Newcomer

[PHolmes]

Hey all,
I'm a shade tree mech. I bought a 2000 Mountaineer for a farm truck hoping to fix it up and keep it going. I'm new to the forum world, so I'm not sure how to navigate them too well. I'll have a lot of questions, and I will do my best to post findings and offer what advice I can. Looking forward to interacting with the Explorer community. Thanks, PH.

 

[Turdle]

Welcome to the forum!

The best advice I can throw in at the beginning is, do not do what I see a lot of people do. Instead of trying to get rid of Computer stuff in the engine bay , work with it and learn from it. If you have a check engine light displayed, fix the issue, and do not ignore it.
If you are a true shade tree mechanic, you will need to find a good way of scanning and monitoring the system. Put this into your tool budget. There are several good choices out there, price usually goes up with ease of use-convenience.

Also, if you have 2 keys now, go get another cut so you can make yourself a 3rd key. Making the 2nd key cost quite a few dollars. 3rd one can be made ( programmed) with the car once it is cut . loose the keys and your ride is a paperweight until it is towed to a dealership.

 

[PHolmes]

I have an OBDII code reader that I use to get a place to start when it comes to troubleshooting. I am saving up for a decent scanner to read ABS and trans codes as well. I Had thought about the keys, and you're right it cost $70 to get a spare. Thanks for the advice, I'm open to any you have.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! The ELM327 is an option instead of getting an expensive scanner. You could link it to a laptop/netbook computer or a smartphone.