More issues

[earnbud]

Hi guys , back again im not sure if i have bad luck or what but my vehicle was running pretty fine as of lately other then a pinging sound which i thought was due to bad gas so i put marvel mystery oil in my tank but im not sure how much fuel is in my tank , so i kinda guess well im wondering if i put to much of it in to cause a problem

The problem , after putting in the mmo is was running a little better and i drove a total of 200 miles or so , so the mmo should definitly have gone through the system already , anyways the other day i drove the vehicle in the morning and it was fine but then on the way home my check engine light came on and the vehicle was running a little rough and so i went to autozone to check the codes , not sure of the codes off hand but they said it could be the egr valve , which i just replaced my egr valve , my o2 sensor , maf or my cat , so im not sure whats going on it was running fine and also now its cold out as of yesterday so im not sure if thats part cause to why its running a little different

 

[earnbud]

If that is the cause i have some sea foam , not sure if its better to put it in or not at this point , what do you guys think

 

[team]

get the codes, sounds like it could be the dpfe

 

[earnbud]

already replaced that

 

[Joe Dirt]

Get the codes again. It's all speculation until you get some info... Write them down and post them up before you let the AZ boys sell you any parts...

 

[earnbud]

The code im getting is P0420

On the receipt i got it says explanation : the oxygen sensors moniter the catalytic converters

Probable causes : catalytic converter defection , engine misfire or running condition , large vacuum leak , engine oil leakage into exhaust valve guide seals , piston rings

Now i recall one time i had the check engine go off and the code was for my o2 sensor , but i didnt replace it , not sure if its a mixture of things

 

[Joe Dirt]

Interesting site- not seen this before...

http://www.obd-codes.com/p0420

 

[earnbud]

Should the vehicle still drive pretty good even with this code , like i said i noticed it running a little different but i didnt know if that was due to the sudden weather change from 75 to now like 60's or colder

Like i said i had the check engine light before for an o2 sensor , but didnt have money to fix it and still barley dont


It seems like problems always occur the day before work and i work tomorrow so im unsure on how the vehicle will be tomorrow

 

[Joe Dirt]

Have you noticed it using a lot more fuel or hasn't it been going on long enough? Generally it shouldn't run terrible, but fuel mileage can suffer noticeably.

 

[earnbud]

Well its hard to gauge my fuel due to my gas gauge not working under 1/4 tank , but i dont see much of a difference, unless just a coincidence running a little rough the same time the lights on , its just odd earlier in the day it was fine

The only thing that i did recently like i said was put in the marvel mystery oil in the tank , what if i put to much in or something , could that cause a problem like it being to thick or something

 

[Chadrax]

I had the same code a while back. Find out which CC (Catalytic Converter) it is, and replace it, or if you don't need the emissions test, do what I did, and put a striaght pipe in place of the CC.

Also note that a CC does NOT fail by itself. It fails because of some other cause, fuel too rich, spark plugs worn, etc. Find out why it failed, then replace it.

 

[earnbud]

Well i did notice one thing , first off ive had the vehicle for like 2 months now and theres 172,000 miles on it , well im not sure if the vehicle was sitting for a while or what but i replaced just the spark plugs because i didnt have alot of money and i noticed when taking off the old spark plugs that there was rust on the plugs , so i didnt know if some debris or something got into the engine and could cause a problem , thats why i used the mmo

So im assuming the wires are very old as well but i dont have alot of money so im kinda stuck and now guessing the causes of new problems , i love fords but lately my last 2 fords have had problems and its irritating

 

[deadernie]

How much marvel mystery oil did you add to how much fuel? I think they recommend no more than 4oz. For every 10 gallons. Perhaps too much MM oil into too little fuel has effected the 02 sensor.

 

[Joe Dirt]

If they are the original wires, that can be the cause of the rough running. They can be arcing off each other or the engine.

Don't use the fuel gauge to figure mileage- fill up and divide number of miles traveled by gallons refilled with.

 

[earnbud]

Well if your correct on no more then 4 ounces for every 10 gallons , then i put in to much ,i just checked the bottle and i thought i only put in a little bit but reading it and it looks like almost 8 ounces

So my stupidity which seems to cause most issues , now if that is the cause what do i do , i put in the mmo before driving over 200 miles and that whole driving the vehicle drove fine until just recently and the long drive was 4 days ago and the problem occurred yesterday

As far as the wires , i figured they are old but unsure how old , but i was being told to clean my maf as well and that might help with it driving a little rough , also as of just recently meaning the last day or to once i first start the vehicle it runs a little rough but once i put it in drive and go its fine

 

[Fifty150]

If that is the cause i have some sea foam , not sure if its better to put it in or not at this point , what do you guys think

I think Sea Foam is fine for your peace of mind. But you should not substitute Sea Foam for a needed repair. No "miracle in a can" is going to replace the turn of a wrench.

 

[Fifty150]

Get the codes again. It's all speculation until you get some info... Write them down and post them up before you let the AZ boys sell you any parts...

Local District Attorney's Office got involved. Stores around here are no longer allowed to "read" codes. None of those auto parts stores are licensed repair facilities, and their sales force team is not made up of trained technicians. Essentially, this amounted to consumer fraud since their only interest was to sell you parts, and in some cases, parts you didn't need.

 

[Fifty150]

i didnt know if that was due to the sudden weather change from 75 to now like 60's or colder

Cars run fine in the 60's. Even in the 50's.

 

[Fifty150]

Well its hard to gauge my fuel due to my gas gauge not working under 1/4 tank , but i dont see much of a difference,

Don't use the fuel gauge to figure mileage- fill up and divide number of miles traveled by gallons refilled with.

Don't forget to use the trip odometer. Reset it with every fill-up. And you actually have to fill it all the way up. There is no science to putting in $5 or $10, then figuring that you can drive for a day & a half, or trying to figure out if you can get 250 or 300 miles between fill-ups.

But it sounds like you have a lot of deferred maintenance. Plugs & wires are probably just the beginning. With a car that is 15 years old, plan on putting a lot of work into it. Do real maintenance. Don't go for the tune-up in a bottle. Changing a $10 fuel filter does a lot more good than pouring a $10 bottle of additive into the gas tank.

 

[earnbud]

My odometer doesnt work and i dont have enough money to fill up my tank

Ive already replaced my egr valve , spark plugs , dpfe sensor and radiator

So i know its not gonna be perfect with alot of miles and the age but it would be nice going a few months without issues