Engine diagnostic light after battery booster

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Rather unpleasant surprise this morning: car was left unused for just over two weeks, didn't expect battery to go flat like that, but it did

Car wouldn't start, so had to call AA to get it going. Have to say: very impressed with them - turned up in less than 20min, recharged the battery, great.

BUT, now I got the dreadful 'Engine Diagnostic Indicator' light on

I was hoping it'll go out in a few miles, but almost 200 miles later it is still on - I've tried a few restarts before we set off, and obviously during today's trip car was started / switched off a few times ... No noticeable change in engine behaviour, although I expected better MPG (could be down to quite a few miles on [unpaved] village roads today).

What should I do?

 

[Howard]

Probably nothing , how did the AA man charge the battery ?

 

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Probably nothing , how did the AA man charge the battery ?

Connected something called booster to it and turn the engine on - that was it - literally a two-minute job.

To be honest, I ever had to use a plug-in charger (i.e. plug into home power outlet and clip on positive and negative contacts type) once, and that was so long ago, I'm not even sure it was me

To do nothing is usually my favourite solution, but I'm somewhat worried ...

 

[Howard]

The 'booster' is effectively a 12v battery in a fancy case , so it's the same as jump starting it i guess , so shouldn't be any problem.

Does the engine seem to run ok ?

To put your mind at rest , might be worth getting the codes read and see what they say ?

If the AA have cooked it , they will need to sort it out .

 

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I see. Thanks.

Engine seems OK, cruise control is working fine (no idea if this is relevant), checked a few times via the ecoRoute during today's drive - everything looks OK: temps, battery charge, revs, engine load, coolant temp, intake pressure, etc, etc - no errors ...

I pointed to the AA man that the engine light is on, but he said it'll probably clear after a few miles / restarts. As this is exactly what I seem to remember reading somewhere, I accepted it ...

How much might it cost to get it checked/read/cleared?

 

[Howard]

Depends if you have a friendly garage that you know ...

Best case , nothing ( 2 mins work to read and reset ) , worst case you might get charged £40 / £60 ?

 

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I'll see ... I don't really know anyone here; I'll ask PJ Hodge who fixed the seized brakes for me recently, if not, I'll leave it till next visit to Olly.

Should I consider replacing the battery? According to the service history it was installed in Feb 2011, so I expected it to be good for another year or so ... It's a cheap one though - Lion 075 60Ah (Euro Car Parts No: 444770751).

 

[Howard]

No , it's under a year old , it'll have loads of life yet.

 

[ucr]

overvoltage or undervoltage will cause the light to come on - you will need to knock it out with the star system

 

[evdok]

They should have at least put the headlight switch on before the charger! sounds like he has spiked something...thats what me thinks

 

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They should have at least put the headlight switch on before the charger! sounds like he has spiked something...thats what me thinks

I wish I knew that! But why the AA man didn't? it's not like it was HIS first flat battery?!

Oh well, I guess this whole thing qualifies for entry into MOCAŠ's thread "What did you learn today?" ...

 

[Auto-mobile]

I'm with ucr, under or over voltage fault, get it erased by a diagnostic machine (doesn't have to be a "star" machine) job done, I doubt something has "blown"

 

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I'm with ucr, under or over voltage fault, get it erased by a diagnostic machine (doesn't have to be a "star" machine) job done, I doubt something has "blown"

Thanks.
Should I invest in one of those DIY units, and if so, which one?
Or is it a waste of time/money and getting a good garage to attend to these type of problems is a better solution?

 

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Right, an update:

1. Bought a code reader (D900 - under £35 from Amazon)
2. Disconnected Garmin ecoRoute, connected D900, confirmed the same DTC
3. Cleared the error successfully, no complications
4. Re-set the throttle flap / kick-down point, as recommended by Olly

Result - an agile and very responsive car and no Engine Diagnostic Error light anymore.

All in all - a desired result and saved money on £125 at MB Dealer or £60 at local indy and got a [reasonably] useful gadget :bannana:

 

[Howard]

Great news Dave ! :bannana:

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

I wish I knew that! But why the AA man didn't? it's not like it was HIS first flat battery?!

Oh well, I guess this whole thing qualifies for entry into MOCAŠ's thread

"What did you learn today?" ...

Hi, does your car have Zenons? mine does and the instruction book says in large print. "Do not under any circumstances turn the headlight on" just thought it worthy of mention.

 

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Hi, does your car have Zenons? mine does and the instruction book says in large print. "Do not under any circumstances turn the headlight on" just thought it worthy of mention.

Thanks, no it doesn't have Xenons, but I was actually thinking of retrofitting ones Will keep that in mind.

Today I finally fitted hard-wired power supplies for the sat-nav and forward camera, so I guess, I can always turn these on, to reduce the spike (if I ever get around fitting Xenons that is) - these are quality hard-wired PSUs, with own fuses, so should be OK for the purpose.