I just got back from having my oil changed, all went well, but the day before my CHECK ENGINE light came on, man said he couldn't get a reading but when I get home I see on the Vehicle notes section.......
Check engine light on when rec. Diagnostic Multiple oil leaks PTS. Rec. diagnostic Unable to read code...


He said it was nothing but......**Multiple Oil leaks PTS?**
is that an emission thing or what?
Worry or not?
Many thanks,
Tami
Stewtami@yahoo.com

 

If this is a 1996 or newer Ranger, the cigarette lighter & diagnostic port are powered by the same fuse. Is your cigarette lighter working??

 

My cigarette lighter isn't working, I used it twice and the new cig lighter quit working, I thought, I bet it was the cigarette lighter port itself! Now that makes sense and thank you for the thought, but what did the other part of my vehicle notes mean? "Diagnostic Multiple oil leaks PTS".........yet he said everything looked fine...............my truck doesn't drip oil and I never have to add any, is this smog talk or something I hope? I have Arizona plates, so no smog needed but this damned check engine light makes me nervous....
you guys rock!

 

its a 1997 ford ranger, I forgot to answer that part

 

Well I took a quick look at the online diagrams & a 97 isn't wired the way I thought. Cancel what I said about the cigarette lighter.

As long as the check engine light is not flashing , your best bet is to drive it to an auto parts store such as Autozone etc.. They will pull the codes for free & give you a printout. Post the codes here.

I have no idea what "Diagnostic multiple oil leaks PTS" means. But since it's not dripping any oil, I wouldn't worry about it. Was this a quickie lube by any chance?

Forgot to mention that the check engine light can be on for a lot of reasons, including something as simple as a loose gas cap. No way to know until the trouble codes are read.

 

OMG! Thank heavens after visiting my mom at her rehab facility, I looked to my dashboard....AND the Check Engine light IS OUT!!!!! I am so relieved.....
Thank you for your help my dear Ford Truck friend =)
I had my oil change done at Speedee Oil Change.......thanks Tami

 

Well there you go problem solved. glad to hear the light went off.
About 15 years ago my wife was driving her 95 Taurus to work when the CEL lit up. She pulled to the side of the road & called me. I told her if it was running normally, not overheating & the CEL was not flashing to just go ahead & drive it and I would scan it in 2 days when I got home from a trip. By the time I got home the light had gone off.

In 150,000 miles that was the only time we saw the CEL. That was such a good reliable car.

If you can find a good independent mom & pop auto repair shop to do your oil changes and repairs, they wont be clueless when you bring the car to them with the CEL on.

If you think a shop is trying to rip you off with unneeded work post on here for a second opinion.

 

Hold on, don't breathe easy yet. With your 97 4cyl having over 125K miles on it, a number of Owner Manual Scheduled Maintenance Replacement items are due, that could cause the CEL to turn on & off. Things like lazy to switch oxygen sensors (my old/lazy 94 Taurus O2 sensors caused the CEL to turn on & off), worn spark plugs or faulty spark plug wires, clogged air, or fuel filter, acting out PCV valve ect, ect. So, it'll likely turn back on again, but don't despair, its just the computer notifying you that something needs attention. SO, where is the vehicle on All of its past & present Due scheduled maintenance replacement items, listed in the owner scheduled maintenance log book????

The computer has memory that'll store for a while, a trouble code number for what caused the CEL to come on & a code reader, or scan tool can retrieve that trouble code number clue.
If your in Az, most auto parts stores will scan the computer at no charge, if the CEL is on, or has been on, some won't scan if its off, so have a parts store scan the computer if they will & post All code Numbers found here, as 87 XLT suggested. If your in Cal I don't think they're allowed to do that, but you can if they'll loan you the scanner. Check the cigar lighter fuse & if its blown, replace it, as the code reader, or scan tool DLC/connector gets its operating power from that fuse too & won't work if its blown.


I see you have posted in another thread about your manual tranny making a grinding noise when stopped at a light, that was thought to maybe be a clutch throw-out bearing problem, so have you had that problem looked into, or fixed????
The reason I ask is maybe the transmission is the oil leak source the oil change place work order mentioned. The manual transmission has a history of the rubber shift rail plugs dry rotting & leaking transmission lubricant, or the plugs falling out, which will make a mess & quickly drain the transmission lubricant & that'll cause it to become noisy as the bearings & gears wear. So, have a trusted shop, or friend test for stored computer trouble codes & have a look at the transmission shift rail plugs & if leaking, check & add the specified tranny lube if needed, without delay.
More thoughts for consideration, let us know what you find.