Check engine lite - peek-a-boo...
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Cross-Country
Joined: Sep 2006
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Check engine lite - peek-a-boo...
If there is a reference to the answer - please direct me..I don't get in here much.
98' w/4.6; 240K road miles; fresh oil, air filter, plugs, wires and gas treatment.
Gas cap IS secured.
So..check engine light comes on...and before I can check it out. (couple of days)...it goes off... the a few days later, it comes back on...and then goes out again...never stays on longer than 3 days without going back out.
We've been playing hide & seek for a month now.. I tried disconnecting the battery and letting it reset and it went out...and then came back on.
Keep telling myself that unless it stays on for a solid week, I'm not paying to have it checked out.
So, I thought I'd drop in here and see what ya'll thought.
Experiences or ideas?
tia...
98' w/4.6; 240K road miles; fresh oil, air filter, plugs, wires and gas treatment.
Gas cap IS secured.
So..check engine light comes on...and before I can check it out. (couple of days)...it goes off... the a few days later, it comes back on...and then goes out again...never stays on longer than 3 days without going back out.
We've been playing hide & seek for a month now.. I tried disconnecting the battery and letting it reset and it went out...and then came back on.
Keep telling myself that unless it stays on for a solid week, I'm not paying to have it checked out.
So, I thought I'd drop in here and see what ya'll thought.
Experiences or ideas?
tia...
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Joined: Oct 2005
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Bring it to Autozone and let them scan it. They will tell you what the code is and what it means.
I just brought my friends 02 Mustang to Autozone for a CEL. The car felt like it was missing. Indeed it was a misfire on Cyl 1. After some new plugs and wires, he's good to go. $35 total, 2 hours with my friend and a couple of nice cold ones is a hell of a lot more fun and cheaper than bringing it to a mechanic (at least for him). His car had 75K miles on the original plugs. They looked like crap, the gap was 0.065 on most of them.
I just brought my friends 02 Mustang to Autozone for a CEL. The car felt like it was missing. Indeed it was a misfire on Cyl 1. After some new plugs and wires, he's good to go. $35 total, 2 hours with my friend and a couple of nice cold ones is a hell of a lot more fun and cheaper than bringing it to a mechanic (at least for him). His car had 75K miles on the original plugs. They looked like crap, the gap was 0.065 on most of them.
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Cross-Country
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Update
Ok, went to AZ and the code says the "EGR flow is insufficient"..so pulled the EGR valve and cleaned it - put vacuum to it and it opens fine...put it back in, disconnected the batt cable and the light went off....
For about 30 miles...now it's back on.
The guy at AZ showed me 2 possibles (switch boxes?) on the drvs side of the plenum, one appears to be a vacuum switch, the other is electrical...
Any easy way to tell which one has the problem and is not opening the EGR valve properly?...or does it need to be hooked to a computer to tell?
For about 30 miles...now it's back on.
The guy at AZ showed me 2 possibles (switch boxes?) on the drvs side of the plenum, one appears to be a vacuum switch, the other is electrical...
Any easy way to tell which one has the problem and is not opening the EGR valve properly?...or does it need to be hooked to a computer to tell?
Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,241
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From: Broken Arrow, OK
The most common cause of that code is plugged passages inside the intake elbow on top of the engine. Remove the EGR valve and clean out the passage with a wire coat hanger. You can clean the ports from inside the elbow with some careful wire bending and a mirror. Removing it is not required.
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From: Louisville,Ky.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2005
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From: North west La
I agree with LxMan. The DPFE sensor fails on our trucks. It goes out more often than the EGR valve.I've replaced 2 on mine.
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Originally Posted by lariat97
I agree with LxMan. The DPFE sensor fails on our trucks. It goes out more often than the EGR valve.I've replaced 2 on mine.
I don't think the passage is plugged because the passage in the EGR vavle was only black and sooty- no real buildup at all.
Thanks for all the hints!
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Cross-Country
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Update for the curious...
Well, I replaced the DPFE with a new plastic one... took the batt cable loose to clear the light and it was out...for about 15 miles...now it's back on.
The guy at AZ says the code will clear itself and the light go out after a few dozen miles...never heard that...can anyone confirm?
I could maybe agree IF I KNEW that I had replaced the correct component...but I don't.
Any encouragement?
The guy at AZ says the code will clear itself and the light go out after a few dozen miles...never heard that...can anyone confirm?
I could maybe agree IF I KNEW that I had replaced the correct component...but I don't.
Any encouragement?
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Louisville, Kentucky
Go back to AZ and have the codes read again. Then tell us the code number(s), not the description and all code numbers if there is more than one.
Most likely the code is (guessing here) P0401. If so, do an advanced search for "+P0401". There will be numerous threads that this will pull up. Look at the one with the highest reply count. This will contain a lot of information experienced by other FTE members frustrated with this problem.
Bottom line, I think Silverstreak is dead on accurate with his recommendation. Good luck!
Most likely the code is (guessing here) P0401. If so, do an advanced search for "+P0401". There will be numerous threads that this will pull up. Look at the one with the highest reply count. This will contain a lot of information experienced by other FTE members frustrated with this problem.
Bottom line, I think Silverstreak is dead on accurate with his recommendation. Good luck!
Postmaster
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 3,241
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From: Broken Arrow, OK
The light will go out by itself after 3 drive cycles IF the problem is fixed.
It never ceases to amaze me when someone throws money at something when there was a high probability that it could have been fixed for free.
It never ceases to amaze me when someone throws money at something when there was a high probability that it could have been fixed for free.
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King Ranch- thanks for the tip..it IS the P0401 code and the advanced search helped explain things a lot better.
SS - while I appreciate the help, I'm not in a position to 'throw money' at anything right now. I was acting on the best information that I had at athe time. Can anyone do anything else? Yep, you had suggested cleaning it early on, but when I saw no buildup in the valve itself- it didn't make sense to look further.
I now have more information and will act accordingly.
Thanks Gents.
SS - while I appreciate the help, I'm not in a position to 'throw money' at anything right now. I was acting on the best information that I had at athe time. Can anyone do anything else? Yep, you had suggested cleaning it early on, but when I saw no buildup in the valve itself- it didn't make sense to look further.
I now have more information and will act accordingly.
Thanks Gents.