"Check Engine" Light?
Lindsay Suber
My "Check Engine" light in my 96 Explorer Eddie Bauer has been
coming on and off intermittenly, and I can't seem to figure out the
trouble. All fluids look good, battery is good, what else does this
indicator light come on for? Thanks!
Van Hada
the computer. There are hundreds of things it could be... from a
throttle position sensor to O2 sensor etc
Van
Lindsay Suber <lsu...@mindspring.com> wrote in article
<38C2DE06...@mindspring.com>...
Mike Warner
Modern motor vehicles have some sort of OnBoard Diagnostic (OBD) system of
which there are two versions- OBDI and OBDII. The OBD systems monitor, and
in the case of OBDII actually test certain systems, primarily emission
control systems, and when a fault is detected a code is stored in the
vehicle's computer and the computer turns on the Check Engine light to let
you know about it. The first OBDII systems were available on select models
in model year 1994 and I believe all cars and light trucks built for sale in
the US were required to have OBDII starting in model year 1996 so I'm fairly
sure your truck is OBDII compliant. What all this means to you is that there
was a way to pull codes manually on almost all OBDI vehicles but almost all
OBDII vehicles require some kind of instrument to pull codes (even OBDI
Fords, however, require a multimeter, trouble light or logic probe to pull
codes) and pulling codes is the first thing that needs to be done when
diagnosing a Check Engine light. I've never priced one myself, but I've read
that there are relatively inexpensive code readers available from most parts
stores. Your only other option is to take it to a mechanic, but if you
decide to do that grill your shop of choice a little about OBDII- tell them
you've got an OBDII vehicle with an intermittent Check Engine light and ask
if they're capable of diagnosing it, then use your intuition a bit to sort
out if you're gettin' a straight answer- call several shops to get a feel
for the kind of answers you're gonna get. Bear in mind that OBDII is way
more than a linear upgrade to OBDI and will present problems to shops and
mechanics who have not stayed current with equipment and training. AAA
endorsed shops are usually a good bet as are shops that belong to ASA (not
ASE- that's a mechanic's certification) or ASC if you're in California.
Hope this helps,
Mike Warner
mwa...@san.rr.com
CA Smog Tech
San Diego, CA
"Lindsay Suber" <lsu...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
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Robert Myers
Mike Warner wrote:
if you have had any work done lately check and see if all the sensor plugs are
plugged in and seated good. i had some work on my 94 explorer and they forgot
to plug in the oxygen sensors(this was a ford dealership!!!!) and the light
would come on after about 2min of running. they were going to charge me 60 bucks
for a diagnostic service. there are code scanners for your car but they arnt
cheap. the cheap ones are for the EEC-IV made by sunpro(this is what i use) in
'95 they updated the computer to EEC-V and so you are at the mercy of ford or a
properly equipped shop(i recommend ford to do it since they guarantee work for
1yr or 12k mi.) but go to a large dealership they will have much better customer
service even if you didn't buy it there. good luck and try the obvious first
like connectors, cracked wire insulation and so on
-fordkrazy
Hogan Whittall
My gut tells me an O2 sensor is going bad. This is just sooo common and
most likely the culprit if the vehicle still drives and runs fine. The
only problem you'll see with a bad O2 sensor is your gas mileage will
suffer (and you won't pass smog).
There are OBD-II scanners available, but they're in the neighborhood of
$250. Any decent tune-up shop will have scanners and the charge to
diagnose the trouble codes is between $49 and $79. My local Ford dealer
charges $79 to diagnose (I had the check engine light come on for my '96
F250), but luckily the failed part was covered under the emissions
warranty, which is independant of the normal powertain warranty. Check
your warranty book if you have it, depending on the miles it might
actually be covered, though I think the 5yr/50k mile emissions warranty is
only for vehicles with a GVW over 8900lbs.
So, pick your poison. 3 trips to the shop for diagnosis will cost as much
as a scanner. If you're mechanically inclined you can save a bundle by
doing the labor yourself, too. Good luck!
--
--
Hogan Whittall
'67 Fastback
http://extremejeep.com/~hogan/mustang/
Lindsay Suber
It does seem to be running fine, although I seem to be losing coolant somewhere.
My reservoir keeps running low, but I can't see any leak on the ground underneath. I
did have the radiator flushed and filled recently, and the manual says it's normal
after that to have some consumption of fluid as air is purged. Who knows. If the
problem is just an O2 sensor, I think I can live with that for a little while, sounds
expensive just to have the codes ready, much less have the labor done. Can't say I'm
mechanically inclined with cars, but I'd certainly like to learn. Could save some
serious cash in the future.
pas...@my-deja.com
The Check engine light on my 93 ford explorer stays on all the time. I took
it to a ford dealer and they ran dignostic testing for $78.00 snd determined
that it needed further testing with a " Break out box " They suspected that
the problem is a bad cam synchronizer. Estiimated cost to repair $598.00.
Kraagens has the part for $43.00. How much trouble is it to do this myself? I
can't even find The Part mentioned in Chiltons Repair Manual.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
pas...@my-deja.com
pas...@my-deja.com wrote:My 93 Ford Explorers check engine light goes
on and stays on. I had it diagnosed $78.00 by the local Fford garage and
they reccomended further diagnostic work and a replacement of the cam
synchronizer. $ 598.00 estimate. Tjhe part is available froom Kragens
for $43.00 but I can't even find it mentioned in Chiltons. Where does it
go and how muchm trouble is it to install?
Mike Warner
synchronizer is- bear that in mind as you read the rest of this.
There is a device just behind and I believe to the right of the throttle
body that looks kinda like a mini-distributor- that MIGHT be the part you're
talking about. If it is, I've never actually messed with one myself, but I
had a co-worker at a previous shop who did and it seemed to me his biggest
problem wasn't installing it, but getting it dialed in.
I wish I could be more helpful,
Mike Warner
mwa...@san.rr.com
CA Smog Tech
San Diego, CA
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