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-   -   Malfunction-Indicator light stays on after push-starting car. How serious is this ? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/35768-malfunction-indicator-light-stays-after-push-starting-car-how-serious.html)

I took my car out yesterday after more than 3 weeks of it lying idle (I was not in town). Usually, while going away on long trips, I disconnect the negative lead from the battery to avoid battery discharge. Somehow forgot this time.

Anyway, car started at 1st crank to my surprise. So, I think everything is OK and drive to work. At the Tidel Park signal, I shut off the engine as there is a 2 min signal wait there. But then the car won't start. Luckily it was not peak hour, else there would have been thousands of motorists cursing me. :)

Anyway, manage to push the car to the side, and think of what to do next. It is hot and I am sweating after pushing the car. I have read in the manual that the car should not be push-started and it will cause damage to catcon. But I reckon that a one-time push start won't be an issue. Get a helpful autorickshaw guy to push the car - he revvs his auto and pushes the car with one leg.

Car starts (thank God), I thank the auto guy and get to work. In the evening, car starts without issues and I get home. Only when I near home, I notice that the "Malfunction Indicator light" remains on always (it should go off after engine starts).

Check the manual and they say that this indicates a problem with the emission control system. Plan to take it to Electra tomorrow.

Would like some answers from the experts :

1. What kind of damage (to the car and my wallet) am I looking at ?
Is the damage easily rectifiable ?

2. Will my disconnecting the battery and reconnecting after some minutes (to reset the ECM) resolve this issue ? Maybe the light might not stay on (dont know for sure), but what about the damage to the catcon ?

Maybe I should invest in a pair of jumper cables. But will motorists in the city (who are always in a hurry) be ready to spare some time to help us jump-start our car with their battery ?

For all it matters it can be a blown fuse :) Take it to the dealer and get that tech 2 connected and understand what the error is. Then rectify it and clear off all the error codes.

You should be fine and from your story it doesnt seem to be a very exp repair.

I have the radiator fan AC circuit which is kaput and going in for replacement tomorrow (under warranty) and have the same bloody light issue :)

:D hehe that would have been a sight !

Hmm... I guess you could try this. maybe the light will dissapear when you perform a re-set. If not, you always have the A.S.S

I think its a Lamda Catalyst Damage-common for a misfire in the engine- Erase the error and Reset the ECU. Should resolve the issue.

clap: great... would have a sight for all!


I hope the error is a minor one and gets sorted out soon.

reset and check..if not then it could be an issue with fuses...if not then...hope for no dent in your wallet.JUST KIDDING. it wont be a major issue.

Just reset the ECU by removing the battery connections and it may just go off. If it continues to stay on, consult the service center.

Thanks guys, for the quick response.

Yesterday evening when I left office, the light went OFF after the engine started. And since then, the light no longer comes on while engine is running.
Does this mean things are OK now ? BTW, I did not reset the ECU yesterday.

Yeah.. Should be ok. Even if you do take it to the A.S.S now, they will not be able to diagnose the "problem", if at all there was one.

Its fine all is well, you can see the error next time when you hook up the reader and then you can clean it up also, maybe at next service.

Enjoy.

hmm..could have a been a fuse that had come loose. Just check if all the fuses are perfectly pushed in.

On your last query, there is a kind of 'battery box' available in ebay, I bought it some time back. It comes with cables. This is just a battery which can be charged through the mains in homes. You just need to connect this to the existing battery and your car would start. You can use this for the times when the car's battery looses all the power due to say long inactivity. You don't need to stop anyone for a jump start. I have used it and it is quite light and can be carried.

Sounds like a handy thing. Will check it out.

An update and query for the experts. Due to various reasons, I could not give the battery for charging. I did check the fluid level and finding it low, topped up with distilled water and have been driving the car for the last few weeks.

While I would believe that over the past many days, the alternator would have charged the battery, I never got the courage to check this by switching off the engine even once during my 20-km ride from home to work (or vice versa).

Yesterday, I had to kill the engine while fuelling up. And after I filled fuel, it would not crank - battery sounding almost dead. :Shockked: Tried a couple of times without success. Waited a few mins and when I tried it started. Thank God.

But, the car starts at the first crank from a cold start (when I start it in the morning while leaving for work and in the evening when leaving for home).

I would assume that it would be easier for a car to start when the engine is warm (as opposed to a cold engine). But this is exactly the opposite in my case. Any pointers to the problem ? Thanks.

HI, first of all please understand that even if the M.I.L has gone of as of now it does not mean every thing to be all right . You must take it to a authorised workshop and get the fault code identified,because some times the M.I.L will come on if the circuit between some sensor and ECU is open intermitently due to some loose connection and could go of but the ECU will have this fault code stored in the memory. This condition is called the fail safe mode, under this the vehicle will keep on running but will not deliver the right mileage . I will give a practical example ,many a times when u get your car serviced ,the technician removes the air cleaner assy which allso houses the I.A.T sensor and in the process disconnects this sensor . If he starts the engine even for a few seconds without the sensor connected and eventualy refits it then the ECU will assume the I.A.T sensor to be faulty and starts giving commands as per default values (in Maruti range of vehicles it is -20 deg celsius) which will lead to higher fuel consumption, untill this fault code is erased from the memory. As far as the probelem related to battery is concerned ,you will have to replace your battery .In your case when the battery heats up because of rise in the engine cabin temp.the resistance between the various cells of the battery increases which causes the probelem. So when the battery is cold it gives no probelem.:)

Absoulutely agree,its a battery problem.Slowly and steadily i ll fail to start even in cold conditions and that ll be a problem.Get it replaced.