Check Engine Light

Hi, I was told that if you fill the gas tank while the car is running, the check engine light may come on, it will go off after a while of driving. I had the same intermittant problem.....

"TPS" = Throttle Position Sensor. It's the sensor that tells the computer how far your foot is into the throttle. It should be connected to the butterfly valve that opens to allow more air into the engine.

If NJ has an emissions standard, no. You'll have to repair whatever is wrong before the vehicle will pass emissions.

It is blinking because there is a problem in the emmissions that is causing damage to the catalytic converter. I had this happening and it turned out to be a final warning before the fuel line broke.

PO403 Is rather generic. It simply means that the circuit has failed somehow. This means that the connector on your Exhaust Gas Recircultion sensor could have simple come off. I recommend that you take this to your Ford dealership. They can pin-point the prblem. They have to fix these types of problems for free for a certain amount of time and mileage. It is a government thing. Hope this helps.

Either you would have to take it to a dealer to use a tech2 to shut it off, or have 10 ignition cycles without the problem causing the light to come on and it will shut off on its own.

No, the check engine light has nothing to do with the oil level in the vehicle. The check engine light will come on when there is a problem with the emission system. The red oil warning light will come on if your vehicle is low on oil.

It is a fault indicator usually for an engine or cat fault. If the light does not go off in a couple of days. You will need to get it checked out by a professional.

If the light goes out after a day or to, no futher action will be needed, by for peace of mind maybe get it checked out. They can plug something into the on-board computer to check exactly what the fault is. Drive carefully, whilst you have this problem as it can casue major damage in the long run.

There are pages and pages and items that can cause a check engine light. You need to have it checked for codes with a scan tool. After repair light can be shut off with scan tool.

The engine computer is not seeing the O2 sensor move off of lean like it should. The O2 could be bad, The wiring could have a problem, or there could be a running problem that is making the O2 read incorrectly. With out a scan tool and a service manual this is very hard to diagnose.

You can 1st try to disconnect the batteries overnight then try pressing the "hold"button just under the shifter gear button . The one reason also is because you have a transmission problem which can really cost you. Engine check light on bcoz of a managerie of probs. with regards to the engine. Have OBD codes read to be sure.

usually means that you have a "hard-fault" if you take it to a auto mech. he will be able to put it on a trouble shooting machine and detect what is causing it. could be something as simple as a loose gas cap

It is usually indicative of the E.G.R. Valve (Exhaust Gasoline Recirculation Valve).

Is your gas mileage way down? I Had E.G.R. Valve replaced and the light no longer comes on.

Good luck. Thank-you for sharing.

I have a 2003 1500hd and my steering wheel has controls built into it.

if you will press the lower right control button until it shows your oil life , then press and hold the lower left control button until your control panel shows "oil life has been reset"

then release. It should now read "oil life 100%". the oil life should only be reset after each and every oil change.

It sounds like the thermostat is opening up late causing the engine to almost overheat before it opens. Replace the thermostat.

All vehicles since 1996 have OBDII (On Board Diagnostics II) built in. the "check engine" or "service" light is part of the OBD system that indicates a failure code is in the on board computer. the light is turned off by clearing the memory using an OBD scan tool (plugs into the diagnostic port). If the light comes back on, the fault is still present and will need to be diagnosed and repaired.

The only way to know for sure is to have the computers trouble codes read with a scan tool. Most auto parts stores such as Advanced and Autozone will do that for free.

You may have damaged the O2 sensor. Retrieve the code that has been set and that will tell you where to start looking for the problem.

I'm not a mechanic / technician but by any chance are you out of gas

The CHECK " GAGE " light on my Ford EXPLORER would come on if the engine

coolant temperature is too HIGH , the engine oil pressure is too LOW , or the

gas gauge is at or near empty

Is it low on Gas or Deisel? if it is that will trip the check gauge light. Or if you ever run the fuel low. It needs time to reset it self.

The check engine light turns on to inform the driver that the computer has detected a 'fault' and that the driver should address the problem. If the light is on constantly, it's considered a "minor" fault but something that needs attention as soon as you get a chance. If the light is flashing it means that something serious has been detected and you need to deal with it NOW!

You can either take the vehicle to a shop and have the mechanic connect a code reader to your vehicle

OR

you can take your vehicle to your local auto parts retailer and borrow, rent or buy a code reader that will tell you what's wrong.

---- Whichever you decide, you won't be able to guess what's wrong, and nobody can help you unless and until you connect the vehicle to a code scanner.

Often it's something relatively simple even though it may be a bit expensive. Oxygen sensors for example can be pricey and you should replace both sides at the same time. On the other hand it can sometimes be as simple as a loose gas cap. The code scanner is a great help and if you intend to do much of your own work it's good to have your own scanner. Scanners can be purchased for as low as $30

I'm certainly NOT a mechanic but .... since the trouble codes are stored in the vehicle's on-board computer I doubt that there IS any way to retrieve them without a device and a program that can "read" the car's computer.

Yes you can! I drove one of my vehicles for over seven years with that stupid light on, and every time I had it turned off (5 times), within five miles of leaving the mechanics it would come back on. Finally a mechanic told me the timing belt was off a couple of notches, and he was right. It's now fixed and that stupid light never caused any problems with the performance of the vehicle and am still driving it today. It's a 1998 Ford Contour. R/Dave

the answer is yes and no if the washer fuse is blown then that would be the first thing to check in that circut, and no the chech engine light only comes on when computer monitered circuits are involved not accessories such as windshield washers you will need to scan the cars ecm in order to pinpoint what controled circut is out of parameters