Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Check engine light :-(

Today when I started up my 96 Contour GL (Zetec ATX) the check engine light refused to go away. I tried to restart the car but still the same thing. I read in the manual that the light indicates some problem with the emissions.

I know I have to get the car serviced or something but what do I expect?

I'm only 17 hehe so I don't have much experience with these things. Oh by the way, I check all the fluids and oil, they are okay. I might change the motor oil. Also, I checked the FAQ's and couldn't understand what its saying.

Thanks

Its not necessarily anything with emmissions. When my `96 threw its CEL the other day it was due to a misfire. I have also had it for bad O2 sensors (lean condition).

From what others have said, AutoZone will pull your codes for free (I have a friend that does it). Get your codes and post them here, quite a few people can tell you what they mean (myself included).

Mine just threw an emissions CEL and it turned out to be the gas cap not sealing properly...go figure :rolleyes:

Hehehe, mines been on for a good... 50k miles no problems yet.. maybe I should get it checked out??

gladiator,

Try disconnecting your batteries Negative ( - ) terminal for about 5 minutes.
This will clear the computer.

When you reattach the battery cable, start the engine and let it idle until the cooling fan comes on.
Make sure all of your accessories are turned off, like your Heater, A/C, defroster, lights, etc...
This allows the computer to re-learn how to idle the engine.
Now you can go out and drive it again, and see if the light comes back.

If the light comes back right away, you definitely have a malfunction.
It can be something as small as a leaky gas cap to something bigger.
Depending where you live, you might be able to meet with a local CEGer and get your codes read, if they own a scan tool,
or try stopping by a Pep Boys or AutoZone and ask them to read the codes for you.

Don't buy anything until you come back here and tell us what they told you.
We wouldn't want you to buy anything unnecessary.

I have had mine on and off for over a month now, i havent noticed anything not wrking or anything, so i figure im fine. haha...

Thanks big time. I'm amazed by the amount of responses.

I will try that computer rebooting technique tomorrow first thing. I live in Queens NYC, so any CEGs out there that are willing to help?


First let me try that, also do Pep Boys and Autozone pull codes out for free? Because there are quite a few of them around my area. I mean I see the charts for the error codes in the FAQ section. Okay time to sleep. Thanks all

Yay, I did the battery disconnect this morning. Now the light is off, just out of curiosity why would it be on since I changed my battery around 3 months ago.
Anyways, so far so good I went out for a 3 mile drive after the cooling fan went off.

Thanks a bundle and I will keep you guys updated.

Last week I got my 9th CEL in the last 6 months.

As with all the others, the gauges read normal and the drivability remains constant. The CEL has stayed on for anywhere from a few restarts in the same day to 9 days.

Bad thing is the car is due for emission testing next month so I'm going to be forced to have it checked. I still think its a faulty gas cap or fuel inlet tube sleeve. Whenever I unscrew the cap to the first stop, I no longer get that hissing sound.

It will take a few days (drive cycles) for you to be certain the previous fault was just a momentary glitch. Don't be surprised at all if it comes back. If it does, just go to your nearest AutoZone (or equivalent), ask them to pull the codes for you, take note of all the codes that are shown, and come back here. Only then will we have the vaguest idea what you're up against.

And yes, the gas cap is indeed part of the emissions system.