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check engine light came on!

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Old 01-09-2002, 12:16 AM
drcarrillo's Avatar
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check engine light came on!

Hi everyone,

Today while I was driving the 'check engine' light came on all of a sudden. I turned off the car and started it again, but it was still on. Has this happened to any of you? What are the most common reasons for this happening? I would hate to go to the dealership and get ripped off. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Robert
 
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Old 01-09-2002, 03:44 PM
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we have the same kind of Expy as you do. cept ours is stock. this happened to us after we got our car inspected and got the emissions tested so that may have been the problem with us. anything you can think of that you might have done to make it come on?
 
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Old 01-09-2002, 06:31 PM
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I did a search and found that the gas cap sometimes causes the check engine light to come on if it is not firmly tightened. Also, resetting the computer may help. I checked the gas cap and everything was fine. So I disconnected the batter for about 30 minutes and after I reconnected it and fired up the Expy the check engine light was gone!!! Don't know why it came on in the first place though.

Robert
 
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Old 01-10-2002, 12:57 PM
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The check engine light is telling you that a trouble code is stored in the computer. By disconnecting the battery you have reset the system, but the trouble code is probably still stored in the computer. This could be something simple or it could be major. My advice would be to take it to a reputable shop and hook your Expi up to the computer to pull the trouble code. This should only run you around $50 to $60.00 to have this done. From their they can determine the severity of the situation and determine what, if any, repairs need to be made.

I had this done on my Navigator one time after changing the oil. I assumed that it had a 5 quart sump like the majority of V-8 Fords and Lincolns and the check engine light would come on after about 3 or 4 hours of driving. I checked the oil to find it was down about a quart and half and so I topped of the oil. After driving for awhile the check engine light went out. Never came back on again. These vehicles have so many sensors and are controlled by the computer that it could be a number of things.

I would rather pay the $60.00 though to have the peace and mind that nothing serious is happening to my rig. Good luck and let us know what you find out.
 



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