Originally posted by james05:
hey thanks for all suggestion one standed out

Improperly seated engine oil dipstick.
don't know how but handle broke off my dipstick just recentely I tried pull it out using long nosed pliers got pushed in more bought a special magnetic tool from sears didnt work etheir my step dad said I can just drop oil pan and will come out so ill do that this week and try replacing seals om injectors fuel filter was just replaced month half ago before trans and we checked for vacum leaks today nothing thanks all for the tips glad weather getting nicer can try work on it some more this week. Pep boys claims they can pinpoint the problems from cel lights but they probality just say what book says so thats last resort..




I've got three suggestions for you.

First, you can possibly just unplug the dipstick tube & get the dipstick out that way. Could save you lots of time & potential leaks if you disturb the oil pan gasket.

Second, if you have checked your vac lines for leaks, sprayed about with Throttle Body cleaner to try & find leaks at the intake & TB, changed your air filter, checked the rigid PCV tube that comes from the front of the engine under the exhaust manifold and around the driver side of the engine, and cleaned your MAF, then your problem may be elsewhere. Do those checks first as they cost next to nothing & may solve your problem.

Third, try unplugging the MAF for a few days to see if the CEL goes away.

I have had a P0171 in my daughters Zetec for months now. The car has been so lean at low rpm that the valves have been chattering. Makes me sad & embarassed to drive it. Yesterday I took it to work for a change & was paying particular attention to the symptoms. Came to an intersection to make a RH turn, traffic was heavy so I had to hit the gas pretty hard to merge. As my foot began its plunge into the throttle, I cringed in anticipation of the horrid abuse the engine was about to take. Then, nearly no rattle as the car lurched through the turn, just a slight chatter at tip in, then it revved up pretty nicely. Checked that a few more times on the way home.

I got home, had dinner, and after the car cooled, I unplugged the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS). This morning I got in the car for my 20 mile commute & the car has run very well with no valve noise, no CEL code. The shifting has been off because of the unpluged TPS & I'm running off the fuel mapping tables in the ECU, but the car was running nicely overall. Today at lunch I'm going to plug the TPS back in to see what difference that makes - just to be sure I didn't disturb something else that fixed the problem. I'm gonna have the TPS checked & replaced if it's got a dead zone in it. I'll update later today...

Must be that jumbly-wumbly thing happening again.