Engine warning light for O2 sensor

Mcnumpty2323 · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:26

Cars only been moved back and forward in car park for 3 months
As observing strict lock down due to
Partners health
Is giving the car 5 or 10 minutes of higher revs in neutral /Park likely to clear the
Warning light?
Don't want to annoy the neighbours with 10 minutes of engine revving if its
Not likely to clear the fault/warning light
Thanks

jsmoke · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:32

Could be carbon buildup, clean it up with brake fluid or other cleaner and reset code.

Armageus · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:33

Why have you just been moving it in the car park?

Best just to take it for a "run round the block" for 10 minutes or so

Mcnumpty2323 · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:34

The cars still under manufacturers warranty
So didn't want to Do any DIY stuff
And to be honest not even sure if theres
More than 1 O2 sensor
Been years since I messed around with cars

wedrum · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:35

Mcnumpty2323 said:
The cars still under manufacturers warranty

well there you go then. :confused:

Mcnumpty2323 · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:36

Armageus said:
Why have you just been moving it in the car park?

Best just to take it for a "run round the block" for 10 minutes or so

Yeah I know
But my partners absolutely paranoid about covid19 as got heart, lung and immune system problems
Freaks her out if I suggest that even though I won't actually come into contact with anyone probably

Mcnumpty2323 · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:37

wedrum said:
well there you go then.

They can't do anything for 2 weeks as short staffed because of covid19

wedrum · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:38

book it in and use the car, it wont break down with that fault.

Mcnumpty2323 · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:43

wedrum said:
book it in and use the car, it wont break down with that fault.

Yeah I know it's only a yellow warning light not red
The dealer wants it towed there as they are too short staffed to collect it even in 2 weeks time from now
Am not using the car anyway was just wondering if revving it quite hard for a while would clear it and avoid having to tow it there
Then have some one go collect it
As my partner does not want me going to the dealer
Guess if you have severe health issues being overly paranoid about covid19
Isn't as unreasonable as it seems

Armageus · 16 Jun 2020 at 11:56

Just take it for an actual drive, on actual roads, at actual normal speeds (e.g. 50-60mph).

It may even be something as daft as a low battery causing the warning light (due to not driving it).

Whilst you may be paranoid, if you don't get out of the car or open the window, how are you going to come into contact with anyone?

Mcnumpty2323 · 16 Jun 2020 at 12:07

Armageus said:
Just take it for an actual drive, on actual roads, at actual normal speeds (e.g. 50-60mph).

It may even be something as daft as a low battery causing the warning light (due to not driving it).

Whilst you may be paranoid, if you don't get out of the car or open the window, how are you going to come into contact with anyone?

It's my partner who is paranoid about it not me
She knows I always drive with the window open lol
It's illogical I know
But you ever tried winning a logical argument with a woman lol
Guess I will sneak out once she's gone to bed and thrash it down the a299 a bit lol
It's literally a brand new battery last week so unlikely to be the battery
Probably just due to the engine not having a work out

Armageus · 16 Jun 2020 at 12:13

Mcnumpty2323 said:
It's literally a brand new battery last week so unlikely to be the battery

?

Mcnumpty2323 · 16 Jun 2020 at 12:26

Armageus said:
?

As the dealer could not look at it for minimum of 2 weeks called out the rac
Last week
He cleared the error ~though its came back on
He also kindly put in a new battery as it was reading a bit low due to not being used other than around the car park

He was really nice guy

As the cars under warranty I got a free battery

Armageus · 16 Jun 2020 at 12:34

So what's stopping the new battery from being low?

O2 Sensors in some cars are overly sensitive to low battery voltage.

Take the car for a long run to ensure the battery gets charged adequately

Mcnumpty2323 · 16 Jun 2020 at 13:03

nothing i guess
though he put the tester on the new battery once he put it in
just to be sure/thorough
but yeah guess i will have to sneak out and drive it late tonight
and remember to keep the windows closed lol

Meaker · 16 Jun 2020 at 14:58

You wont get covid driving with your window down, that's not how it works. Not unless someone coughs in your face as you drive by.

Getting out is good for your mental and physical health, surely she cares about you too?

Mcnumpty2323 · 16 Jun 2020 at 15:22

Meaker said:
You wont get covid driving with your window down, that's not how it works. Not unless someone coughs in your face as you drive by.

Getting out is good for your mental and physical health, surely she cares about you too?

yeah she knows how it works
but phobias arent rational i guess
you know a tiny spider in this country isnt dangerous
but that doesnt stop a lot of people freaking out at the sight of one
and with her health problems a possible 2nd wave of covid19
is weighing heavily on her mind
given people round here are going to the beach in groups
and holding large barbecues etc
basically just totally ignoring social distancing
a 2nd wave isnt out of the realms of possibility
guess if i had health issues that meant catching it could kill me
i might get a bit irrational too

Howard · 16 Jun 2020 at 15:40

Since this is a car forum, the car advice is all that's pertinent really. Whether you choose to act on it is up to you. But the advice is thus:

Take it for a drive. Get it up to speed, get it warmed through nicely, and use the full power band a couple of times. This is highly likely to fix all of the issues, and the chance of you catching Coronavirus in the process is about 0% (sorry, I strayed slightly from car advice there!).

Then stop simply moving it around the car park - either drive it properly or not at all.

Matt-Page · 17 Jun 2020 at 09:48

Mcnumpty2323 said:
yeah she knows how it works
but phobias arent rational i guess
you know a tiny spider in this country isnt dangerous
but that doesnt stop a lot of people freaking out at the sight of one
and with her health problems a possible 2nd wave of covid19
is weighing heavily on her mind
given people round here are going to the beach in groups
and holding large barbecues etc
basically just totally ignoring social distancing
a 2nd wave isnt out of the realms of possibility
guess if i had health issues that meant catching it could kill me
i might get a bit irrational too

Understand your situation. You might want to prevent her consuming too much media/social media where they post scare-mongering news to get clicks.

If you can't take it for a good drive, see if someone you know can do it for you (obviously if they are insured). Failing that, if you aren't using the car anyway, just live with it until you can use it. You've said it is under warranty anyway, so don't worry about it.

Mcnumpty2323 · 17 Jun 2020 at 15:31

Matt-Page said:
Understand your situation. You might want to prevent her consuming too much media/social media where they post scare-mongering news to get clicks.

If you can't take it for a good drive, see if someone you know can do it for you (obviously if they are insured). Failing that, if you aren't using the car anyway, just live with it until you can use it. You've said it is under warranty anyway, so don't worry about it.

Yeah decided to just live with it for the moment
Even if I take it for a run and it clears the warning light as not using the car it's likely just to come back on until the cars
In regular use