My '96 Ranger is either missing or having some other sort of electrical shorting. When driving over 30mph it will sporadically sound like the engine has turned off and will lose speed for a few seconds. Then it will "turn back on" for a few moments and be ok until it happens again. When I come to a stop it dies. I start it up and get going and it will drive the same way I described. Now the check engine light has come on.
What's the most common reason for the check engine light to come on?
What sort of information would I get from running computer diagnostic check to the on-board diagnostics (OBD-II port)? Is something like CarMd worth getting or is there something better (cheaper)?