Triumphrat

3rdGear · 10-11-2005

The Engine Management System Malfunction Indicator Light on my 05 S3 came on this morning. Any obvious things to look for?

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks,
3rdGear

Mad · 10-12-2005

Take it to the dealer so they can find the fault code. Shouldn't take 5 minutes.

3rdGear · 10-12-2005

Dealer is 70 miles away, can I get the code without them?

3rdGear

Bob955i · 10-12-2005

You won't be able to read the code unless you have a code reader and AFAIK TuneBoy doesn't yet work with the '05 S3.

Is the engine running OK?

If it is, try doing 4 heat cycles - start from cold, allow engine to run until fan kicks in then shut off engine. Do this 4 times and if the problem has cleared, the MIL should go out.

This works for the bikes up to '04 with Sagem ECUs but I'm not sure about the '05s with Keihin ECU.

jbt56 · 10-12-2005

Ah, the "check engine" light. Thank the US feds for that. Generally, that light indicates some component related to emissions is not working properly. Anything related to the computer and fuel injection is related, so throttle position sensors (or switches), coolant temp sensors, MAF sensors, O2 sensors, etc. can trigger the little orange devil light if they send a slightly different signal to the ECU. My '03 Trip has had it's light on for about 5 months, and seems to be the coolant temp sensor. I'm waiting for my local dealer to figure out how they can cover it under (the expired) warranty. They're trying like h*ll to do that. Meanwhile, I've been riding the wheels off the thing, as it runs perfectly.
Have your codes checked, and 99% of anything that could trigger it SHOULD be covered by your warranty. I'm sure the dealer will have to check the codes, as I personally have not heard of a way to check/decode them on your bike. Good luck!

kuhlka · 10-12-2005

Check your ground and lead cables to your battery. I had my light come on left and right until the bike completely stopped running and I found that my negative battery cable had come completely loose. After tightening it back down, the light stopped coming on.

3rdGear · 10-14-2005

Thanks for the suggestions, I tried them all and I still have a EMS light. Looks like I will be hauling my bike to the dealer.

Ohhh well....still a kick ass bike.

3rdGear

jbt56 · 10-14-2005

If your bike is running well, simply ride it to your dealer. I've put around 1500 miles on mine with the light lit, waiting for my dealer to get things organized. It has yet to even hiccup. In the end, though, do what's comfortable for you.