Hi, A friend of mine has a 6 month old Astra. This morning it wouldn?t start when first tried. It then started but the ?Exhaust emission? light came on and has stayed on. Her dealer says that they can?t look at the car for a week. Question is, can she drive the car in the meantime without doing any harm to the car and without being in any danger?
Any thoughts appreciated.
Thanks.
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The exhaust emmission light is actually the engine managment (ECU) light. The car has gone into "limp home" mode.
Depending on the fault, yes damage could be done. If for instance a faulty fuel sensor has triggered the ecu light, the engine could be fed with more fuel, and in turn knacker the catalylic converter.
Get her to put the onus on the garage. Ask them if it's ok to drive the car until they can look at it, and will the warranty cover any possible additional damage caused whilst driving it?
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I put my money on the crankshaft TDC sensor.
Andy
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?I put my money on the crankshaft TDC sensor.?
Give that man a coconut.
AA bloke confirmed that it was a crankshaft sensor at fault.
Cheers.
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After asking the garage to confirm that no damage will be done if the car is driven whilst waiting for them to look at the fault, they?ve said that she can bring the car in tonight. In the meantime the AA are on their way to look at the car as well.
Thanks for the advice.
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Ah ha, the good old crankshaft sensor fault. The other one is the camshaft sensor. Most of the time it's just a dirty connection on the plug/socket joint. *Should* be ok to continue driving until fixed, but you'll probably find the engine a bit flat and it won't rev above 4,000 rpm or thereabouts.
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Amazing, same fault with my Astra has just come up. Booked in for Saturday, luckily still in warranty. Can't spot any running problems, but it was reluctant to start once last week. The handbook actually says there's a risk of damage to the car only when the light flashes, and not when it's on continuously. Even suggests throttling back to get the light steady.
JS
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