volts would signify a battery on it's last legs!

Yes you are right, checked this morning and the Varta battery indicator is now showing a fault. (see pic)

Booked in this week for a new battery.

Good to hear from you Llanigraham, think you have been on this forum for longer than me and that's 10 years!

Cheers,

Edited 16 July, 2019 by fuzzybunny