Engine Warning Light When Heavy Load In Boot

[mikesands]

Eh? I hear you ask. I put a 50 kg package in the boot while the LS430 was parked on a slight uphill. Started car and the 'malfunction indicator' stayed on (engine shaped warning light). Restarted car a few times but each time it stayed on. Drove home without any problems checked fans were running oil was OK, but still light came on and stayed on. Took the package out of the boot. First time I restarted the light stayed on but second time and each time since, the warning light has gone out and everything's back to normal.

Any ideas anyone?

Mike

[bazgtr]

Eh? I hear you ask. I put a 50 kg package in the boot while the LS430 was parked on a slight uphill. Started car and the 'malfunction indicator' stayed on (engine shaped warning light). Restarted car a few times but each time it stayed on. Drove home without any problems checked fans were running oil was OK, but still light came on and stayed on. Took the package out of the boot. First time I restarted the light stayed on but second time and each time since, the warning light has gone out and everything's back to normal.

Any ideas anyone?

Mike

This is a good one as not sure on this as I work on the older models but as a guess has the ls430 have a rear suspension warning sensor to say when either a rear sturt or suspension fail. What I mean if the car sits to low it senses the ride high is incorrect due to the weight and sends a signal to the ecu that a rear strut has problem as the ride height is lower than factory setting.

When you take the weight out then the car sits at the right height.

You could try it again on the same hill and see if it comes on and then try it with someone sitting in the boat and see if it lights up.

Only other thing is that if the car sits on a steep hill then the fluids runs away from a sensor triggering a fault to say a fluid level is low but once you move onto the flat it's OK. The fluid would be a knat's manhood under a set limit.

Just a suggestion.

[steve2006]

Eh? I hear you ask. I put a 50 kg package in the boot while the LS430 was parked on a slight uphill. Started car and the 'malfunction indicator' stayed on (engine shaped warning light). Restarted car a few times but each time it stayed on. Drove home without any problems checked fans were running oil was OK, but still light came on and stayed on. Took the package out of the boot. First time I restarted the light stayed on but second time and each time since, the warning light has gone out and everything's back to normal.

Any ideas anyone?

Mike

This is a good one as not sure on this as I work on the older models but as a guess has the ls430 have a rear suspension warning sensor to say when either a rear sturt or suspension fail. What I mean if the car sits to low it senses the ride high is incorrect due to the weight and sends a signal to the ecu that a rear strut has problem as the ride height is lower than factory setting.

When you take the weight out then the car sits at the right height.

You could try it again on the same hill and see if it comes on and then try it with someone sitting in the boat and see if it lights up.

Only other thing is that if the car sits on a steep hill then the fluids runs away from a sensor triggering a fault to say a fluid level is low but once you move onto the flat it's OK. The fluid would be a knat's manhood under a set limit.

Very good theory, with it being parked facing uphill the weight of the car would due to gravity be shifted towards the rear,add 50Kgs in the boot and the ride height sensors as you say could detect this as a fault,have you tried facing the car downhill and placing 50Kgs on top of the engine and see if it has a similar effect, but don't try and close the bonnet! lol

Just a suggestion.

[steve2006]

Eh? I hear you ask. I put a 50 kg package in the boot while the LS430 was parked on a slight uphill. Started car and the 'malfunction indicator' stayed on (engine shaped warning light). Restarted car a few times but each time it stayed on. Drove home without any problems checked fans were running oil was OK, but still light came on and stayed on. Took the package out of the boot. First time I restarted the light stayed on but second time and each time since, the warning light has gone out and everything's back to normal.

Any ideas anyone?

Mike

This is a good one as not sure on this as I work on the older models but as a guess has the ls430 have a rear suspension warning sensor to say when either a rear sturt or suspension fail. What I mean if the car sits to low it senses the ride high is incorrect due to the weight and sends a signal to the ecu that a rear strut has problem as the ride height is lower than factory setting.

When you take the weight out then the car sits at the right height.

You could try it again on the same hill and see if it comes on and then try it with someone sitting in the boat and see if it lights up.

Only other thing is that if the car sits on a steep hill then the fluids runs away from a sensor triggering a fault to say a fluid level is low but once you move onto the flat it's OK. The fluid would be a knat's manhood under a set limit.

Just a suggestion.

[steve2006]

I messed the above post up!

Very good theory, with it being parked facing uphill the weight of the car would due to gravity be shifted towards the rear,add 50Kgs in the boot and the ride height sensors as you say could detect this as a fault,have you tried facing the car downhill and placing 50Kgs on top of the engine and see if it has a similar effect, but don't try and close the bonnet! lol

[steveskeggy]

Instead of trying to guess what the problem is, why dont you stick something heavy in the boot and see if it does it again.

If it does then get an OBD2 meter and see what the code is.

If its a ride height that only comes on when you have something heavy in the boot, then you can deal with it whenever you please, if its suspension I believe the code should be a C17-- code.

If its something worse, then surely its better to find that your gearbox/engine/axle/whatever is about to give out now, than when you are batting down the motorway.

[Andrew 1976]

Might not be any use but here goes:

Check ALL your wiring is solid and secure.

My 1993 LS400 developed this problem a few months back. It started i thought coincidently with carrying lots of passengers and round town driving lots of speed humps etc. The engine warning light was intermittent, went out for days then come back on every now and again. Always unable to find fault. Then one day it came on and the next minute big clunking sounds :tsktsk: , i stopped the engine in a panic and popped the hood to find wiring and fan belt bits wrapped around my engine bay.

It turned out it had been a loose wire connection in the engine bay which gradually deteriorated before coming adrift and going into the fan belt.

Once it was fixed no more problems for the last six months :winky: