Warning light

Hi all,

I have just bought a 5.0 Mustang LX convertible ( 47K miles- 1990 year).

It all seems ok but a warning light flickers on and off sometimes, intermitantly whilsit driving, the light says "check Engine".

The oil pressure and water temp seems ok- any ideas what the could be?- are these warning lights and their sensors prone to playing up?

Regards

Andy

Reply to
Andy S
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So no one here can help me???- maybe i read the newsgroup title wrong...sure it said "mustang"...

Reply to
Andy S

With no other information it could be anything. If the CEL flashed then a code was stored in the computer. Autozone and other parts stores will pull the codes for free, that would be a good starting place to find out why the CEL lights up.

Reply to
WraithCobra

Thanks for the reply Mike.

I should have added that i live in the UK, so finding a place to do it will probs be a little difficult...Could you tell me some examples of why that warning comes on- could it be something unimportat etc? - the car seems to drive fine.

Andy

Reply to
Andy S

It could literally be hundreds of things. You need to get the codes read & figure out what exactly is setting it off. You can pick up a cheap code reader for $35 on eBay if you want... + shipping. It's a handy tool to have though.

-Mike

-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Full Boar turbo mufflers Hi-speed fan switch

255/60R-15 rear tires Subframe connectors

Reply to
<memset

You can also pull the codes manually by jumping a connection under the hood on the service port and watching the CEL blinks. It's not hard and will get you the same codes, but you will have to search for the instructions. It's been too many years and I don't remember the proper procedures any more.

Reply to
WraithCobra

"Andy S" wrote in news:Ow_5d.1334$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe1-win.ntli.net:

Just for kicks, disconnect the battery for about an hour, then reconnect it. This will clear the computer and possibly the CEL. If it doesn't come back on, forget about it. If it does come back on, time to do what everybody's saying and find out what codes it's throwing out.

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

Reply to
Joe

I would certainly oppose the jumper wire approach. If you get the sequence wrong you can short out the CPU. I did this (twice) before wising up and buying the code reader.

Reply to
ironrod

I've literally done it hundreds of times over the 9 years I owned my '89 GT. It's very simple, costs nothing, and can be used to perform all the functions of a code reader/diagnostic tester.

Reply to
WraithCobra

Hi all,

Thanks for the help and advice- much appreciated.

I will try dissconnecting the battery first as advised, if this dos'nt clear it i'll invest in a code reader, i don't think i'm skilled enought to try the other method, altho it probably works fine. Could some one possiby give me a make or model of code reader that i would need for my Mustang?...Also could anyone reccomend a good (if any) chip upgrade for this system?..I am hoping to increase the performance in the near future. starting with performance headers and exhaust system, free flow filter, and a good rolling road tune up.

Many Thanks

Andy

Reply to
Andy S

A chip on the EEC-IV will not do much good unless you make major modifications. The EEC-IV is plenty adaptive to any minor modifications, and most things can be tuned without the use of a chip.

Reply to
WraithCobra

take it to auto zone and get a Free check engine light test.... then come bck with the numbers that are stored and post them.. and someone might be able to tell you what is wrong with the car....

Reply to
dbird

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 20:25:08 +0000, dbird rearranged some electrons to form:

Being a 1990, you can get the codes yourself with a piece of wire.

Reply to
David M

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