Check engine light is off!?

Or if you have an alarm system getting the shit scared out of ya when you re-connect the battery. Gets me evrey time even though I expect it. :-P

Dave

Reply to
Dave Sibbett
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My stereo is disconnected anyway. ;-)

I've attached it to the damned car with duct tape, which is all I have right now. Taken the car on several short drives today, and no CEL...so far. The true test will be if I can get through today and tomorrow without the frickin' thing coming on!

I'm wondering; will the car pass smog if I reset the computer right before the test? And the light doesn't come back on?

Cindy

Reply to
Cindy

Maybe I attached the valve wrong, I don't know, but the light came back on. :-(

First I taped it to the white plastic thing, then I looped some more tape around the hose to another hose directly above. Went along time before the light came on, but still it's baaaaaaaaaaaack.

Is there a trick to it or something???

Cindy

Reply to
Cindy

I used a wire tie to hang it from a hose above it. Have to be careful if you do that cause when I did it the blk hose/red stripe came in contact with the metal part of the heater hose going into the firewall and it melted hole in it. I just put a piece of duct tape over the hole till I get a replacement hose.

Dave

Reply to
Dave Sibbett

"Cindy" wrote in news:DHMqc.34614$5a.28560@okepread03:

I'd reset the computer right before you take it in for the test. If they measure actual emissions off the tailpipe, then it is what it is. However, if they just peek inside to see if the CEL's lit, then you've got a good chance of passing.

All this is just a stopgap though. You probably need to find out what the real problem is regardless. Worst case, you can take it into a dealer and let them run diags on it..

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

uiver33.dsl.mindspring.com...

Reply to
Joe

I'm not sure which CA county Cindy is in. If she's in a Smog II county, then I suspect resetting the ECU right before a smog test will leave her with an ECU that hasn't completed the necessary number of driving cycles to positively pass a number of the OBD II diagnostics. Just a thought.

I'm pretty sure that you simply won't pass a CA smog test today with a lit CEL and it's a waste of time to try it.

Yup. I guess I've been lucky that every time I've addressed the apparent direct cause of a CEL, the light has gone away not to return prematurely.

Dana

Reply to
Dana Myers

Cindy,

How did you obtain the trouble code originally?

JP

Reply to
JP

Had my usual mechanic pull it on one of those $100 readers and a friend of his pulled it on his $5000 reader the first time. Both came up with P1443.

Cindy

Reply to
Cindy

Anymore good news? ;-)

I'm in Humboldt County, btw.

But what if it's not lit at the time?

I'm not looking forward to involving the...DEALER! *shiver*

Cindy

Reply to
Cindy

Dave, I just noticed the valve came away from the plastic thingy again and is hanging only from the hose above. Maybe it really needs that surface attachment? Okay, I'm grasping here. ;-)

Cindy

"C> > > > >> > > > > > >

Reply to
Cindy

Just wondeing if the continuous memory only was cleared, leaving the KAM alone. Disconnecting battery to clear Continuous Memory, will erase the Keep Alive Memory (KAM) information which may cause a driveability concern. Also, do you know if a wiggle test was performed?

JP

Reply to
JP

What kind of driveability concern? Since disconnecting the battery for half an hour, when I put the car in park (automatic), it dies before I can turn the key off...

Wiggle test? Uh, no. I did it myself...which looks like I really need to talk to a dealer. :-(

Cindy

Reply to
Cindy

Ah. Another one of the many beautiful parts of CA. My sister lived in Miranda for a few years back in the mid 1970s. Beautiful place.

Then you won't be failed for having it on :-). Though I wonder about making sure the car has had enough driving cycles for the all of the monitors to be valid in the ECU.

Dana

Reply to
Dana Myers

Whoa - are you saying that after you reconnected the battery after having had it disconnected for 1/2 hr, the car dies when you put it in park? Does it hold an idle while in drive with the brake on?

After the memory is cleared by cutting power for an extended time, the computer has to relearn everything. But it certainly should at least keep the car running! Sounds like there's something real odd going on.

What's your mechanic say about all this? Has he offered to fix it? Have you asked him to fix it? _Can_ he fix it? If not, it may be time for a visit to The Dealer.

Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC

"Cindy" wrote in news:vu7rc.38974$5a.23657@okepread03:

Reply to
Joe

Let's back up for a second, Cindy..... seems to me I recall some discussion about the gas cap a llloooonnnnnggggg time ago - you aren't saying you blew that off as a rant, are you?

Reply to
Jim Warman

Like Joe said, the computer has to relearn all values, fuel mixture is just one. Which could cause stalling.

Did you check the voltage on the purge flow(PF) sensor circuit with the engine running?

Some possible causes: for p1443

Reply to
JP

Actually...um, yes. Why? Because several people told me (including a mechanic) that that wasn't the problem. And it seemed too easy to me, too. In hindsight, though, why not try the easiest fix first...

You'll be pleased to know I'm going to check the cap today. My step-son has a '98 GT so if they caps are interchangeable, we'll try it.

Cindy

Reply to
Cindy

As far as warranty repairs go, fuel caps are the number one item for being faulty. Ford offers dealers an adapter that works with a rad pressure tester for diagnosing cap failures through the Rotunda Tools program.... while not a required tool, it saves time by testing the part with the most failures before breaking out the smoke machine and searching the system for tattletales.

TSK TSK....... consider yourself thoroughly chastised 8^)

Reply to
Jim Warman

I fill mine till the pump shuts off automaticaly, never top off.

My symptoms are the same as Cindy, I get on her, and WHAM, I get a little glow for about 60 miles till it clear sometimes it will take a week to clear out again. Kate

| > Cindy | >

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Reply to
SVTKate

Just had the same problem come along with a 2002 GT, gas cap was unable to seal properly causing fuel flow delivery problems. CEL and ECM failed to clear after 20 or so starts. Dealer ran diagnostic on it and discovered the cap was damaged. Apparently the cap is designed for each model year.

Reply to
Mr. Ford

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