Check Engine Light

[VR3]

No Oil Leak
No Antifreeze Leak
Brake Fluid Is Optimal Levels
Oil Is optimial level, as is Antifreeze
Brand New Air Filter
Oil was just changed

Unknowns...

Fuel Filter
Power Steering

Light comes on on really hot days, and when truck is just started up as you hit the gas...it kinds of jumps to go - and dosnt do that as much as soon as you get past that stage... kind of makes me want to point towards the fuel filter for that problem. But the check engine light only comes on in situations where there are LOTS of red lights, lots of cars, and a really hot day...

But it never stays on, it comes on and off - sometimes just once for no longer than 3 minutes...

Any guesses...

Otherwise the truck starts right up, runs perfectly fine...

[dorokusai]

Just remove the plates and walk away.

[ESavinon]

check the maf sensor and he o2 sensor.

[audiobliss]

Your symptoms make me wanna think of carbon build-up in the chamber, either around the spark plugs or the injectors, but if that were the problem I don't see why it wouldnt be doing it all the time.

Regardless of what this problem is, it might be a good idea to take out your spark plugs and clean them with a brass brush.

[disneyjoe7]

Found On Road Dead


Other then that I agree with ESAVINON, but I add this...

If cold engine has this check engine then MAF, if hot then I say Oxygen senser.

[joeparaski]

There may be a trouble code stored in memory. Need to access that. How high did the temperature on the gauge get?

[VR3]

The temp guage stayed on the cold side of the game... it didnt actually over heat - Im just talking about the actual temp outside...

My truck hasnt given me any problems Disney ;)..

(But then again, my truck is as clean as a whistle... inside, outside, engine...you name it. All fluids are checked and maintained at constant levels every 3-4 days...

Where as Ive had to pick my sister up from the shop 3 times since Ive owned it.

She drives a Honda...

But regardless...

Oxygen and MAF sensor...hmmm

Thanks!

[disneyjoe7]

Trey,

Are you sure our Sister didn't swap engines with you????? Honda is been repaired 3 times, your FORD doesn't have any problems. HUH


Other then that does the engine check light come on right after you turn on the Engine in the morning is the Question.

[VR3]

lol... her engine burns oil like a mofo... among various other problems. That car has pretty much turned me away from Honda...

Where as the good ol Ford dosnt need any oil added between oil changes, dosnt leak a drop.... runs flawless just about...


Well heres an example...

Today I started up my truck, let it settle from 1500 RPM or so to the normal 700rpm -- then I backed out, this particular day, it got timed on my part to where I got every effing red light, regardless of what I did. So it was alot of stopping and going - was a nice hot day... tons of cars were around me... so everything was really hot basically...

So basically after about 30 minutes of stopping and going, being surrounded by a ton of cars and sitting in the heat, when I arrived to work it was on... but the truck was running perfectly fine - no meters were showing signs of anything bad...wasnt acting funny or anything....

I got in my truck after work, no light on at start up or when I got home....

[Polkersince85]

Get the book, (or go by Autozone and get free printout) on how to read the stored codes. Use an analog VOM (not digital), jumper wire on the test connector, and count the arcs on the meter, look the codes up and go from there. That's as far as I will tell you because you can fry the computer if you don't do it right.

[disneyjoe7]

I would say O2 sensor, or on Fords I found the EGR tube can be filled with carbon so you may need to get to error light error #

Also believe it or not I gave my nephew my Honda Accord with 198k on it last year. He is still has this car and it's on it's first Starter / Alternator / engine / transmission and it does leak oil or smoke. Knock on WOOD.

[VR3]

I know Honda makes fairly reliable cars...

But to me... Honda is kind of like Polk...

Lots of good products, REALLY bad market image.

When I hear Honda - I think tin can teenie boppers with a wing on the trunk and a beenie weenie exhaust...

Regardless, thanks for all the advice - Im not to worried about it as far as performance goes, its just the fact it is coming on - I wouldnt mind firguring out what is causing it.

Thanks again.

[dorokusai]

I would presume you just took the crazy pill....look at the resale value of Honda. 'Nuff said. Are you seriously comparing audio manufacturers to automobile manufacturers?

The rep is because of the platform and price, it is what it is.

[VR3]

A more comparable is Toyota and Honda...

and Ill take Toyota x10 anyday! ;)

[Airplay355]

Disconnect the battery and reconnect in a few min =) Problem solved.

Mine's on too man, O2 sensor is berserk. Whatever, it gets me from place to place.

[phuz]

I'll second/third the o2 sensor, MAF, or EGR valve.

Is this a Ranger we're talking about?

[Greg Peters]

I don't remember what year your truck is, but disconnecting the battery will only clear trouble codes for OBD I. Prior to 1996 should be OBD I emissions system, 1996 and newer should be an OBD II system.

The check engine light can come on for a crapload of reasons (as simple as a gas cap not clicked all the way, triggering an evaporative emissions warning).

Intermittant check engine could be an 02 sensor on it's way out, a MAP or throttle position sensor, faulty ignition components- any number of things. I would bet against the fuel filter causing the problem- fuel starvation shouldn't trigger a check engine light (and running out of gas would then cause a check engine light to stay on). If the check engine light flickers due to fuel problems, it's probably because of an impending stall situation.

If you have OBD I, a trouble code reader is pretty cheap (and a good repair manual can even tell you how to read the codes by jumping the connector with a paper clip and a test light). OBD II is more costly to diagnose and won't clear trouble codes by simply disconnecting the battery. OBD II is a lot more specific with the trouble codes, though.

If your state doesn't have an emission test and the truck runs good, it may not be worth spending much to find out why the light comes on intermittantly. If it isn't running very smoothly, it is probably cheap insurance to get things checked out and fixed soon. Some Fords with the 1986 and later OBD I system would show no trouble codes but the check engine light stays on unless a hidden plunger is reset with a paper clip through a small hole on a dash panel.

Get a Haynes manual for your year of truck and go from there. Replace the cheapest items first when troubleshooting.

[Toxis]

he failed to mention his sister's car has 250k miles and she changes the oil ever 10-15k. And to say Honda has a bad image is retarded. It's the retarded high school kids who rice out their "racecars" that have the bad image. When someone says "I just bought a new Honda Element" I doubt you're thinking "RICER! Gonna put a wing on it?"

[disneyjoe7]

he failed to mention his sister's car has 250k miles and she changes the oil ever 10-15k. And to say Honda has a bad image is retarded. It's the retarded high school kids who rice out their "racecars" that have the bad image. When someone says "I just bought a new Honda Element" I doubt you're thinking "RICER! Gonna put a wing on it?"


Any car with give you shit if you didn't give a shit about your car either. ;)

[VR3]

Nah, my truck has the same amount of miles.

She changes the oil every 3,000 miles. :)

In all seriousness, she actually keeps pretty good care of her car. The problem is, when she first got the car, she hit someone going...no more, MAX, 15 mph while braking... since that time all she has had was problems. Had to totally rebuild the front end, and the car has ran like complete garbage....

And I personally cant see a 15 mph crash doing all that.

Thanks for all the advice!

[audiobliss]

Well believe it. The gods are against her. :p

[howie777]

I have been told that autozone and other car parts stores will read the diagnostics for free and let you see what it is complaining about. Worth a call anyways, then you will know exactly what is wrong.

A dealership will usually charge you to do the same, but Nissan actually did mine for free and gave me a print out. Mine was testing my stereo after the install without plugging in the passanger air bag lamp back in, detected an open and logged a DTC. LOL

Howie

[faster100]

Its definatly a sensor causeing the check engine light.. Now i'm not saying don't do anything about it, however i worked on cars in a small shop for several years and, lets say.. the old dodge caravans all had a problem.. the check engine light was on, they all worked and drove fine and every one of them had the light on. we had a 95 mustang from new, light came on so we took it in for warranty work.. everything was covered except some sensor or what not "that would make the light go out" is what the service guy said.. 200 bucks extra, we said well wait.. never caused a problem. what happends alot of times if moisture gets on the sensor then it go's bad or reads wrong..

alot of people think "check engine light" !!!!!! OH NO!
It's called an idiot light among some people.. It could be anything from nothing to most likely nothing.. LOL :D

If your particular about your truck (which is a good thing) take it to a shop.. the current rate is $60 - 100 bucks an hour labor depending on area and shop or dealership and see if they can find the bad sensor

It's not dirty plugs, air filter, or low fluids... ford has the coolant light for that.. LOL I don't know how many people came to the shop and said, OH no my check coolant light or low coolant light is on, what's wrong... Mamm that's for the coolant resevour :)

Good luck trey, I love cars and am particular about mine as well..

[PolkThug]

Stop guessing. Go directly to autozone so they can read the fault code.

[disneyjoe7]

Just don't by any sensor by Autozone, or any other place but a dealer. You don't need to have them replace it, you can by the part from the parts department. Really you are asking for more trouble it you throw parts at it, or just use any universal part. IMHO


Also the check engine light might be telling you the engine is in open operation. Which means the engine is working by the computer for what it thinks is ok for the conditions it believes right now (think Crystal ball) An engine running this mode will not get the best MPG or performance from the engine. Get the error # from any one then you may figure out what going on.

Any car with give you shit if you didn't give a shit about your car either. ;)

[Jstas]

The check engine light is not normally emissions equipment malfunctioning. Service Engine Soon lights are usually yellow and associated with emissions equipment.

Check Engine lights are not necessarily a malfunctioning sensor either. Usually they come on when a sensor is showing a value out of acceptable operational range. The sensors may all be working fine but a control somewhere along the line is no longer functioning properly and the engine management system can no longer adjust things well enough to bring the engine back into proper operating spec.

What can cause a check engine light? Well, you can have a bad gas cap or a rotted fuel filler neck. A bad gas tank seal can do it too. Water in the fuel could cause the problems you are experiencing too. A clogged fuel filter will certainly cause the problems you are having but it is unlikely to turn on the check engine light unless it is so clogged that it makes teh fuel pressure drop drastically but the problem would be way more pronounced. Fuel pressure regulators can be bad and cause these problems along with bad or dirty fuel injectors if the engine is fuel injected. If it is fuel injected, a common problem with Fords is the Idle Air Control motor and/or valve. Also, a faulty/dirty throttle position sensor could be causing the problem. A dirty mass air sensor would cause the problems too. EGR is a possible cause but unlikely because it would also cause the Service Engine Soon light to come on if it was affecting the running condition the way you say it is. It also wouldn't necessarily be a problem under hot conditions. It also wouldn't necessarily cause off-idle response to be so poor. The EGR system does not operate under idle or off-idle conditions. Newer systems are controlled by motors and more accurate but even older vacuum controlled systems required a fair amount of vacuum to open the system up. Also, under high load conditions they are usually closed and not operating because they would hurt power production rather than help it. If the EGR valve is broken though, the O2 sensors would be picking it up and there wouldn't be a fix for it so it would not only trigger a Check Engine light but also a Service Engine Soon light. It wouldn't hurt to clean the EGR valve itself but I don't think it is the root of the problems.

If it's carb'ed, you don't have that many sensors to register fault. Most of the time, all you have is an oil pressure sensor, temperature sensor, O2 sensors and possibly a knock sensor for timing. If it is carb'ed, you could have a bad metering rod in the carb causing a lean condition which would make the engine run too hot and possibly ping. If the float bowls are out of whack or you have a leaking gasket, that could cause a lean or rich condition and do the same thing. If you have a bad idle mixture adjustment that would cause the problem so would something as silly as a bad return spring.

On either EFI or carb'ed engines, if you have a vacuum leak, that would cause some stumbling, especially if it got hot because then stuf expands and might open a pinhole leak. The easiest way to find a vacuum leak is to get yourself a can of ether (starting fluid) and start the truck and let it run. Maybe drive it a bit so it gets good and hot. Then head back home, pull into the driveway and let it idle while you spray ether in areas around possible leaks in the engine compartment. Take your time so you can pinpoint a location but basically if the idle goes up, you got a vacuum leak.


Above all, get it fixed. Don't ride around with a bad sensor causing a problem. In most cases, if it's not fixed a $30-$250 sensor that goes unfixed can end up costing you 5 times as much in other damages than need to be repaired because the condition persisted so long. Some people get really lucky and have no problems but most people end up getting stranded over a bad sensor. AutoZone will read the codes for you and tell you what the errors are so take advantage of that. Then go find yourself a shop manual for your truck. Chilton's or Haynes will do just fine. Once you find the problem, fix it. If the light stll stays on, then take it to a mechanic to see if they can clear the codes. The dealer can do it for sure. But, just because the light stayed on doesn't mean it isn't fixed. It just means that the code needs to be cleared. If you leave it on and just pull the bulb or something, you won't know when you are having a real problem. Besides, I don't know about anyone else but riding around with a Check Engine light on when you take such pride in your ride is kind of embarrassing.

[audiobliss]

Yeah, what he said! :D

[VR3]

Quick question...

Does the light have to actually be on for them to read the error?

Because its going to be hard to time a light that only comes on for 2 minutes or so...every once and a blue moon...

[disneyjoe7]

The light is an error, the computer stores the light memory. But Autozone does a stupid error # you could do it also... The error # is for them stupid people who know nothing about engines but they need GAS, oil sometimes and the Oil light means nothing to them but get oil soon. Ok to drive just get oil soon 30 miles or less.

[PolkThug]

Does the light have to actually be on for them to read the error?

No. The last few errors will be stored as a four digit codes. These codes are cross-referenced to hundreds of different problems.

If you are interested in this, lookup Ford OBDII Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC’s).

[MacLeod]

The best thing to do is to run down to Auto Zone and buy a Haynes manual for your truck. These things are worth their weight in gold.

It will not only tell you how to retrieve the codes for the Check Engine light but tell you what they mean AND how to fix them.

The manual will run you $11 and will save you hundreds.

[Polkersince85]

A word of caution to anybody: IMO using a spray carwash, especially the engine cleaner soap around any of the connectors to the sensors is asking for trouble down the road. Nothing like a nasty soap scum on those delicate connections.