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Old 19-12-2016, 11:48
jioscar
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Hi the orange malfunction light on my Subaru came on and stays on any ideas what could be the cause thanks
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:02
David (2)
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What does it look like.
If it's the engine management light u need to get it to a garage. Usually serious.
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:17
jioscar
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Hi it's sort of gearbox type shape it only came on when I started the car this morning
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:24
Porcupine
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Mine came on last night too. I drove past my garage on the way to work this morning so I popped in and they said they would rig it up to their diagnostic machine and check it out. I am still waiting for the phone call. Looking online my light could be anything from a minor condition like a sensor or some grit somewhere to the other end of the scale where the engine is on its last legs !!!!
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:25
mred2000
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Have you checked the manual?
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:35
jioscar
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Hi I looked at the manual but it just says it's a management light it was fine last night just came on when started this morning I just wanted to know if anyone else has had this problem
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Old 19-12-2016, 12:40
Porcupine
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Hi I looked at the manual but it just says it's a management light it was fine last night just came on when started this morning I just wanted to know if anyone else has had this problem
yes - see above.

I checked my manual and all it said was 'take it to your nearest garage'. So I looked online (I have a Kia Sportage) and its my management light.
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Old 19-12-2016, 13:05
walterwhite
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What does it look like.
If it's the engine management light u need to get it to a garage. Usually serious.
Bit of scaremongering really. I've had the engine management light come on quite a few times and most times it's nothing.
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Old 19-12-2016, 13:10
gomezz
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Nine time out of ten the problem with a vehicle warning light is with the sensor.
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Old 19-12-2016, 13:18
jioscar
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Thankyou all 👍
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Old 19-12-2016, 14:25
Dave_Herts
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If you want to read the codes yourself, this is a useful bit of kit

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012IGGG24?psc=1
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Old 19-12-2016, 14:36
Sluger
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Mine was soot on the sensor. Find a nice stretch of open road and floor the accelerator for about 5 seconds. It blows the soot away.
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Old 20-12-2016, 12:36
grumpyscot
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Mine was soot on the sensor. Find a nice stretch of open road and floor the accelerator for about 5 seconds. It blows the soot away.
Which is called an Italian tune-up. A dodge regularly carried out on cars used for only short distances to clear out the sh*t.. But make sure the engine is fully warmed up first or you may end up with an expensive repair!
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Old 20-12-2016, 22:29
David (2)
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Soot would be more likely on a diesel powered car, not sure what the OP has.
That said, I guess other dirt etc can build up on any of them.
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Old 21-12-2016, 00:23
barbeler
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Hi the orange malfunction light on my Subaru came on and stays on any ideas what could be the cause thanks
It's just an advisory warning and can often be ignored. You usually find in goes away after switching the engine on and off three or four times, although not by just sitting there and doing it when you're stationary. My Citroen used to do it quite often and the usual diagnostic code points to the air flow sensor, although this is often a complete red herring.

On diesel cars it might mean that the fuel injectors need a bit of jet cleaner putting through or you might need the air filter changing. There again it might not.

The best way to cure it is by putting a piece of black tape over the light.
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Old 21-12-2016, 07:53
killjoy
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The best way to cure it is by putting a piece of black tape over the light.
... and wait for the bang
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Old 21-12-2016, 08:14
njp
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Nine time out of ten the problem with a vehicle warning light is with the sensor.
There are lots of sensors. Absent a failure of the ECU itself, the light is telling you that the ECU doesn't believe one of the sensors, so is ignoring it. This means the engine will not be operating as efficiently as it should.

Sensors vary in cost and difficulty of replacement. And of course the fault could be transient.
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Old 21-12-2016, 14:32
barbeler
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... and wait for the bang
Well it first happened three years ago, so it's taking its time. I do have to make quite a few short jouneys, so I'll try the foot to the floor method next time the car's warmed up.
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Old 21-12-2016, 14:34
Porcupine
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I took my car to the garage the other day and they said that it was my turbo boost valve. I have no idea how much it will cost to replace as it needs to go to a main dealer.
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Old 21-12-2016, 19:19
David (2)
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I took my car to the garage the other day and they said that it was my turbo boost valve. I have no idea how much it will cost to replace as it needs to go to a main dealer.
You don't want your turbo to fail.....better to replace a valve.
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Old 21-12-2016, 21:36
Steve9214
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Youtube is your friend - someone, somewhere, will have made a video about what this is and how to fix it.
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Old 21-12-2016, 22:50
Waj_100
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Hi the orange malfunction light on my Subaru came on and stays on any ideas what could be the cause thanks
There could be any of hundreds of reasons why the light has come on...sometimes the light comes on because the computer has detected a fluctuation in voltage and switched the warning light on....not a big deal but a warning non the less ...a simple code read is required and more importantly a code clearing operation as the code will be stored in the computer and may not clear until manually switched off...sometimes a simple fault that has corrected itself will result in the light switching itself off after several cycles of switching on and off of the engine, but the code will still be stored in the computer.
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Old 21-12-2016, 22:57
Waj_100
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It's just an advisory warning and can often be ignored. You usually find in goes away after switching the engine on and off three or four times, although not by just sitting there and doing it when you're stationary. My Citroen used to do it quite often and the usual diagnostic code points to the air flow sensor, although this is often a complete red herring.

On diesel cars it might mean that the fuel injectors need a bit of jet cleaner putting through or you might need the air filter changing. There again it might not.

The best way to cure it is by putting a piece of black tape over the light.

On the Citroen you need to use the correct diagnostic tool which is called Lexia...this will be able to check every sensor and injector/fuel pump, fuel flow, etc, etc.
I use Lexia and it's sister tool PP2000 for Peugeots.

To test your air flow meter disconnect the electrical connection that goes to it...if there is no difference then the air flow meter (sensor) is fine....if the engine runs badly then it's faulty.
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Old 21-12-2016, 23:13
c4rv
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There could be any of hundreds of reasons why the light has come on...sometimes the light comes on because the computer has detected a fluctuation in voltage and switched the warning light on....not a big deal but a warning non the less ...a simple code read is required and more importantly a code clearing operation as the code will be stored in the computer and may not clear until manually switched off...sometimes a simple fault that has corrected itself will result in the light switching itself off after several cycles of switching on and off of the engine, but the code will still be stored in the computer.
This,

The best course of action is to plug in a code reader and see what the ECU thinks the fault is.
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Old 21-12-2016, 23:16
LuvJamTarts
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could be anything from minor fault to the engine is about to give out. No-one here is going to be able to diagnose it so get it to the garage
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