Vsc Light

39buss · September 17, 2013

Can anyone tell me why the VSC lights have come on. I can probably get the codes read tomorrow so is it ok to drive. There's differing opinions on here whether it's safe or not. Thanks.

TigerFish · September 17, 2013

A long as you are comfortable driving with no stability or traction control you should be fine.

Was anything done on the car that could've triggered it, or did it jut come on all of a sudden?

KentIS300 · September 18, 2013

Is it only the VSC or any other light along?

39buss · September 18, 2013

A bit more info. This is my 'new' car with LPG. All the sensors were renewed before I bought it. The seller assured me the EML light never came on when driving on LPG. Not the case as the EML came on a couple of days after I started using it. On Monday ,I took it to a local LPG installer who diagosed a weak mixture on banks ? &? (didn't write it down) codes PO 171 & PO 174. I've booked it in for Friday morning and he didn't charge for the OBD. After I drove away the VSC came on. Is there a link??

I took the car to my regular garage today but his reader cant do Lexus but he cleared the EML and I drove home on petrol and no EML. Again he didn't charge for his services. He's calling me tomorrow when a techie is due at his garage with a reader which does Lexus so the VSC OFF and VSC lights can be turned off. I'll run it on petrol until Friday when I visit the LPG installer. I'll keep you posted.

TigerFish · September 18, 2013

Ah, that was what I was after seeing. Some fault code readers trigger the vsc & trc lights, and they can be reset as follows.

Procedure is:

Ignition off
bridge pins (using an opened up paperclip or similar short pins Ts and CG on the connector under the dash on the drivers side.)
ignition on (do not start the engine)
Leave on for 30 seconds
ignition off
remove bridge
Check that lights are now extinguished.

39buss · September 19, 2013

Thanks Rick, you're a star!!. Excellent info and pictures as well. That will make it so much easier to identify the pins as my creaking old bones will be bent double to see the pins under the dash. I certainly suspect the other reader has triggered it as you suggest.

On your previous point,I've been driving over 50 years, now so steady away, and the electronics aren't my forte. Some garages round here charge as much as £45+vat for a 2 minute diagnostic check. Dont think my last bike Dunstall Norton Atlas 750cc in the early 60's had anti skid so I should be alright.

A post on here I looked at suggested checking for loose or split hoses,remedy them and pull the 20amp fuse in the fuse box under the bonnet for 10 seconds. Apparently its the only 20amp fuse in there.

39buss · September 19, 2013

VSC lights are now OFF. Thanks Rick as the diagram was essential to identify the contacts whilst upside down in the rain! Not my best position. I drove the car 100 yards up the street and it stayed off where as before as soon as I set off the VSC came on. I'll leave it on petrol till after the LPG garage has serviced it tomorrow.

I've cast my mind back and remembered the skid control on my Dunstall Atlas. It was a Watsonian Monza Sports sidecar,red of course!!. Many thanks

39buss · September 20, 2013

UPDATE. Left the car at the LPG'er in Jarrow this morning and went off to the Barbour factory shop for a look around and then on to the seaside at sunny South Shields for a breath of bracing North Sea air and a coffee at Minchella's. Got a call 2 hrs later to pick up the car . He found the gauge on the tank wasn't working properly, £25 for a new one, and 3 wiring defects including the dashboard telltale which have all been rectified. He said the EML can come on when the mixture isn't right so he's sorted that and said if it did come on again, bring the car back as the changes have to be done in 5% increments, it'll only take a couple of minutes on the laptop and no charge. I've driven the car about 30 miles since and all's well. Total cost was £80 so at the moment I think thats money well spent. So far, so good!!.

TigerFish · September 20, 2013

Good stuff :)

jhmc · September 25, 2013

Hello every one. I've read a few forums with great interest but this is the first time i have taken part in one. I have a GS430 2001. The engine management light came on, so got the code read and was told it was an oxygen sensor, shortly after the code was read the VSC lights came on, any way replaced the oxy sensor and the engine mangement light went out but not the VSC. Had verious quotes for reading the codes but no one's reader could read them. So found this site and bingo someone else with the same problem, got my short lengh of cable tried it out only to find the ABS light flashes not the VSC. I checked and double checked the connections to no avail just flashing ABS. Can someone please throw some light on this. Many thanks.James

39buss · September 26, 2013

Did you do the full 30 seconds. My VSC OFF, VSC and ABS were all flashing when the N0.4 & 14 pins were connected with ignition on. As per the instructions in the above posting all was well when the ignition was switched off, paper clip removed and engine started.

jhmc · September 29, 2013

Thanks Jim, the thing i didn't understand was that my ABS light was flashing when doing this procedure and that wasn't the warning light that was on. Both VSC lights went out on start up but the moment i went less than 2 feet they both came on. The car is up for sale so i would dearly like them off before someone views. Thanks.

39buss · September 29, 2013

As TigerFish said earlier on this thread, was anything done to trigger the VSC lights to come on. You're symptoms are the same as mine, ie. as soon as I drove a few yards back or forward the lights came on. The LPG'ers code reader triggered mine and following the above procedure, pins 4 & 14, sorted it.

jhmc · October 2, 2013

Hello again. The only thing that i'm aware of that was done was checking the engine management light which turned out to be an oxygen sensor which has been replaced and the engine management light went straight out.

TigerFish · October 2, 2013

Hi James, I'm not entirely following what you have tried as far as the procedure I describe is concerned. From what you are saying (What I am interpreting), you are trying to read a code, and because the abs lamp flashes when you short the pins, you think you are not able to read the vsc fault (because you want to see the vsc lamp flashing). Is that what you are saying?

This reset procedure isn't trying to read any codes, only reset the ecu and remove anything stored that is vsc related (note that the abs system does form part of the vsc function so they are related in some cases). You have to have the ignition off, short the two relevent pins together, ignition on (for at least 30 seconds) - do not start the car , ignition off, and remove shorting link. The lights should then stay off, there are no fault codes to be retreived, so ignore any lamps that are flashing. This does of course assume that it is the code reader that the garage used to read your oxy sensor fault that triggered the vsc lights.

IanA2 · October 14, 2015

Ah, that was what I was after seeing. Some fault code readers trigger the vsc & trc lights, and they can be reset as follows.

Procedure is:

Ignition off

bridge pins (using an opened up paperclip or similar short pins Ts and CG on the connector under the dash on the drivers side.)

ignition on (do not start the engine)

Leave on for 30 seconds

ignition off

remove bridge

Check that lights are now extinguished.