Hey, I noticed the orange 'engine block' light today. This is the 4.2L 5-spd manual with 23,000 mi. Trucks runs perfectly and all gauges reflect normal operation. It does still have the original battery which is working fine and voltage shows normal on the gauge.
I know you can't tell anything, I just thought it was kind of weird. I'll go up to the auto parts tomorrow and find out what it is.

 

Checked the book - that symbol indicates 'Emissions System' so its probably the Oxy sensor or something. I guess you can't expect to go forever without replacing a part here or there.

 

Have the auto parts store read the codes for you. (Write them down!)

 

I did, and its 'P0442 FORD - Evaporative Emission System Leak Detected Small Leak'. Could be gas cap or really anywhere else in the fuel system. The auto parts store wanted to sell me a filler neck but I really don't think there's anything wrong with it. So, on the 2007, will the light stay until cleared even if the fault is fixed? I had a gas cap warning on our Honda Odyssey and I determined that the O-ring-type gasket was sticky and causing it to not be tight enough. IOW, sufficient torque would be reached when tightening the cap to trigger the ratchet but the cap actually would not be tight enough. I could not determine how the cap got sticky but I washed it with a substance similar to WD-40, tightened it up til the click and the light went out after a few cycles and no more problems.
On the Ford, I'm guessing I'll have to clear it by disconnecting the battery then see if it returns after I try each fix along the line.

 

Okay, its done. Same thing as the Odyssey - sticky cap gasket and filler neck rim. Disconnected pos terminal, washed cap/gasket/neck with the same stuff, hooked up battery and drove around - light gone.

 

Okay, it's NOT done. It actually came back a couple days after my previous post. So, I didn't pay much attention to it since I basically know what it is - until today, when the truck decided I had procrastinated enough. I was on I-95 for a five-mile trip to the next town and something beeped once. I thought that was odd and decided it must have been on the radio when my eye caught the little display window in the instrument cluster which normally has the total mileage and trip mileage. I thought that was all it could display until I saw 'CHECK FUEL CAP'. When I got where I was going I did check it but there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it - there was no fuel smell around it either. I do get a fuel smell when I first get out after parking, just one whiff, that I finally decided was coming up from between the cab and bed on the driver's side. I'm now thinking the EVAP leak is in a rubber hose or fitting on top of the tank or at least in the tank area.
My gas cap clean/lube trick worked on the Honda Odyssey but not on the truck, although it might work for someone else if their cap is leaking from not being tight enough due to sticky deposits on the cap gasket and filler neck rim.

 

I would start by replacing the fuel cap. The light should go out on its own in a few days. If not, the problem is elsewhere.

 

You're not going to believe this. Nothing failed on the truck and I did nothing wrong. A freaking squirrel or mouse got on top of the fuel tank and bit the EVAP hoses. Of course the tank has to be removed to get to it and it takes 3 days to get the part. Bottom line, $825. I took it to the dealer shop when I started smelling raw gas in the cab. And I'm glad I did, because there's no way I could have fixed it myself. When I mentioned in the post above that I smelled it coming up from between the cab and bed, I pretty much knew at that time that it involved something on top of the tank but I thought it probably was a cracked hose where the filler neck meets the tank or something like that.
Now my fear is it will happen again. I think I'll scatter some D-Con around on top of the tank. Otherwise I'll be thinning out the squirrels around here with some .22 medicine.

 

I'm not trying to make this a 'marathon' thread but there is more; the critter chewed on the tank end of the filler neck too, which they discovered when they dropped the tank. Well, the original code read did indicate the filler neck so that was exactly right. So, now I'm going to have a new filler neck too. Now the 'rodent' has cost me north of a grand and I won't be getting the truck until Thursday. There will be retribution.

 

Got the truck back today, runs great, but I'm really afraid they're going to do it again. I have reasoned it was field mice, not larger rodents. I'm trying to decide what to do to prevent them from getting up under the truck. Now I'm concerned they'll nest on the tank and have a litter. If I drove it every day it would be no problem, but I have to find something that will make it unpleasant for them to get up on the tank - suggestions welcome! I can get to the area from the wheel well enough to pop in some D-Con or moth ***** every time its going to sit for a few days. Somebody said just put the moth ***** on the drive under the truck. I could have them in a mesh bag with a string on it and pull it out when I was leaving. But, I don't really know that moth ***** will drive away mice.
Whatever, they told me another guy had a similar happening. They fixed it, and 10 days later he was back with it again. This trip cost $1200 so I'm really not looking to repeat it any time soon. I would put something out there tonight but I'm leaving to play a show shortly.

 

Get a Cat!
They can do wonderful things and be a wonderful friend..
Good luck.

 

Kill them. Kill them all and without mercy. Poison, traps, sticky things, cats, and napalm. Then nail the dead bodies to sticks and plant those sticks in the yard as a warning to the other rodents and an example of what will happen to them if they ever come near. This will also have the same effect on your neighbors.

 

I get a $5 bag of peanuts over at Costco about once a month. I toss some out around the back edge of my yard and that seems to keep them back there and away from my house and garage. Since I started doing this, I have not had one issue with animals damaging any vehicles. I figure $60 a year in peanuts is much cheaper than poisons or repairs.

 

Got 'em but they're inside only. Too many crazy MFs out there that like to harm cats. Then I'd have to harm them, ending up in jail, so the best thing is to keep the cats in. They're pretty spoiled.

What I'm doing is spraying some pretty stinky silicone lubricant onto the top of the tank area. I didn't realize it before but using a strong light I can see on top of the tank pretty well especially from the passenger's side rear wheel well. I use '3-n-1 Garage Door Lubricant' (actually is great on the garage doors!) which has a strong petroleum odor and it will not harm the plastic/rubber parts there. The can has a permanent straw and I can blast the whole top of the tank from the wheel well. So far so good, and I'm watching it until the weather breaks (if it ever does) when I'll treat it only once a month or so, then more frequently in winter. Now I'm also watching under the hood and in the cowl area - basically any cavity in the body I can see or get to. What I'm looking for is clumps of leaves where they don't belong, which is your first sign of a rodent nesting attempt. My son in GA told me he had a big rat get into the cowl area and nest, and she had a litter with the vehicle being kept in the garage. He never knew anything was going on until some of them died in there and started to stink.
Anyway, I can also direct a water spray into the tank top area or blow it out with air. Using a stick I could even deposit a small bag of 'mouse treats' on the tank if I had to.
So I think I've got a handle on it. Another thing I learned from all this is if it ever happens again, I think I can handle the repair. The tank is not that big and I could run it nearly empty, and the parts are not expensive. I hate to admit it, but I think they saw me coming. No problem, I'll never go back there again for anything.