Malfunction light in the engine cluster is on

[nushydude]

Hi, 

Today I decided to bathe my 2007 Aurion AT-X in the morning and took it out the carport and washed. I didn't do anything special. Just hose, then two buckets, then hose off and wipe with micro fibre. Cleaned the wheels with a brush. Pretty standard. 

When I tried to reverse it back into the carport, I felt a serious lack of power in the engine. I had to race the engine to 3000RPM to get it moving. Mind you, there is about a 10-15 degree upward slope into the carport, but still... Somehow I managed to get it into the carport. 

I noticed the malfunction indicator lamp (as per the manual and the attachment) was on. I stopped the engine and waited a bit and started the engine again. It came on, but it didn't go off like it should. So I shut it off.

After a bit, I checked the engine oil level and it was all good. 

I waited a bit longer and then started again. Same thing. This time, I let it idle for a few minutes and it never went off. I took it out the carport and drove for about 10 meters and then the VSC light and the traction control warning lights came on, without the malfunction light going off.

Any thoughts what could be the problem?

 

[trentmeyer23]

Did you clean the engine bay?

Did you go anywhere near or focus water towards the wheel speed sensors? 

If the car was running fine until you washed it, I doubt that it would be a coincidence that this started occurring afterwards.

[nushydude]

3 minutes ago, trentmeyer23 said:

Did you clean the engine bay?

Did you go anywhere near or focus water towards the wheel speed sensors? 

If the car was running fine until you washed it, I doubt that it would be a coincidence that this started occurring afterwards.

i did not clean the engine bay. I just washed the body and was planning to clean up the interior after reversing into the carport. Except for checking for the engine oil level, I had no plans to touch the engine bay. The engine oil level is fine btw. I had the car serviced couple of months ago as well. 

I did not focus water on the tyres because it would splash everywhere. I only poured water with no pressure and simply brushed the outer (visible) side of the tyres. 

The car was running fine until this incident, except for the VVT-I house burst in January. We went on a trip and came back yesterday evening. No dramas during the entire journey. So sad that I didn't notice if the warning lights were on when I took the car out of the carport before washing. However if they came on, I think I would have noticed, but I cannot be certain.

When the malfunction indicator lamp (is this the same as check engine light everyone keeps saying?) comes up erroneously, does it go away automatically if it detects the error is no longer there or do we have to reset it. I have the battery disconnected at the moment to try and reset the warning. I don't know if it is the right thing to do.

[nushydude]

An update on the situation. 

Unplugging the battery did reset the warning, and it never came on afterwards. I went for a ride for about 15 minute. Stopped twice on the way, to inflate the tyres. Everything is good for now. 

What do you guys recommend? I don't think anyone can do anything without the warning light on anymore right? So I have to wait for it to come on, right? I hope it won't come back on. 

[campbeam]

Yes, you will have to wait for the warning lights to come back on before plugging in a scanner to read the stored fault codes.

[nushydude]

Alright then. 

Out of curiosity, how much does one of these ECU scanners cost for the 2007 Aurion? Is the interface standardised (between series, manufacturer etc.) so that these scanners are compatible between multiple models? Or if you buy a scanner, it will only work with one specific model? 

[campbeam]

Suggest that you do a search on eBay for OBD2 scanner. I think that I bought this one. 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/OBD2-EOBD-CAR-FAULT-CODE-READER-SCANNER-DIAGNOSTIC-AUTO-ENGINE-SCAN-TOOL-/322380609595?hash=item4b0f61b83b:g:T0sAAOSwA3dYbgDp

The connector for the Aurion is under the dash on the right hand side of the steering wheel. 

[nushydude]

3 minutes ago, campbeam said:

Suggest that you do a search on eBay for OBD2 scanner. I think that I bought this one. 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/OBD2-EOBD-CAR-FAULT-CODE-READER-SCANNER-DIAGNOSTIC-AUTO-ENGINE-SCAN-TOOL-/322380609595?hash=item4b0f61b83b:g:T0sAAOSwA3dYbgDp

The connector for the Aurion is under the dash on the right hand side of the steering wheel. 

Great, I will check it out. Thanks.