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check engine light

louie52398

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June 20, 2002
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City, State
IN
Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 xlt
i have a 97 xlt and the cel came on a couple of weeks ago. i took it to a shop they charged me $40 and told me that it had misfired once but it was running fine now and they reset the cel. on my way home, it came back on. took it back and they can not find anything wrong. they reset it again. but it came back on again and stays on. it runs fine and when the cel came on, it ran fine (never misfired). any idea?
 



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Maybe its the DPFE?! Mine triggered the CEL but didn't cause it to run bad. Once in a while...crusing at like 25-30...it would feel slightly jerky, but not all the time. Just an idea.
 






i'm thinking o2 sensor
 






You have an OBD II system; run a scan and see what code(s) it shows.
 






When I was troubleshooting my EGR and DPFE problems with my scanner, I pulled an engine misfire code TWICE during all that.

I haven't had a CEL since I replaced the DPFE.

-RB
 






For $40 you could have bought your own code scanner and pull the codes yourself.

Thats the only way to go, then just think if it ever happens again, you'll already have the code puller!!

The code puller is a must for any X owner..most places charge $100 minimum just to pull the codes, what a joke!

Instead of guessing and throwing $$ at it, pull the codes and start there, usually the codes are dead on and tell you exaclty what is wrong. The CEL was designed for emissions purposes, usually when it comes on it is an emissions related problem (EGR, 02, MAS, etc...)

Good luck!
 






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Originally posted by 410Fortune
For $40 you could have bought your own code scanner and pull the codes yourself.

Thats the only way to go, then just think if it ever happens again, you'll already have the code puller!!

The code puller is a must for any X owner..most places charge $100 minimum just to pull the codes, what a joke!
. . .

I have yet to see an OBD-II scanner for less than $139. My local Ford dealers charge $72 to read the codes, my local mechanic charges $40, Autozone reads the codes for free. I have the AutoXray OBD-II scanner so I read my own.
 


















need some help:
on the electronic vacuum regulator i tested the voltage and it was fine. tried testing the resistance, and got 300 ohms instead of 26-40 (not sure i am testing it right)
on the dpfe, i found the wire that gave 5 volts, but am unsure of which of the other two wires are my sig and gnd wires. any idea how to determine which is which.
 






Hey,

New to Explorers, so please bear with me.

Had the check engine light come on around the same time that miss in the engine appeared. Plugs and wires have been replaced. I was thinking possibly O2 sensor(s?).

I read the article on the MAF sensor and plan on that next, but I was wondering if there's a way to read the Ford codes without OBD-II reader? I believe the answer is "no", but I figured it wouldn't hurt to check before buying one.

Thanks
 






The answer is NO, you had it right.

There some auto parts store's that will run the scan for you for free OR you can purchase an OBD II scanner for about $225.

Keep us posted on your delima.....
 






Thanks for clarifying that for me.

As mentioned above, it pays for itself in the long run.

I'll let you know what turns out to be the problem and better yet, the fix.

Thanks
 






Autozone idiots?

I'm having the exact same problem with my '99 XLT. I've narrowed it down to needing a new DPFE sensor so I started callling around. I called 2 different Autozone's and got the same response. 'DPFE??? Must be a dealer only part. Never heard of it." So...does Autozone employ idiots or is it just in Rochester, NY???
 






They looked at me wierd also, when I asked for the PFE( which is the same as the DPFE except it is for the 91-94). Have the employees look under EGR on the computer. That's where they ended up finding it for mine.
 






i bought my code scanner for $30 @ walmart. No readout, no fancy shmancy stuff, it just beeps in different patterns to let you know exactly whats wrong. It does its job...

-pablo
 






changed out the dpfe and that seemes to of fixed it.
 






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