I loaned my F250 V10 to a family member who has had the truck for 8 months. He calls me last night (one the eve of returning the truck) to tell me the check engine light just came on. Come to find out he has not serviced the truck in the whole 8 months.

Could all that this light be saying is the need to get the truck serviced (oil change)???

 

If this is the 2000 V10 you mentioned in your other post then NO, there is no "service countdown".

The CEL can be triggered by any number of things such as a misfire or the gas cap not being on tight enough. Have the codes read and post them here and we will help you figure out what the problem is.

 

autozone or napa can read some of the basic codes for you.

 

He called me a bit ago said he took the truck and had it serviced, and they said it was low on oil and the only thing that needed to be done was to have the engine light reset. Everything else looked and sounded fine. He didn't say anything about codes.. How do you know what the codes are when this light comes on??


They checked the tranny as well..

I am sorry if I seem so ignorant, but I am a woman, with no mechanical experience....

Now, maybe this can help to those who may know. On the 2000 250 V10, is there a SERVICE Engine light AND an CHECK engine Light?

He is bringing the truck back tomorrow, it is a 2 hr drive..

 

slightly off topic but in Boston (where i used to live) there was a law that you could not make repairs to your vehicle on a public way without a permit... SO autozone was not permitted to read codes for you because it was considered to be a repair.

 

OK, first off, being a woman is neither an excuse nor a handicap. Hang out in these forums for a while, ask questions and you will learn more about ford trucks than most men out there.

The "Service Engine Soon" light comes on when the OBD (on board diagnostics) system senses a problem with the vehicle's emission system. Something set the check engine light on, it doesn't just go on for no reason. Usually the problem has to be persistent (for example, so many misfires on a number of consecutive trips) so it is important to get the codes so you can fix what is causing the light to come on before it causes other problems. The codes must be read by a hand held computer that plugs into the truck. As was stated above, most NAPA and autozone locations will do this for you for free. Unfortunately the only way to clear the CEL (check engine light) is to clear the codes, so that information is gone now. There is no light that comes on when you need to perform routine maintenance. You must keep track of that yourself.

Get your truck back, and keep an eye on that light. If it comes on, have the codes read (ask them to write down the codes for you) and post them in a new thread here for help (try to be descriptive in the thread title to get fast help). If it comes on and starts blinking that indicates that there is a serious problem with the emissions equipment that may cause damage to other components, so you will want to stop immediately, turn off the truck and have it towed to a shop.

I recommend reading the owners manual for some general info. Page 10 has info on the dash lights. You can download the newest version of the manual here:

https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenan...ls/default.asp

OH and welcome to the forums

 

Thank you guys.. I was concerned we couldn't drive the truck at all with this light on, and would have to have it towed...

I feel confident now, we can drive it and he will be able to return it to me with out concern. I will get it to my mechanic as soon as poosible to see what is causing the light to come on and stay on.

I appreciate this forum! Thank you for your help!!
S

 

i wonder how long he drove it with a low oil level ??

never a good thing.

 

best advice is week checkup's on anything like this. Pop the hood, check all fluid levels. Anyone can do it.

I also do not lend my truck out..we come as a pair. Glad to help but you gotta take the driver too.