whats the difference and possible causes between check engine light and service engine soon light? I have a service engine soon loght on with no apparant problems for over a month ..replaced gas cap (generic brand) 6 months ago 2002 f-150 4x4 v-6 32,000 miles

 

I had the "service engine soon" light come on my 99 Expedition yesterday. I'm at 59,986 miles, so I think that it's just a factory programmed thing to get you go to the dealer and spend money, as I don't have any problems with mine either.

 

Stop by Auto Zone (if you have one around). They can read the code and tell you what it is. There are MANY things that could cause it.
Ford doe not have "automatic" fault codes that pop up just to get you to the dealer.
I have 148,000 miles on my 2000 and have never had a check engine light come on.

 

I replaced the gas cap (w/generic) 6 months ago(left original on gas pump) ..This one no longer clicks...P.S. is "service engine soon "the same as "check engine"??

 

I have a 2001 F-150 with the 4.2L V6 and my check engine light is on. I hooked up a cheap OBD code reader to it and it said the EGR valve 1 was excessive and EGR valve 2 was inexcessive. what is the EGR valve and what does it do? Also, my MPG has dropped, i've been getting around 15mpg and i know this isnt right for a V6

 

Don't feel bad... I just had my service engine soon light come on today but that is because I'm halfway through installing my bulldog remote starter. Neways I have been getting crapppppy mileage too, about 12.5 mpg in town 14.8 highway!! So today i thought it was time to try and figure somethin out--I went to auto zone and bought a new fram air filter (mine was pretty dirty and probably clogged pretty bad) and I checked my air pressure in my tires. I have the goodyear a/t's (stock I think for ford) and the max psi is 44 psi. Well uh, I had 25 in my two left side tires and 28 in my right side ones. So i aired them up to 41 haha, the ride is just a touch more feely but it gets up to speed ten times faster and burns em off better!!

So i went to the gas station and filled my tank and reset my trip odometer and I will fill you all in next week or so with a new thread. I think the pressure in my tires was the victim, so i strongly reccomend checking and filling yours.

 

well i keep my tire pressure good in mine. I have the cheap All Terrain Liberators from Wally-world on mine. Also my truck is a 2wd. and i have a Air Hog Performance filter installed and still getting this bad mileage.

 

If you open up your driver's door and take a look at the sticker in the door jamb, you can get the vehicle's recommended psi rating. I think our trucks take 35psi.

I used to think that you just fill it up to whatever the tire says, but I later learned that it's vehicle specific.

That's not to say that your tire pressure can't be customized, like Pimp my Ride....."When you first brought your truck in, it was horrible. You had no doors, your seat didn't recline, and the paint didn't exist. But check it, not 1, not 2, but all 4 tires now have 40psi!"

Anyhow, I've had people come into my work requesting 45 psi or whatever for 'fuel economy reasons'. Some people like less, some like more.

Personally, i like mine with 12 psi, makes my truck look lower and gives cool flat spots on my rims.

And as far as the EGR is concerned, ford had a recall on that about 2 years back. My cousin's truck needed it to be replaced, and it was all crazy. It would stall, and get real slow, and strain, and lurch forward all of a sudden. It's an automatic, by the way. We'd be at a red light, and the truck would just try to jump forward. Imagine if we hit the car in front of us....as a result of Ford's faulty EGR.

By the way, the EGR is a transmission related thingamabobber. Can't remember what it stands for...but it's somewhere along the lines fo Electronic G---- Regulator. Don't quote me, I'm just taking my best guess!

Rman

 

Actually E.G.R. stands for:
Exhaust
Gas
Recirculating

Exhaust Gas Recirculation: used to reduce combustion temperature and pressure to control Oxides of Nitrogen emissions.

I'd suspect if you have EGR problems, that might be part of the MPG problem.

 

I could have sworn it was transmission related. Oh well. Maybe the EGR I'm talking about was the Extra Good Racing transmission stick-manifold clutch inhibitor piston valve release hose, which is stock on our trucks.

 

go with the highest psi by the way. max psi on your tires--put that in em!

brian is a genius, i think he built his 4.2 by hand

 

[QUOTE=rebelflag31039] I have the cheap All Terrain Liberators from Wally-world on mine. QUOTE]

Hey thats what I got( Only becuase I get the 10% Discount). Did it make you truck ride rougher? When I replaced the original Stock street tires with the Liberators, those stiff sidewalls make my truck bouce all Over the place.

 

Not exactly the safest thing to do....especially in hot weather. Could get a blow out....but hey, do as you wish!!!!

 

I thought underinflated tires heated up quicker; wasn't that the problem with the Explorer blowouts a few years back? Something like for was recommending a lower PSI so that the ride was more comfortable, and that caused the tires to overheat and explode?

 

Hmmmm....If that were the case, then no matter how much air you put in it, it would just be a matter of time before they exploded. 5 minutes or 2 hours?

I'm not well read on the old issue, but I think the problem was a recall on firestone tires. But I could be totally wrong.

Anyhow, like I said, your saftest bet is to stick with the recommended PSI in the door jamb, unless you've got different tires, like super low pros or super swampers, or if you're hauling or towing exessive weight.

Fugget aboudit, just get solid rubber tires. No PSI worries there!