Engine management lights - Honda Civic

Engine management lights - Honda Civic

Author
Discussion

ITtina

Original Poster:

550 posts

207 months

Thursday 3rd July 2008
quotequote all
Hello Honda Owners

anyone can you tell me, the signal that looks like an engine (suprise) is light up on my panel - does it mean, something like I need a new air filter or???

My car is a deisel and 04 plate, only serviced last Nov, light came on when going up a 1 in 4 hill in Devon at the weekend.


thanks for your help

Technonotice

4,250 posts

198 months

Thursday 3rd July 2008
quotequote all
take it to a garage. it might be a faulty sensor or something, to difficult to say really. does the car drive normally? oil level correct etc?

Edited by Technonotice on Thursday 3rd July 17:56

havoc

30,900 posts

242 months

Thursday 3rd July 2008
quotequote all
It means the ECU has detected a fault of some kind.

You will need to get the (stored) codes read from the ECU. A dealership will tell you, but they'll charge you a lot if the car is out of warranty (Typically £40-80 just to tell you what the codes are and what they (in their opinion) mean!). You might be able to get your servicing dealership to check the car/codes and tell you what they think needs looking at free-of-charge, if you've a good relationship with them.

Failing that, do you know someone who has an "OBD-II fault-code reader" - if so, get them to plug it in and ID the codes. Or do you know a friendly local garage, or local mechanic?
Final option is to get one for about £30+P&P off the web (so it pays for itself first-time around). I went for a Geniscan GS300, got it from a UK retailer (not an eBay Hong Kong one) for £35.25 all-in. But of course that'll take a few days to arrive, and presumably you need your car every day...

The codes should give you an idea if it's serious or not. If so, then you'll need to take it to a garage ASAP. If not, then you COULD erase the codes with the OBD-II reader and carry-on, see if it comes back.

The light USUALLY means there's something wrong, but modern sensors are increasingly (over-) sensitive, so it might be nothing.

danrc

2,774 posts

217 months

Thursday 3rd July 2008
quotequote all
You can short out two of the points on the the plug which the honda garage will use to read the faults, and your engine light will flash in a certain order. Depending on the way it flashes, will tell you whats wrong with your motor.

DO NOT do this without research as sticking random wires into random holes bound to cause damage. There is loads of this on google.

10 Pence Short

32,880 posts

224 months

Thursday 3rd July 2008
quotequote all
If I remember rightly the current Civic recently came joint bottom in a Which? reliability survey.

Sort yourselves out, Honda.

ITtina

Original Poster:

550 posts

207 months

Friday 4th July 2008
quotequote all
thank you all. advice very welcome thanks again