check engine soon light?

Lets run down this guide to get the codes so we can know what we need to do to fix it.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

Please run down this guide and report back.

its too far from here .any other thoughts

man o man, without codes we are just guessing and when installing a used engine there are hundreds of possibilities, it will probably end up being something small but we need codes to atleast know the area to look. if there is any parts store around you they will usually use a small code reaDER and give you the codes or you will have to buy one, they cost about 50 bucks

What are the symptoms of a bad alternator? Firist, the check engine light has been on since I bought this car 3 yrs ago. In the last 10 months the headlights/dashlights etc will sometimes "blink". That is they dim for a brief second but don't go out completely. Alternator has been replaced 3 times in last 2 yrs (2 junkyard, 1 remanufacatured). In the last couple days I've noticed the lights to be a little brighter & not so much "blinking". Also the check engine light is not on anymore, but neither is the "cruise" indicator. Have I had a run of bad alternators or might there be more going on here?

Welcome to the forum, have trouble codes checked, anytime the lite comes on. Some of the national brand autostores will check codes for free. They will also check the charging system.

I have a 98 Ford Taurus - 120,000 miles. The check engine light just went on. Does this happen automatically at 120,000 miles? Should this be checked out?

thanks, Dora!

[quote:034b954cd2="dorable2"]Engine Performance problem
1998 Ford Taurus 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 120000 miles
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I have a 98 Ford Taurus - 120,000 miles. The check engine light just went on. Does this happen automatically at 120,000 miles? Should this be checked out?

thanks, Dora![/quote:034b954cd2]

The check engine light comes on when there is a problem with the performance of the engine. Go by your local Auto Zone and have them pull codes, they do it free...

What would be the most common problem that would make the check engine now light stay on, thank you.
Hank

A lot of reason for a check engine light to come on and stay on
check fuel filler cap for an example
have to have it scanned for codes
need to have the codes
to indicate troubled area
most locale auto shops car help you and a lot do it for free
check around in your area
and let me know what you have for codes

Engine Mechanical problem
1998 Ford Taurus 6 cyl Two Wheel Drive Automatic

Service Engine Soon light comes on, code PO174.
"System Additive Fuel to lean, bank 2.
Bank 1 came on last week. What should I be checking? We've recently changed the plugs, water pump and PCV.

Clean MAF and also look for any vacuum leaks and exhaust leaks.

When it says my fuel is too lean, does that mean not enough fuel or air??

Thank you

Not enough fuel so MAF could lean and vacuum leak could lean or dirty injectors

The check engine light wont go off. It drives perfect just the light wont go off. It comes up with a cam seonsor code. I have replaced everything The sensor, the computer but it still stays on. So i'm thinking its electrical. Any ideas of what it might be.

Each code come with a check list
1st what was the code and I will try and check to see if I can help
check wiring and connector plugs
on sensor and PCM

Engine Performance problem
1998 Ford Taurus Front Wheel Drive Automatic 132k miles

Hello,

After a few second of rough idling yesterday, my check engine soon light began flashing. I put the car into reverse, and the light went off. I drove the car today, and the check engine light has not come on yet. Am I possibly doing any damage by continuing to drive my car until/unless the light comes on again, or do I need to get it checked immediately?

Thank you!

If you still have problem with rough idling, I would take the vehicle to your local Autozone and have them scan the computer for codes. They do this for free. If there are codes, post them here so we can help you prior to buying any unnecessary parts.

If the vehicle is running well, I highly doubt that you will ruin the engine, especially if the MIL turns off after driving. But plan on getting the car to your local Autozone soon.

I use the computer to scan my vehicle for the codes. The codes revealed came in a sequence of:
Obd2
Obd2
R
Re
Error about 3 times
I tried looking them up and fail to get the answers. Maybe you can help me. Does it matter that I'm a girl that's why I don't know the obvious.

Welcome to 2CarPros.

Those aren't codes. I'm not sure what is happening. However, here is a video that shows how to retrieve diagnostic trouble codes using an OBD2 scanner:

https://youtu.be/YV3TRZwer8k

Let me know if that is what you did.

Take care,
Joe

I have a 1997 ford taurus the service engine light came on I found out the light came on due to the intake air temperature sensor I change the sensor and was told to drive 35 to 100miles I drove the 300miles the light remains on what should I do

Did you reset the PCM after replacing the sensor
if you didn’t you need to do so
disconnect the battery
if the light returned then need the codes

I first change the IAT sensor disconnect battery drove the car the service engine light came back on within 44miles of driving I had the service light checked samething IAT sensor low input

What do u have for code # (P0000)
after resetting

The code P0112 was found

I would suspect bad wire and or ground
check the connector plug and wiring harness
this is the test steps for the code you provided

P0112 (IAT) indicates sensor signal is less than self-test minimum. Minimum signal for IAT and ECT sensor is 0.2 volt. Possible causes for this fault are:
* Circuit grounded in wiring harness.
* Faulty sensor.
* Faulty connection.
* Faulty PCM.

Turn ignition off.
Disconnect wiring harness connector from suspect sensor.
Check for damaged wiring, and repair as necessary.
With scan tester connected, turn ignition on. Using scan tester, access ECT V of IAT V PID. If PID is less than 4.2 volts, go to next step. If PID is 4.2 volts or more,
replace sensor and repeat QUICK TEST.

Check VREF Circuit Voltage At TP Sensor Turn ignition off.
Disconnect TP sensor wiring harness connector.
Turn ignition on. Measure voltage between VREF and SIG RTN at TP sensor wiring harness connector.
If voltage is 4-6 volts, connect TP sensor and go to next step. If voltage is not 4-6 volts,
test CIRCUIT.


Check Signal Circuit For Short To Ground Turn ignition off.
Disconnect suspect sensor.
Disconnect PCM 104-pin connector.
Check for damaged wiring, and repair as necessary.
leaving PCM disconnected. Measure resistance between test pin No. 38 (ECT) or No. 39 (IAT) and test pins No. 24, 51 and 91. If any reading is less than 10,000 ohms, repair short circuit, and repeat QUICK TEST. If all readings are 10,000 ohms or more,
replace PCM and repeat QUICK TEST.

In getting the car inspected, I was told the check engine light was burned ut. How do I replace?

Lights is in the instrument panel remove the instrument cluster need manual CHECK IT @ https://www.2carpros.com/kpages/auto_repair_manuals.htm

Electrical problem
1997 Ford Taurus 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

i just bought this car i am wondering if who i bought it from un hocked it how will i tell

Hi there,

This just may be a blown globe or if there has been a problem the previous owner has neglected to fix they may have removed the globe,

Mark (mhpautos)

car started vibrating and chk engine light began blinking what is the problem? Could it be timing?

At 70K I would say no to timing. If the light is on and blinking, I am guessing you have a cylender misfire. To confirm that, take the vehicle to a nationally recognized parts store and have them scan the computer. Most will do it for free. Once they get the code, it will identify what is causing the problem. You may have a bad coil, bad ignition wire, or may just need a basic tune up.

i just bought a 97 tarus. drove it for a few hours in the city and the service engine light came on. i took it to a autopart store and they pluged it in to thier diagnostic device wich reads heated o2 sensor bank1. so i replaced it. unplugged the battery for 10 minutes. hooked it back up. code cleared and all good. an hour and a half after doing this the light came back on again. took it back to the autopart store and it read the same thing. a detail print out saying heated o2 sensor bank 1. the wires look fine, no breaks, no corrosion, nothing seems loose or any broken pigtails. car runs fine with good idling. just took it to the emmisions test 7 weeks back and it passed so i was able to get my plates.the light doesnt go on and off. when u drive it for a while it goes on and stays on. this part was 70 bucks. i would of got mad but nothing changes my luck so maybe you know? that code it read was detailed and to the point. it wasnt just a in general code. im so fed up with this since i just bought the car.

The natural inclination when getting O2 sensor faults is to immediately purchase a new O2 sensor and hope it remedies the fault.

However, there's a couple of issues to consider. If you got the aftermarket (universal) type, they work fine most of the time, just make sure the four O2 wires are hooked up correctly to the vehicle wire harness. There's a 12-volt suppy and ground pair for the heater element inside the O2, and there's a signal and ground pair that the O2 uses to send info to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM).

If you purchased Motorcraft (doubtful based on your 70-bucks statement), they just plug right in and you are more likely to have an "exhaust" related issue if the O2 code comes back.

OK, so now we have the aftermarket vs OEM discussed. Now, we need to know the actual PXXXX number of the fault code. One type leads towards a fault of the O2 internal heater, and the other fault deals with the actual exhast which the O2 is trying to decipher.

Now things get a little more complicated. If the O2 code is exhaust gas related (reading lean or rich), diagnostics and repairs go down different avenues.

Remember, a fully functioning O2 sensor simply reads the exhaust make-up and sends the corresponding signal to the PCM. If the signal is out of range based on PCM anticipated running parameters, the PCM may set an O2 fault code.

Some easy things you could try is to clean the Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF) with spray-brake cleaner to make sure the two little heating elements inside are clean. If they are dirty, it is common to receive an O2 "Lean" code, even though nothing is wrong with the O2 itself. Blow dry the MAF with shop air, being careful not with a full blast to ruin the wire elements.
Dirty MAF elements make the PCM think the engine has a light load, which leads to leaning out the air/fuel mixture, which leads to the O2's saying "Hey!! The mixture is Lean!!" Up Pops a ChkEngine Code.

Make sure the PCV Valve and hose don't have any cracks; look for various cracked vacuum lines around the engine.
If you want to get really technical, hook up a scan tool, and watch the O2 sensor output on a graph. Voltage should fluctuate rapidly (5+ per second) between .2 and .8 volts at steady high idle, keeping high idle at least one minute to fully warm up O2.

Finally, realize there are four O2 sensors hooked up to the vehicle. There's a B1S1, B1S2, B2S1, and a B2S2. Again, the PXXXX code is critical.... make sure the mechanic replaced the correct one. Bank 1 is the one nearest the firewall. S1 or S2 determines before (1) or after (2) the catalytic converter.

Variables are too lenghty to discuss at this point unless you can provide feedback on items I've touched on thus far.

Computer problem
1997 Ford Taurus 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

I bought this car used. It has never passed emissions test. I have spent the last year trying to get it fixed. The first mechanic I took it too, said it was the O2 sensors, so I had them replaced. The reading came back "not ready". The mechanic told me to drive the car around for a while and it would "kick in". Well a couple of tickets later (since the temp tag expired during this time) I took it to another mechanic. That one said it was the CAM sensor. Replaced that. The check engine light went off, but the codes came back "not ready" again. Same instructions; "drive it around". A couple more tickets later and I took it to another mechanic. This one said it was the computer. $125 to get it reprogrammed and it is still not working. Took it to the dealer, and they said they had no idea why flashing the computer didn't work. Had it done 3 times (thank goodness they didn't charge for them) and it still didn't work. Dealer said to get a new computer. Mechanic called and said he saw on the news that this is evidently not an isolated problem. That many with the flex fuel option on the Ford Taurus are having the same problem. Any suggestions as to what I can do if this is a software issue?

IF no check engine light on
and if tried to get a state inspection and saying system not ready
keep all you paper work and contact the RMV state vehicle safety & emission division
as they should be able to help in getting to the bottom of it
have to try few to get tested 3 or so times
every time they should give you the print out
right on it the mileage so you can keep track of it
if you have all your paper in order showing you are trying to correct the problem they should not issue you a ticket (I think check with your local state vehicle safety and emission RMV division )

my service engine soon light is on and i have to get it inspected..ECM commanded air pump on-NO flow or low flow detected when monitored

need codes
scan system for codes and let us know what u have
most locale shops and part store can help u getting the codes

the transmission and the speed ometer doesnt want to work it is like it doesnt know when to shift and the check engine light is on i just put this transmisson in not six months ago and it has the trani fluid is it a censer

If you can I would drive it to a parts store that will check the codes for you. Many will do it for free, just call around. Just remember a code just points you in a direction it doesn't tell you which part to change. Did the transmission work before? Was it a new or rebuilt transmission? You might call who ever you bought the transmission from and ask them for some help.

I Have a 97 Ford Taurus SHO. About two weeks ago, the battery light flashed on when I would accelerate more then I normally would. I just pushed it off and backed off on speeding. This morning on my way into work the check engine light is blinking non stop. I know the car needs a tune up but would the check engine light have to do anything else with the battery light. I am rather frustrated with this car even though I really love my car because it seems that every time I t urn around, something is breaking on it.