So I got a good one. Started up the car today and all the warning lights came on as normal. However after a few seconds they are supposed to go off after initial start up. Well they don't. So now all the warning lights are on constantly. The traction control, VCS, maintenance, CEL are all on. I haven't hooked up a code reader yet but just wondered if anyone had a clue about the cause.

The car drives fine and don't notice any difference.

 

Start by measuring both your standing (engine off) battery voltage, and charging voltage (engine at idle).

 

OK I'll try it but the car drives fine. I left it outdoor in 10 degree weather overnight and it started instantly. The battery is being charged. I'm not home to check the codes yet.

 

Oh no... This is might be a simple fuse related issue if it's not battery / alternator related. If the car is running as it should, you're probably okay mechanically, but electrical issues can be a pain in the *** to track if there are no issues with how the car runs / drives. Let us know your voltage results when you get around to testing.

 

So I hooked up the code reader and got a P0442 small leak. I checked the gas cap and it's tight. I erased the code and it hasn't come back since.

So now the question is where did this code come from? Why did ALL the lights come on at the same time? Is there another bigger problem in the electrical system?

 

The traction control, VCS, and CEL can all come on at the same time. Traction control and VCS lights are sympathetic to the CEL. I don't know about the maintenance light unless it was just a coincidence.

 

As tom said above, the traction control and VCS are probably due to the CEL. Since the traction control/vehicle stability implementation on MZ-powered vehicles uses the ACIS (variable-length intake) system to mess with the engine's output, if you have one of several engine-related codes, it will disable traction control/VCS until the problem is solved. Dunno about the maint light, maybe it was time lol, coincidence.

Most recently my buddy's 2000 threw a knock sensor code and disabled traction control. Replaced those and the harness, reset codes and traction control was functioning again (then drove around for the drive cycle monitors).

 

Sounds like a medical condition. lol

So every time something goes wrong with the engine and throws a CEL the VCS and traction come on too? Sounds redundant then.

 

In some cases, the VCS and traction lights will come on before the CEL. If an malfunction is "pending" only the VCS and traction lights will come on until the pending malfunction is resolved. If the pending malfunction does not go to an actual malfunction the VCS and traction lights will turn off. If the pending malfunction is determined to be an actual malfunction the CEL will come on.

 

I'd start with the battery and then the alternator, and then wiring.

 

Well it's most likely wiring. The past week I'd get smells of burning plastic in the cabin and all the warning lights came on again. Now the car just died suddenly on the road! So I got it started back up and limped it home.

Anyone got any ideas of where to start?

 

obviously you need to pull the codes, but
- check the charging voltage (should be 13.8v), sometimes when the alternator fails it does so in such a way that causes voltage to feed back into the check/warning light circuit. causing them ALL to light up.
- check engine earth cables to body and body to battery. bad earths cause very odd things to happen.
- visually check engine for obvious issues, harness damage, vacuum leaks, exhaust leaks, signs of problems.

 

So as I was looking under the hood I noticed that the battery bracket was loose. The instant when I touched it a shower of Sparks flew. It turns out whomever replaced the battery got one that didn't fit and just placed the battery bracket on top without screwing it down. It slid around and shorted against the positive terminal. I'm pissed that I had an idiot work on the car before me. I just bought the car a few months ago. But I'm relieved it wasn't anything too difficult to diagnose. So it wasn't a quality problem or anything wrong with the car. Thanks for everyone that offered suggestions.