check engine light
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check engine light
Ihave a 1997 Ford Explorer with 82,000 miles and the check engine light comes on every few months. The dealership is wanting to charge me $140 for the diagnosis which showed I needed a new gas cap which costs $20. I think the diagnosis charge is way out of line, has anyone ever had this problem and how much were you charged for the diagnosis?
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That is outrageous!!! Go to Autozone and tell them your CEL (check engine light) is on and you want the codes read (they will do this for free). When you get them, you can refer to a Haynes manual or ask somebody on this site what the codes mean. That will tell you if the gas cap is at fault (or what the problem is). Do NOT pay $140 bucks for a diagnosis. My mechanic won't even charge a diagnosis fee and the dealership shouldn't either. Let us know what you find out.
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Brian,
Thank you very much for your reply. The dealership has already replaced the gas cap but I haven't picked up my explorer or paid for it. I thought that was absurd but wanted someone else's opinion before I went to the manager of the service department to complain. I will let you know. Thanks again.
Thank you very much for your reply. The dealership has already replaced the gas cap but I haven't picked up my explorer or paid for it. I thought that was absurd but wanted someone else's opinion before I went to the manager of the service department to complain. I will let you know. Thanks again.
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I'm assuming that the stealership gave you an estimate for a diagnoses. What they most likely did was put a code reader on your vehicle and code PO442 popped up. This means a EVAP small leak was detected, normally the gas cap is the issue. Around here, the stealerships would charge around $75. AutoZone would do it for free, if the check engine light is on, for an obvious big time savings.
Seems like a scanning tool for your vehicle can be had for less than $150. I would guess you are being charged labor for the person working on your vehicle, a less than 10 minute job, as well as a standing charge for using their equipment. So, how far apart is the estimate versus the actual charge?
Seems like a scanning tool for your vehicle can be had for less than $150. I would guess you are being charged labor for the person working on your vehicle, a less than 10 minute job, as well as a standing charge for using their equipment. So, how far apart is the estimate versus the actual charge?
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I am pretty sure that at my local Mercury dealer they charge you for one hours time for the diagnostic work (and I thought that was about 80 bucks last time I needed it done). Another shop I have used does not charge for the diagnostic if they fix the problem there (i.e. the charge for the repair and the diagnostic is part of it) but will charge you if you just bring it in to find out what is wrong. I am pretty sure that with them it was a 65 dollar charge.
In either case 160 bucks to get a vehicle looked at and then get a new gas cap is highway robbery.
In either case 160 bucks to get a vehicle looked at and then get a new gas cap is highway robbery.
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Check Engine Light
Like Sandy1948 I have a '97 Ford Explorer which I purchased new. The check engine light has been a thorn in my side since I bought the truck. It comes on and goes off at will. The most recent it was on for 4 1/2 months. My truck was checked out by a certified shop (not Ford) and there was nothing showing on the machine to indicate anything wrong. In my heart I know that after all these years it can't be a problem with the engine or it would have blown long ago but it still is enough to drive you crazy. Is this a flaw in the '97 Explorers? Sandy1948 and I are not the only ones to have this problem are we??
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From: Alvin, Texas.
Originally Posted by sandy1948
Ihave a 1997 Ford Explorer with 82,000 miles and the check engine light comes on every few months. The dealership is wanting to charge me $140 for the diagnosis which showed I needed a new gas cap which costs $20. I think the diagnosis charge is way out of line, has anyone ever had this problem and how much were you charged for the diagnosis?
Never had a problem with that...because once out of warranty, I NEVER go to a stealership. Then again, easy for me, because my Range had 209,500ish when I bought it and I have never owned new.
As much as I would like to say, "You can do ___" and you can get off without a charge, there isn't.
All you had to do was ask for the pricing and get it in writing and IF they deviate from that, you have a beef.
I do not call them "stealerships" for nothing.
They say you coming, you bit, they reeled you in. Lesson learned, I hope.
Donnar, as for your issue, buy a Haynes and go through all the various test like the wiggle test for the sensors and such. I bet that something is loose on a connector and the instant that light flashes, something has undone itself. Being a soft code, it won't stay in the computer, I guess.
Last edited by AlfredB1979; Jan 3, 2005 at 11:02 AM.
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Originally Posted by donnarl52
Like Sandy1948 I have a '97 Ford Explorer which I purchased new. The check engine light has been a thorn in my side since I bought the truck. It comes on and goes off at will. The most recent it was on for 4 1/2 months. My truck was checked out by a certified shop (not Ford) and there was nothing showing on the machine to indicate anything wrong. In my heart I know that after all these years it can't be a problem with the engine or it would have blown long ago but it still is enough to drive you crazy. Is this a flaw in the '97 Explorers? Sandy1948 and I are not the only ones to have this problem are we??
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It happened on my 1996 explorer. My mechanic said it was nothing, just a bad sensor. The diagnosis charge was about $85. When I finally it fixed, the bad sensors were on the converter and wound up costing $1600. I've been told that the major reason for the problem is overfilling the gas tank. Too much gas will push out into sensors and other compnents and then destroy them. Don't let the problem go!
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Originally Posted by sandy1948
Ihave a 1997 Ford Explorer with 82,000 miles and the check engine light comes on every few months. The dealership is wanting to charge me $140 for the diagnosis which showed I needed a new gas cap which costs $20. I think the diagnosis charge is way out of line, has anyone ever had this problem and how much were you charged for the diagnosis?
Kristy
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Originally Posted by ajguzik
Autozone should be able to tell you the bank # and sensor # for the offending sensor. Ask for more details if all they tell you is that it's a bad O2 sensor.
Thanks I'll have to try that at another AutoZone, This one wasn't sure or so they said, As to which one it was. Could only see that it was the cause of the light coming on. Thanks for all the info, This site RULEZ
Kristy,
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