Warning light on car dashboard?

[Rawns]

My missus sent me a e-mail a few minutes ago saying a light has home on her dashboard.

 

It's a Renault Clio. This is the pic she sent.

 

My car knowledge is minimal at best. Does anyone know what this light represents and if the car is safe to drive home?

[creese]

I would say the bottom right is brakes. It looks like the hub with the pads to right and left. Not sure about the other light.

[ICT_GUY]

Is it a diesel, it looks like the glow plug warning light.

 

The car manual will have a proper explanation, its probably in the glove compartment.

[pscott]

Engine Management warning light... How friendly is your local garage?

[Rawns]

It is a petrol. 1.2L.

 

The manual is at home for some unknown reason!

[Hightower]

I'd guess it's a petrol by the fact the rev counter goes up to 7000, so if correct it won't be glow plugs. Looks like some kind of heart monitor symbol - maybe engine management light?

[adampat84]

check that the brake light bulbs are working...

 

I've got an ibiza (of no relevance) mine comes on if both brake light bulb have gone???

 

Maybe the same you never know!

[tech_guy]

Similar to yours:

 

Renault Clio 2 - Poor Running/Dash Warning - Renault Forums :: Independent Renault forum

[powdarrmonkey]

It is engine management. Flashing - the system is restricting your control of the car; solid - there is a fault or other exception. The official line is that you may drive it at low demand to the nearest garage.

 

 

(incidentally, the exclamation mark in a circle is because you have applied the handbrake...)

[timzim]

Reboot it into Safe Mode & check the logs....erm....

[chris_uk]

I've had this problem wth my clio, first time it was a new engine wiring loom, almost £1000, 2nd time was a sensor, £250, 3rd time engine went to drive home mode, (Not fun driving to work on the M25) needed new coils. £1000

 

On the first one the engine would cut out when idling or at the worst it cut out whilst driving on the M23 home, had to turn off the engine (whilst driving) and start it again. It went into the garage that night after that happened!

[webman]

chris_uk: I don't think any of those problems was the primary issue. The main one I see is that it was a Clio Everyone Clio owner I know has commented on how they wish they'd never got one.

[chris_uk]

to be fair apart from those problems I'm happy with my Clio. It's the 1.2 16v dynamic. It's a good little runner. I get two weeks of driving out of a tank of fuel. It's done over 100k. It's been up to and around scotland lots of times, up to yorkshire and around france. It's a great runner. They all jsut seem to have a problem with the engine cutting out at some point. It's quite scary going along at erm 70 on the motorway and having it happen or the "drive home" mode coming in when you join the motorway to get to work

[sippo]

I originally thought it was the engine management light, but then looking again at the photo not too sure as there is one with stop in the middle.

[creese]

Found the answer for a Megane. It says it's the 'Coil Pack' above the spark plugs.

 

Edit: Search Google wit 'renault clio coil warning light'

Edited May 20, 2010 by creese

[Hightower]

My coil pack went in my Clio last year - about £50 for the parts, and RAC fitted it. Can't remember seeing the light on the dash for it though.

 

As for Clio owners not wanting a Clio - I'm not in that boat. I bought my 'P' reg Clio (old box shape) nearly 4 years ago for £400. In the years I had it all I had to pay was insurance, petrol, tax, tyres, coil pack, and a new exhaust. It is the cheapest/most trouble-free car I've ever known. I sold it in January for £100 to a mate, and he just wanted to get 6 months out of it. It's already done 4 months and not cost him a penny on repairing it, and I reckon the state I gave it to him in it should see the year out without needing any work done on it.

[john]

Typical French using a Glowplug light on a petrol car, thats just lazyness re-using parts I bet

[2097]

Found the answer for a Megane. It says it's the 'Coil Pack' above the spark plugs.

 

Edit: Search Google wit 'renault clio coil warning light'

 

If its the coil pack that has gone , the car will be running on less cylinders and have a Feelable missfire

Unsure how many coil packs a 1.2 clio has but should be ok to drive home with a broken Coilpack , may run a bit crappy but shouldnt damage the car any more

[timzim]

may run a bit crappy

 

It's a Clio - how would you know the difference?

[Sirbendy]

If its the coil pack that has gone , the car will be running on less cylinders and have a Feelable missfire

Unsure how many coil packs a 1.2 clio has but should be ok to drive home with a broken Coilpack , may run a bit crappy but shouldnt damage the car any more

 

Flawed advice my friend. If it has a catalyst, you'll kill it. Unburnt fuel into hot catalyst = major cat overheat/damage risk.

[Dos_Box]

Glow\heater plugs. My Scenic RX4 had that issue. Not cheap to fix either I'm afraid. Whatever you do though, if it's not under warranty, then don't take it to a Renault garage. Find a good local place. It will save you ££££s.

[Homer]

If it's a petrol mate it could be all sorts of simple things, could be a simple sensor like MAF (air flow) right the way round to coil packs or similar.

 

How was it running when the light illuminated? Rough? Underpowered? Misfire?

[Rawns]

Thanks for the feedback guys. My missus got the car home safely yesterday. The car does not sound rough at all and it started OK. When I got home ,I drove it to the local garage but the light was off when I drove it! Still getting it checked out just in case. The other half mainly uses it to get to work which is mostly motorway driving. Don't think she would be happy having to hang out on the hard shoulder!

[crc-ict]

It certainly looks like it needs checking out - I've driven Renaults for years and always understood the ( ! ) light to indicate a braking system problem. The Graph/Coil light in a petrol Renault is like a 'general fault' indicator.

[Sirbendy]

most often the (!) is "you have the handbrake on, you doofus". Or pad/fluid level issues. But if it goes off when you release the handbrake that's what that is.

 

French cars - never again. Had 2, spent lots, rarely had 100% of the things working. Nice cars mind. Just chocolate electrics.

 

On a lot of cars, the "engine/ecu fault logged but driveable" is the engine block lamp, and it flashes if it's a "FFS, Don't drive me" issue. My astras have 2, 1 for that and 1 for exhaust related problems. One of the reasons I bought my OBD2 laptop dongle - stuff paying a garage to read the codes and find issues...