EVC fault, problem fixed but won’t clear

[jimlong]

VP D3-130 2004 early EVC (no panel)

Idler pulley collapsed and threw off the alternator/PS, and water pump belt at around 2000 rpm.
Switched off and used outboard to limp back to marina. Can’t remember if alarm came on but engine temp was quite high when I switched off.
New pulley fitted, belt back on, engine runs fine but now has RED flashing triangle and constant alarm sounder as soon as I turn on the ignition, I think it has gone into limp mode as won’t rev above 1500 in
neutral.
Should this fault clear if I give it a run out on the water or will it need the vodka tool to reset it.

 

[jrudge]

It won’t rev over 1500 in neutral by design.

The triangle error is a general error that I gather vodia can help with as Evc a has no error codes.

Other report the triangle being caused by loose connections. So remaking the joins and plugs you can find may help. I had it took too helm to bits for respray. Back together all gone.

 

[jimlong]

Thanks for the reply, I went for a run, same problem and still in limp mode, took of engine top cover to check for loose
wires etc and found an injector cable not plugged in, I must have caught it taking the cover off when I replaced the pulley,
All now good and EVC has reset itself......happy days

 

[Andyroonot]

On all EVC (not to be confused with the earlier EDC) engines, a fault will only be shown in the tacho if it has occurred during that ‘ignition on’ time.

When you first switch on the system will do a self diagnosis & check that all control units are operating within their specific parameters. If any are unhappy they will sound an alarm as soon as the system is switched on.

As an example, if you have a high coolant temperature the engine ECU will report a fault & the alarm will sound. If you switch off the ignition straight away but then switch it back on before the engine has had a chance to cool down then the chances are the alarm will sound again for high coolant temperature straight away.

However, if you don’t switch off but just slow down, and the coolant temperature is then able to come down to within the acceptable parameters set by the ECU then the fault would become ‘inactive’; you would still have a warning on the screen however (usually a small triangle in the corner). In this scenario, if you then switch off & back on (allowing the system 5-10 seconds to power down completely) then the high coolant temperature would no longer be recorded on the self diagnosis check and the system would restart with no faults.

In a nutshell-if you have an alarm showing in the screen even after restarting then the engine or EVC system isn't happy with something, which in this case sounds like it was unrelated to the original problem.

PS: EVC-C (the one with the rotating dial wheel in the middle of the button panel) generation onwards have the ability to read out ACTIVE fault codes from the screen via a series of button pushes. Very very helpful for a Dealer trying to help you over the phone, as it reveals the series of letters & numbers that we can look up in the manual rather than the usual ‘check engine’ which is reported, and can mean they can attend pre-armed to sort it rather than just to plug in & read the fault code!

 

[jrudge]

First gen evc a does not display anything in the Tachos other than engine hours. Sadly it does not flash fault codes either.

I used to have evc b on my targa and that does not display anything on tacho either but does flash fault codes.

 

[jimlong]

Yeah my tachometer only shows engine hours, is there an upgrade or separate panel available that will plug into the
system to give me fault codes etc

 

[Andyroonot]

If your tacho only shows engine hours then it is either EVC-A or EVC-B / B2. As far as I know there is no current way of reading fault codes via the tacho or any other VP display screen, although I believe I am right in saying that the new Easy Connect Interface will support the transmission of fault codes to the Easy Connect app after an update which is scheduled for late 2018.

If the above is correct then you may well be able to read active fault codes in the app after this update, plus have engine data sent to the app as a mobile onboard engine display.

Both EVC generations (i.e. both A and B / B2) should support the 4" black & white display, which wouldn't give you fault code read outs but would give you digital gauges etc. in one screen.

 

[jimlong]

That’s good info Andy, I will keep an eye out for the new app.