Engine management lights on your motorhome dashboard

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We have an engine management light (EML) constantly on. It is an orangery yellow colour and is the outline shape of an engine. It suddenly appeared when we started Bryony up recently at the storage yard. We didn’t driver her anywhere but we just kept the engine on for around 30 minutes to charge up the batteries. That was the second time we had done that because there is no EHU available and the site was locked down. Thus, we weren’t able to bring her home. It just goes to show our level of naivety doesn’t it. How many times on this blog have we said “you don’t know what you don’t know”?

Bryony is a Peugeot Boxer light chassis vehicle with a coach build on top. The cab manual wasn’t very helpful, suggesting that we get the engine inspected by a Peugeot dealer asap. Now we are assuming (and this is dangerous in itself) that the EML is a warning about the vehicle exhaust emissions. Its staying on permanently and there is no other warning information available on the panel instrumentation and no other lights on. Whilst the light remains permanently on, the vehicle would fail an M.O.T, as it is not roadworthy.

Modern diesel engines are complex beasties. Our simple model will have lots of devices measuring, controlling, adjusting and monitoring the processes of adding fuel and air together so that an efficient burn is achieved. All these devices send information to the electronic control unit (ECU) which then generates error codes for any signals it deems to be faulty. This signal will trigger an EML.

On our 4 x 4 car, it can put itself in to ‘limp home’ mode as a result of these various EML’s. It can also immediately shut down the engine. A handy computer screen gives details and suggests actions. Sadly, Bryony lacks such a screen which means we are left with guess work.

So, before we start her up and take her for a drive next week, we think we ought to:

·        Check under the engine compartment for any leaking oils or fluids

·        Lift the bonnet and check coolant and oil levels and sniff around the engine bay for any strong odours of leaking coolant or fuel

If all this seems fine then we carefully start her up. If the EML is then still on, we will be left with two choices:

·        We take Bryony for a short drive up the nearest dual carriageway, keeping her in fourth gear and engine revs around 3000 - 4000 mark. Hopefully this may burn off any particulate hydrocarbons, clear out any diesel particulate filters and unclog any fuel injectors etc. (We are, of course, operating on the assumption that this is the principal reason why the light has come on: that running of it in stationary mode for thirty minutes to charge up the batteries).  In the past such a run up a dual carriageway has solved the problem in our 4 x 4 and we hope this will work for Bryony too.

·        Failing the above, then it is off to the Peugeot Dealer for closer inspection and that is going to be expensive!

We have had Bryony since September 2020. Aside of the normal snagging (sticky draws, peeling trim, cupboard doors opening whilst under way, a failed oven door catch and a broken toilet cassette door lock – all discovered the weekend after we bought her) we have had a major leak through the aerial socket into the roof (on our second trip away, three weeks after we drove her off the forecourt) and also a central locking system that kept failing. All of this has been repaired by the dealer under warranty. The failure of the vehicle and leisure batteries which became flat during lock down, was our fault due to a misunderstanding of what the various handbooks said and complete incomprehension about the difficulties associated with the onboard Sargent system and the 80w solar panel on the roof.  

If there is now something wrong with the engine after only two short touring trips away in her, then suffice to say, we will be really annoyed.

However, at this moment we are optimistic that a short drive up a dual carriageway will sort the problem of the EML. We will keep you posted on what happens.

Steve and Maggie