Aoa, (Toyota Vitz 2012 1NR-FE)
Yesterday, I changed my oil, oil filter, cabin air filter and only checked and reinstalled the air filter as it was fine. After driving off for about 200 meters, I noticed that my engine check light came on and ECO light was off the whole time even when driving with a light foot. The engine light may have come on earlier right after the oil change but the sun was too bright to notice.
It stayed on and I didn't know what to do so I went back to that Total Parco station to ask about it. They told me to disconnect the battery. Didn't want to do that (read here that it's not a good thing generally) so I went back home. I drove about 10-12 kilometers and everything seemed normal to me.
After looking up online,
Checked and rechecked if my oil fil cap was on right.
Dipstick was properly inserted.
Checked the gas cap, took it off and screwed it back on.
Didn't notice any oil leak under the car.
Checked oil level and it was slightly above the top full mark (he poured in 3.5 L, maybe 50 ml even more, (1NR-FE with filter change needs 3.4 L according to the manual)
Checked if MAF sensor wasn't loose / unplugged after the mechanic opened up its air filter box for inspection.
I continued looking up online and came across a couple of places where it said that engine light sometimes come on after an oil change and that you can reset it by a procedure which involves holding the odo / trip button. I tried both multiple times. Method 1 worked.
Method 1:
Here are the brief steps to turn off and Reset the Check Engine Light after Oil Changes: Make sure mileage is set on total miles driven,(not on A or B) and with the engine off and in park, Press the mileage button and hold, Then switch the key to the on position, but don’t crank it. Hold the mileage button for 5 seconds and light should go off.
Method 2:
1.Set the “ENGINE START STOP” switch or ignition switch OFF with odometer showing TRIP A.
2.While pressing the trip meter reset button (stem), set the “ENGINE START STOP” switch or ignition switch ON.
3.Without multi-information display: Continue to press and hold the button (stem) until the trip meter displays “000000”.
I didn't want to do this at first but I figured to give it a try and see if the engine check light comes back on. And I didn't have an OBD2 scanner at hand. So I performed the reset and it turned off. Drove another 15-ish kilometers (half of it with the AC on and working normally), ECO was on and everything else seemed fine. (Just to clarify, the check engine light (and many others) turns on when I switch the key from OFF to ON, and then it disappears when I actually start the engine).
My question is,
Does oil change sometimes cause the engine light to turn on? Is that a thing in Vitz?
Also, was resetting the engine light like that wrong? If I plug an OBD2 scanner, will the error code that caused it to turn on be there, somewhere in its memory? Or did resetting it permanently delete it? I know battery disconnection will do that but not sure if this odo button reset method does. Will the engine light come back on after resetting, if the same problem is picked up by the sensors / ECU?
P.S:
Some Vitz models have a "Maintenance Required" (MAINT REQD) light (or a spanner shaped light) in the instrument cluster but I looked closely at mine and there is none. There is a SEAT BELT light on the right side of the engine one. I'm mentioning this in case engine light also doubles as a maintenance light in these models. I read that maintenance light comes on after 4,500 miles in Toyota cars and may need to be manually reset after an oil change.
P.P.S
I am going to buy an OBD2 scanner now. Not just for this. I looked them up and there's apparently protocols and not all cars support the same ones.
Will this one work with my car?
https://www.daraz.pk/products/i240986731-s1460151853.html
https://www.daraz.pk/products/i125694483-s1283726728.html
And what app to use? SZ Viewer? Torque? OBD Driver Free?
P.P.P.S
The previous owner has absolutely no idea which grade and brand of oil he had been using. I think he's lying for some reason but idk. I went with Total Quartz 9000 5W-30 API SP ILSAC GF-6A.
So, after the whole engine light reset thing, I noticed that it takes a noticeably heavier foot (compared to my previous experience with this car) to turn the ECO light off, after performing an oil change. I don't have a tachometer in my instrument cluster to check RPM at the moment ECO goes off but it's obvious to me that there's a difference. Noticed my car accelerating from 20 km/h to 70 km/h noticeably faster, with a light foot keeping ECO on.
I hope this change is a good thing, right?
The preferred engine oil grade for 1NR-FE is 0W-20. I'm using 5W-30. I'll keep an eye out on my oil levels in case it's too thin for this engine and it's being consumed at a much faster rate.
EDIT:
15 days and 250+ kilometers later, so far so good. The engine light hasn't come back on. I guess it was the oil change that triggered it in the first place.
