MX5-C traction control
Discussion
Obviously the best thing to do is plug it in and find the fault but some causes for that are
- battery has just been reconnected - in this case the light will go out when the car is restarted after a short drive.
- rear high level brake light not working
- tyre(s) fitted incorrectly / mismatched / low pressure
- faulty ABS sensor possibly but I think the ABS light would be on also
- battery has just been reconnected - in this case the light will go out when the car is restarted after a short drive.
- rear high level brake light not working
- tyre(s) fitted incorrectly / mismatched / low pressure
- faulty ABS sensor possibly but I think the ABS light would be on also
Thanks for that.
It could be the battery, the seller said that the light normally goes off after a while driving. It's a low mileage car that only does a few hundred miles a year in summer, maybe she disconnects the battery when not in use. Maybe we didn't test drive it far enough.
The TC on/off switch on the dash didn't seem to do anything either.
In all other respects it's an immaculate car, 2014 25th Anniversary model with 19k miles.
It's in for MoT on Tuesday so I assume it will fail if the light is still on anyway, we have provisionally agreed to buy it after the MoT etc. I'd be reluctant to buy it with a fault light on unless it's likely to be something fairly straightforward to sort out.
It could be the battery, the seller said that the light normally goes off after a while driving. It's a low mileage car that only does a few hundred miles a year in summer, maybe she disconnects the battery when not in use. Maybe we didn't test drive it far enough.
The TC on/off switch on the dash didn't seem to do anything either.
In all other respects it's an immaculate car, 2014 25th Anniversary model with 19k miles.
It's in for MoT on Tuesday so I assume it will fail if the light is still on anyway, we have provisionally agreed to buy it after the MoT etc. I'd be reluctant to buy it with a fault light on unless it's likely to be something fairly straightforward to sort out.
It could be as simple as the steering angle sensor which sometimes needs recalibrating after a battery disconnect..
It could also be a failing battery or wheel speed sensor. None of which is major.
But as you say if it is lit when it goes for the MoT it will fail and that should mean it gets sorted.
It could also be a failing battery or wheel speed sensor. None of which is major.
But as you say if it is lit when it goes for the MoT it will fail and that should mean it gets sorted.
skeeterm5 said:
It could be as simple as the steering angle sensor which sometimes needs recalibrating after a battery disconnect..
It could also be a failing battery or wheel speed sensor. None of which is major.
But as you say if it is lit when it goes for the MoT it will fail and that should mean it gets sorted.
As above, either a super easy solution if it's just a recalibration, but wheel speed sensor is also an easy\cheap DIY job with a decent code reader. It could also be a failing battery or wheel speed sensor. None of which is major.
But as you say if it is lit when it goes for the MoT it will fail and that should mean it gets sorted.
Definitely could be the battery and steering angle sensor calibration - mine does this if I disconnect the battery, and has done it before with an old/weak battery after sitting for a bit. If you go from lock to lock after starting it then it should go away when driving or next time you cycle the ignition - if it doesn't then you likely need to do some deeper digging.
Thank you for the replies.
We bought the car yesterday, the light was on all the way home, about 20 miles, but when the car was started later it was off and the traction control on/off switch worked fine.
The previous owner has fitted a battery disconnect switch as she hardly used the car so it was sitting for long periods; ie the battery was reconnected every time the car was used again.
I had a poke around today, it looks like the battery is the original, 12 years old, the terminals were a bit crusty too so I cleaned them up.
I'm going to get a new battery tomorrow so hopefully that will sort it. If not our friendly mechanic can look at it when he services the car.
Love the car, I will start a thread in Readers Cars soon.
We bought the car yesterday, the light was on all the way home, about 20 miles, but when the car was started later it was off and the traction control on/off switch worked fine.
The previous owner has fitted a battery disconnect switch as she hardly used the car so it was sitting for long periods; ie the battery was reconnected every time the car was used again.
I had a poke around today, it looks like the battery is the original, 12 years old, the terminals were a bit crusty too so I cleaned them up.
I'm going to get a new battery tomorrow so hopefully that will sort it. If not our friendly mechanic can look at it when he services the car.
Love the car, I will start a thread in Readers Cars soon.
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