engine management light

[BARNEY_MK1]

Hi, I just picked my mk1 sc up after having a bit of work done (vacuum hoses replaced, new wheel hub and new strut mount). I was driving on the motorway and when accelerating hard, the orange engine management light came on (electrical fault indicator i think). This made no difference to the drive of the car. I stopped at a service station and when i fired the car back up the warning light was no longer there, until i went higher up the rev range when driving. This has happened a few times since, where the light is not there when i first start the car up and drive it. Every time it has no effect on the performance of the car but it stills concerns me. Has anyone had the same problem or got any idea what it could be? Cheers. Barney

[Lauren]

Check the error codes.

Could be something to do with the speed signal. Check error codes though.

[BARNEY_MK1]

Ok thanks. i'm having a diagnostic check done tomorrow. The speedo doesn't work at all (due to the speedo drive), if that has any bearing on it.

[MartG]

That's most likely the problem - after a while the ECU lights the warning light if it doesn't see the speed signal. AFAIK it has no detrimantal effect on the car or engine, but does mean that if another error happens you won't know about it as the light will already be on.

In some cases e.g. use on track it can be useful to be able to stop the ECU seeing the speed signal by installing a switch in the wire to the ECU ( coloured purple ) as this stops the ECU enforcing the speed limiter at 112-118mph

[Lauren]

Ok thanks. i'm having a diagnostic check done tomorrow. The speedo doesn't work at all (due to the speedo drive), if that has any bearing on it.

That'll most likely be it!

[BARNEY_MK1]

Excellent, thanks for your help. The speedo fix was last on my to-do list of jobs for the car. Hopefully that will sort the warning light problem.

[Lauren]

I'm not the gambling type, Barney, but my money would be on the lack of speed signal causing the problem.

[ulysess1966]

Had exactly the same problem and with it being an SC, I'd put my money on the infamous right-angle drive being gummed-up.

In my humble one, I'd check there first, especially the keyed pin which I reckon is designed as a safe fail point. If it is the pin, they're only about a fiver.

[Kateg28]

I just had this exact problem but luckily I had an expert on SC in the car with me when it first happened. My speedo went (the little gear thingy attached to the gear box is made of plasticine) and there is a protection built in that if you have the revs over about 3250 for over 20 or 30 seconds (I don't know the exact criteria) the warning light comes on as it thinks you are revving the engine but going nowhere.

Said expert then ordered and fixed it for me a couple of weeks back and all works fine. I must say the replacement of the Speedo gear thingy took a lot of fiddling and was quite tricky.

It certainly looked that way from the deckchair I was sitting in with my cup of tea, watching.
But this person was a bit of a hero in my eyes.

Apparently a well known fault!

[Diamond_Bolt]

In some cases e.g. use on track it can be useful to be able to stop the ECU seeing the speed signal by installing a switch in the wire to the ECU ( coloured purple ) as this stops the ECU enforcing the speed limiter at 112-118mph [/quote]

I was going to ask without a speed limiter on the car what is the top speed of the little MR. I've seen 117mph with the limiter and if I wanted to get into track racing and for track use would the SLD from HKS take the top speed limiter off as I think ive got 1 laying about somewhere.

[MartG]

Book figures are something like 124mph for an NA and 135mph for an SC

[Diamond_Bolt]

A bit beefy for a 1.6 wat i love bout toyota's

[Kateg28]

I have done 120 in my first ever N/A when we toured Europe (camping ). It was on the Autobahn in Germany so perfectly legal. This was when it was about 3 years old

I am not expecting to take my new SC to the limit as am far too terrified of crashing it although I think it is inevitable that one day I will have to track it ( hello Lauren!).

P.s. Diamond Bolt : nice colour

[elbon50]

My N/A is useless for sprinting

Cant reach 70mph from the bottom hairpin to finish line at Curborough (approx 400 yd)

But I'll make the f'ing thing shift if it kills me

Peter

[Lauren]

I was going to ask without a speed limiter on the car what is the top speed of the little MR. I've seen 117mph with the limiter and if I wanted to get into track racing and for track use would the SLD from HKS take the top speed limiter off as I think ive got 1 laying about somewhere.

To be fair, on track you are unlikely to hit the speed limiter unless you go somewhere like Spa. In the UK you'd be doing well to get over 110mph. Speed limiters seem to kick in at 119mph.

Don't forget doing trackdays is not racing, it's non competitive by definition.

I think I've still got the speed limiter on my current car. I'm not going to bother removing it even for trackdays (I did one in it recently) as I won't hit the limiter anyway and tbh I've got no desire to go over 120mph in it.

[Diamond_Bolt]

Tru say, its just one of them things though that I find a bit odd, if the top speed is 124mph why set a limiter to 117-119 was there much point ?.
I ask because end of the year I am looking to go to amsterdam but to the neuranburg before and im either driving my MR2 or riding my yam thundercat but would prefer taking the MR2 depending on how its running at the time.

[ulysess1966]

I must say the replacement of the Speedo gear thingy took a lot of fiddling and was quite tricky.

Apparently a well known fault!

Here's a tip for Barney and anyone else that makes this job much simpler. Undo the bolt holding the RA drive to the gearbox, but don't remove the speedo drive cable. After freeing the drive from the gearbox you should be able to carefully lift the RA drive up through the engine on the end of the cable. Simples.

Mine was totally gummed-up and not moving at all and I thought it had had its chips. I sprayed pretty much a whole tin of WD-40 round and into it and sat watching TV working the drive gently back and forth by hand until it started to move and after a bit all the gunk ran out of it and it was flying round. That was about 5 years ago and it has given no trouble since then.

[Diamond_Bolt]

I have done 120 in my first ever N/A when we toured Europe (camping ). It was on the Autobahn in Germany so perfectly legal. This was when it was about 3 years old

I am not expecting to take my new SC to the limit as am far too terrified of crashing it although I think it is inevitable that one day I will have to track it ( hello Lauren!).

P.s. Diamond Bolt : nice colour

Thanks Kate

Straight back at ya, I saw your car on MR2 mk1 and the garage, wish to have mine that fresh one day

[Lauren]

Tru say, its just one of them things though that I find a bit odd, if the top speed is 124mph why set a limiter to 117-119 was there much point ?.
I ask because end of the year I am looking to go to amsterdam but to the neuranburg before and im either driving my MR2 or riding my yam thundercat but would prefer taking the MR2 depending on how its running at the time.

Whether there was much point or not it's Japanese law, so any car that can exceed 180kmh is limited to that speed.

Remember taking my NA around the Nurburgring, I got nowhere near 120mph anywhere. You can go quicker in the SC, but reckon you'll be unlikely to hit the limiter for the most part and if you do, it'll only be momentarily.

I just gave my car a break down the long straights and cruised them at around 100mph. I guess on the autobahn you could go higher than 120mph, but all depends how important it is to do that on the very rare occasion really.

[Diamond_Bolt]

Well top speed isnt the importance really was just asking to learn a bit more about the MR2 really. The importance is getting there and experiencing the track really