Toyota Celica (2000 - 2007) - 03 1.8 Engine management light and VVT controller

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Fri 13 Nov 2009 16:32
03 1.8 Engine management light and VVT controller - Woody141
Hi,
I have a 53 Celica 1.8
The engine management light comes on intermittently. It might stay on for a few days, then off for a few days. I usually notice it coming on when I'm driving at a steady speed, e.g. on the motorway or a long A road.

The car runs fine. The only thing that might be affected is the fuel consumption which seems lower. I'm getting about 30mpg now.

I've taken the car to two Toyota dealers who both retrieved a P code from the ECU that indicate a POSSIBLE problem with the VVT controller. They costed it around £500+ to replace this unit. They seemed reluctant to give me any specific details of the fault, but from glacing over the counter at their notes, I think the P code was either P1349 or P1549.

I'm not confident that the fault has been accurately identified and don't want to spend this much when there is no guarantee it will fix it.

Can anyone shed any light on this for me?
Is this likely to be the fault?
Can I do any checks myself?
What does this controller do and if it is faulty, why doesn't it appear to affect the car?

Many Thanks,
Woody

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Sat 19 Jun 2010 17:47
03 1.8 Engine management light and VVT controller - CelicaDave

Hi,

Did you ever resolve this problem? I have the exact same problem with mine at the moment.

Many thanks

David

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