Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Engine management warning light

Good afternoon.
My 2006 plus 4 has been in the garage for a while. Only short trips out to keep everything turning over. Connected to battery trickle charge as required to top up.
I was presented with a engine management warning light this am when I switched on. Started as normal but light persisted through idling for about 10 mins. I'll drop by the garage when next out and get an official diagnosis.
Handbook is not a great deal of help.
My questions: What sorts of things does this warning cover?
Can the warning light be a result of battery low charge/recharge?
Is there a reset technique?
Any theories?
Best regards.

A range of things can cause the light to come on, some are problem driven some are rogue and some are as you suggest low battery voltage etc. There is no external reset procedure on the Ford system in so much as buttons to press etc, the code has to be read and then cleared using an external code reader plugged into what's known as the OBD2 socket. You have not said where you are? If your near Leicester I have one and happy too do it for you or visit your local Ford dealer and ask them for a code reset....they often help given interest in the car. The OBD2 socket is a black plug on a lead normally tucked up alongside the glovebox between it and the heater. Not a bad idea to get yourself a Ford compatable code reader for a Duratec engined Focus/Mondeo.....you can get decent ones for around £20-30

My engine management light must have been on for all the time it was owned by the previous owner as he never got it sorted , so finally found out why - due to piggy back arrangement with omex ecu and ford ecu , easily fixed a few months back !

This is the one I use on my 2008 +4

eBay item number 391167702239

Many thanks for your fast reply. I would have enjoyed a meeting and a chance to talk Morgans but I live in the North Yorks Dales.
I think I might have a 'rogue' as the Mog is pretty well taken care of.
At that price I will get a code reader - for interest.
Thanks for your help.
Best regards.

My light will come on if it’s been on charge for a while and not driven. I disconnect the battery for a couple of minutes to reset the ecu, reconnect and it’s all ok again.

It can be a multitude of things

As rog suggests ctrl-alt-del with an ecu reset - the main battery fuse being pulled maybe enough -not sure as away at the mo'

Guys, disconnecting the battery used to work with older technology (prior to Bosch LH2.2) which was the first mainstream 'adaptive' ECU. It introduced E2PROMS to motor manufacturers and where before an EPROM can be reset by disconnecting the supply voltage an E2 (written as EEPROM for Electronically Erasable) is as the name suggests a PROM that has to be electronically overwritten. Disconnecting the feed on later systems may well put the light out but will not delete any stored fault codes or in fact reset the system. The adaptive function has both long and short term adaptivity (trim) and it's just the short term that reverts to manufacturers map settings....the long term fuel trim needs to have the code read and then reset (assuming there is just a rogue code or the problem has been fixed) to set the system back to standard again. This is true for the Ford EEC family of ECU's as for other manufacturers. When these later systems were first iintroduced we (Volvo) were inundated with customer complaints where MIL lights were coming on, cars were taken to dealers, the battery disconnected and the car handed back only to have the light come on again shortly after, this was because there was an actual fault and the car had not been fixed and the ECU had only been partly reset. Just for info chaps, lots of information on websites on this if you want further reading but also why I suggested getting a cheap code reader, for around the cost of 3 gallons of fuel its worth having in the car, takes less than 5 min to reset!

Thanks for all the info, Colin. Been meaning to buy a code reader. Going touring in March so now's the time. Just ordered the one you pointed us towards on eBay.

No problem Steve, glad it helped. For years I managed without one then on a short break in Wales with Graham and Rob H (both on here) we stopped to take some photos and the car 'coughed' on start up and took 3 attempts to start, it's always been a first flick starter. 3 min later MIL light on, several attempts at drive cycles etc. Failed to put it out. Bought the code reader and it gave a 'multiple misfire' classic code so I knew it was the no start as car was running perfectly and the Lambda would have picked up the unburned fuel. Read clear and sorted, never come back on since but good to have the kit to go in now and again and see if there is an issue.

These readers are of course Chinese copies (the Pukka ones are made in China anyway) and they claim to be able to hold monitor values via an internal battery....they can't and don't even have an internal battery and for what we want best not to even install one as I don't know what's connected inside. They work really well and do exactly what we want....I have even reset 3 of my neighbours cars with it ;-))