Hello,

I have a 1998 F150 with the 4.6L engine. At 56K miles the "Check Engine" light has come on. All other gauges register normal and the truck seems to run and operate as normal. Am I at the mercy of the dealer to hook uo their reader? or are there some "most likely" avenues to explore? Should I worry and get it to the dealer ASAP? or is it just informational?

Thanks.................WALT

 

Without a OBD-II compatible code reader, I don't think there is a lot you can do. Could be a detected failure in the fuel vapor recovery system, or who knows? Could try taking your gas cap off, putting it back on, and disconnecting the negative battery cable for a few minutes. Thats just a shot in the dark, if the gas cap wasn't tightened properly once. OBD-II detects emissions related leakages besides all the other stuff.

 

There's also a dodad that is in front of the the cat convertor that fails around 30-50k. Once you have a check engine light you don't have much of a choice. Have it checked. Worse they can do is say "We don't know what it is."

98 F250LD 4X4

 

Thanks....I called my local Ford dealer and they said " Get it in right away." I asked if I needed an appointment and they said the next available time that they had was Oct 2! I gusee I'll have to find somebody else to check it.

 

My understanding is that these are not nearly as serious as past sensors because they are more sensitive and test many more things. The Hanes manual and the Factory Owner's manual will tell you many of these. I had a 1996 Mustang GT which has the 4.6L and it would come on occasionally. The car ran great, had 65000 miles on it and to check it was $65 if the problem was not covered under warranty but free if covered under the aftermarket warranty by Ford that I had so I never had it read. The O2 sensors can make this light come on if they are bad...Good luck

 

Make the appointment to get it checked. many people confuse the "check engine" light with something bad happening. Like the old days when the idiot lights would come on and by then it was too late. The computer monitors alot of things and like the earlier posts, can see a bad seal on a gas cap, bad O2 sensor and so on. Sometimes they get a momentary glitch and register a code. until the code is cleared, it will still come on. Fords are know for bad O2 sensors. I sold a ton when I worked in Ford parts. So many I knew which one by the color of the wires. But anyway, take it in and let them look at it.