? What does ECO light indicate

[Logman]

Folks,
I just purchased a used 1999 Nissan Primera (QD model). Works like a charm. However, I hope someone can tell me the meaning of the green 'ECO' light on the dashboard. To date I havent been able to find another Primera with the same feature present. It would put my mind at ease if I knew what my car was trying to tell me. Please help.

Logman

[ales]

Sorry, have absolutely no idea. What does your users' manual say? What does your dealership say?

[Logman]

Thanks for the feedback. I imported the car from Japan and was not able to get a Manual. I am trying to obtain one from my local dealership, so far, without success. That remains my only hope. By observation, I think it has something to do with engine performance, or 'economical' gas consumption. I'll keep trying.

[ales]

Yeah, keep us posted. You could try sending a private message to Primera Man - just tell him I sent you

Whaere are you from, btw?

[Hoppy]

If you have an automatic my guess is that you have a power/economy/hold button for the transmission. (or similar) - the Eco light tells you that you are in economy.

Economy makes gear upshifts earlier and downshifts later, keeping lower revs hence saving gas.
Power will delay upshifts, and make downshifts under load occur quicker - keeping the revs up and therefore the power.
Hold locks the transmission in the current gear, good if you want to say hold 3rd gear up a hill to prevent it downshifting to second.

The power and Economy mode might also adjust the fuel injection regime accordingly.

Well that is my ten cents worth anyway!

[Logman]

Thanks Hobby, best response I got to date. I have not seen such a switch though, but there is a 'shift lock' switch near the gear lever that I havent quite figured out as yet. I'd suspect it has something to do with your theory. I'd check it out. What I observed though, is that the light comes off at higher revs (example, when accellerating) and on at lower revs (example, when cruising along the freeway).
Thanks for the input.
Ales, I hope Hobby's input was useful to you also. Im from Trinidad & Tobago by the way.

[Logman]

Sorry about the spelling there Hoppy. "Hobby" was in error.

[ales]

Originally posted by Logman

Ales, I hope Hobby's input was useful to you also. Im from Trinidad & Tobago by the way.

Wow. Welcome here to AF

It now seems to me that the light merely indicates the mode your car is running in. Normal (or Eco) and sporty. Makes sense. Haven't seen anything like it, actually, but the japenese leave all the juicy stuff for their domestic market (the new Primera in Europe - P12 - still has the SR20DE engine!), so it doesn't surprise me.

You can call me Alex, btw

[Hoppy]

I agree - that light is just saying that you are driving like a Grandad (no offence) - and the computer recognises that and makes all attempts to help you in your economy mission!. I think it is merely an information light - I have seen older model (1992) Nissan Bluebirds with the same thing.

The shift lock thingie (hows that for technical definition) is just to release the shifter out of park without the engine running and your foot on the brake (there is a 'lock' to prevent accidentally putting the car into reverse). Generally only used when you need to tow the car - which is not recomended for the auto anyway (or for any auto for that matter).

Don't stress about the name - My real name is James by the way, Hoppy is short for my surname Hopkins.

Happy Primera cruising.

[Sensa]

Hi Logman,

I think that the 'ECO' lamp is a feature that is related to your Primera's engine management system. I am not an expert, but I think that the car is trying to warn you that your engine is 'clogged' and thus running inefficiently or under-performing due to a variety of reasons which I've underlined below. Many used cars, whose 'owner history' is unknown or 'suspect' , as you have shown, have had similar problems in the past. However check out the remedies outlined below-hope they help!

Take the vehicle for a servicing, and explain your specific problem to the technicians and ask them to check and replace the following(if necessary!):

a) Check your car for dirty or 'clogged' airfilers, air-cleaner elements and throughly clean or replace them 'if worn'.

b) Check all fuel lines, replace all 'dirty' fuel filters or diesel filters.

c) Have an authorised Nissan dealer check your engine management system (I suspect your vehicle has a 16valve EFI engine) ASAP, don't suffer the misfortune of an engine 'misfiring' or permanent engine damage (if any occurs!)

d) last but not least, have it properly serviced. if this still does not solve the problem, let me know-happy to help! (By the way, what 'picture' does the icon show when it lights up?)

I mistakenly sent a copy of my reply to 'Hoppy' my sincere apologies to you for any inconvinience caused!



Sincerely,
Sensa
3rd July 2002

[Sensa]

Hi Logman,


It's me Sensa again. As some of the other members of this forum have pointed out-their is another explanation for this lamp to 'come-on' and this is due to your Auto-transmission system.

I have a friend who owns a Primera, which he imported from Japan. He says that upon 'closer' inspection of your auto-transmission system and the dashboard , it should incorporate a 'dashboard mounted' mode switch, to vary the cars handling at various speeds-and guess what the switches are labelled as- 'ECO' and 'SPORT'!(if it is an RHD vehicle, the switch should be located near or immediately below the Power Mirror switches on the main dashboard-on the right hand corner of the dashboard!) .


So, I suspect that if you are trying to 'rev' hard on the 'ECO' mode, the cars just displaying you a 'warning' that your engine is running 'inefficiently and 'wastefully' in this mode. My guess is that, you should switch to 'SPORT' mode when travelling at higher speeds to avoid any engine inefficiencies that may arise as a result. Let meknow if the light 'disappears' as a result! I think all of us at this forum would be glad if it did!!!

Cheers and Good Luck!

Sincerely,
Sensa
3rd July 2002

[DTalon]

Hey guys having a similar problem regarding the ECO i think.....my car is a 1992 eagle talon tsi fwd automatic...when i accelerate the car doesnt seem to be shifting gears....accelerates very slowly....my eco is currenlt not connected juss wondering if u guys thought it could be somethign else.

Originally Posted by Logman

Folks,
I just purchased a used 1999 Nissan Primera (QD model). Works like a charm. However, I hope someone can tell me the meaning of the green 'ECO' light on the dashboard. To date I havent been able to find another Primera with the same feature present. It would put my mind at ease if I knew what my car was trying to tell me. Please help.

Logman