Advice Re Engine Management Light

[deelcee]

looking at a 2001 ls430

the engine management light is on but not flashing!

dealer says..."because the car hasn't been used much the Battery is flat and the light comes on when the power from the Battery drops below a certain level"

...is this right?...

dealer also states that he will have the 'EML' switched off!

if there was another problem would the light come back on or is there some way that the fault could be hidden?

[ManicMark]

Usually lambda censor or control valve (hard to get at) if its a dealer & he says it can be switched off agree with him if it comes back on he will repair it. As known faults at point of sale are not covered.

[Maduggo]

Never heard of management lights coming on as a weak Battery warning. Sounds iffy to me. But maybe true.

Easy way to check is pop another Battery on that is known to be in good condition.

I suspect the real issue though as Mark mentions is Lamba sensor or oxygen sensor, on a Ls430 at Lexus you are looking at £700 ish to get it done, i know as mine was needed to be done when i purchsed my 430 last year, i used it as a bargain tool to drop the price. The light on mine at purchase was just solid yellow, not flashing, don't know if it does flash either.

You can fix them yourself at a fraction of the cost, but you need to know which one of the 4 sensors it is, yes it has 4, 2 per side. You also need to get the appropiate part, i've seen them on eBay but cannot vouch for their reliability or fit.

I do not agree with just switching a warning light off if the car is showing one, why is it on and what needs to be done to stop coming back. If this was the case, how many cars would be sold in such devious manner be unscrupulous dealers who don't care after they have your money. Dealers like this i do not trust.

Hiding a fault is exactly in the sentence above. And yes another type of fault engine wise would bring the light back on.

If you do get it switched of and buy the car, make sure the warranty you get will cover it if it does indeed return.

Personally i would try to haggle the cost of the car down by the Lexus repair figure for a Lambda sensor first. Then if that works, let Lexus do the fix as you know it will be done properly.

[dave1]

The dealer sounds like a cowboy. Simple thing is contact a couple of Lexus main dealers and ask their service dept. if this is the case. If it is a lambda sensor it is best to get a Denso sensor (original is Denso). My local trusted garage diagnosed sensor when the light on my GS430 (same engine) came on and replaced it with correct Denso sensor for less than Lexus wanted for just the part!

Get the dealer to plug his obd reader in to get the fault code and check the outcome before considering purchasing it.

The EML comes on solid not flashing if fault occurs.

[messi]

It's usually lambda sensor or vsv which like someone said is hard to to get at and expensive job, the sensor itself is £62, but labour costs expensive

[Cotswold Pete]

As I understand it a damaged sensor will eventually lead to a failed cat convertor if you end up running a rich mix, as the failed sensor cannot control fuel and air mix at injection end.

Not sure if the LS would run lean or rich when a sensor fails. I would guess it would run rich, as running lean can cause other problems in the engine itself.

So getting it fixed is only option.

[deelcee]

thanks for all the advice guys!

I had an independent diagnostics firm to check it out!

and thankfully all is ok...it was the failed Battery that caused the e.m light to come on,

the one thing it did throw up was that it was due for an oil change!

I can handle that one

once again thanks guys

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