The SERVICE ENGINE SOON light came on today on my '03 Mountaineer Premier AWD V8 with 47K miles. The book says it's related to emissions. Oxygen sensor?????
What do you guys think is wrong and what is a fair repair cost? Also, I need to drive to Cleveland on Tuesday (about a 270 mles round trip)...can I drive it with the light on and get it fixed later in the week?
You can drive coast to coast with your CEL on, or break down on the way to the neighborhood grocery store, because there are at least 500 ways things can go wrong. Most likely it's indeed, related to emissions. Simply because just about any misbehavior of your engine will cause increased emissions. Your user manual probably mentions checking that the gas cap is tight (some models have an indicator light just for that, not sure about yours). If you found it loose, tighten it, and if that's what caused the CEL to turn on, it will be off on its own in a few days of driving. If you are in a hurry, you can disconnect the battery for a few minutes, which will turn the CEL off (and wipe the diagnostic codes from the computer as well...). If the problem persists, it will be on again. I usually advise people to have the codes pulled and post them here, to seek guidance in doing their own troubleshooting. But seems that you are not mechanically inclined, so it won't matter much. If your gas cap is not loose, go to a professional. That's about all I would offer.
Good Luck
Thanks for the suggestion. I disconnected the battery and reset the computer. And after 500 miles, the light STILL has not come back on! Interestingly my wife bot gas last week (just before the light came on) which she rarely does. So perhaps she did not tighten the gas cap and this was the cause of the (now reset) light. Thanks again for the suggestion.
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