Check Engine Light Troubles

I guess you're right--resale isn't too important, but heck I want all I can get out of it. In retrospect, the car has suited me pretty well for the last 9 months. My parents are getting frustrated too, so maybe I can use this as an excuse to trade it off and get the Thunderbird or Mustang that I wanted in the first place.

Buying the Contour was spur of the moment. This is a big deal for my parents because they had never bought a used car before.

The dealer will charge you around $80.00 to check out what codes are stored in your PCM. I'd take it to Autozone and have them try to tell you whats wrong with it for free first like stated above.

Originally posted by bk4293:
The dealer will charge you around $80.00 to check out what codes are stored in your PCM. I'd take it to Autozone and have them try to tell you whats wrong with it for free first like stated above.

He already knows what codes are there.

Originally posted by bk4293:
I'd take it to Autozone and have them try to tell you whats wrong with it for free first like stated above.

Did I st-t-t-t-tut-t-t-t-t-ter???????????

Let them try to tell you whats wrong with it????????

Originally posted by bk4293:

Originally posted by bk4293:
I'd take it to Autozone and have them try to tell you whats wrong with it for free first like stated above.

Did I st-t-t-t-tut-t-t-t-t-ter???????????

Let them try to tell you whats wrong with it????????

Unless you have some super autozone where you live, all they're gonna do is pull the codes and say it's the o2 sensor. He's already done all the basic stuff and knows the codes, autozone can't do anything for him. I always hear about ya'll chicago guys' cars having problems, mine seems to be doin just fine though... hmm what do i know though.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
Possible vacuum leak, PITA to track down... and I've heard about intake manifold gasket leaks on duratecs.

Now that you mention it, last week the snow began to melt and when I parked my car in the garage one night, I heard a hissing noise. I figured it was my front left tire because it had a very slow leak. But looking back, at the rate it was hissing, my tire would have been flat by morning. This hissing happened on two occasions, both wet road conditions.

Is it possible that a hose is cracked or disconnected and the water created the noise? Would a leaky intake gasket make the noise? My tire will stay aired up for a couple days before it goes flat (I need to fix it soon), so I suppose it wasn't the tire.

That hissing noise you heard has nothing to do with the codes you posted.

The conditions you described mean that there is unmetered air going through the system. That means you have a vacuum leak somewhere. A can or two of intake clener spary, sprayed on the intake and vacuum lines, will aid in pinpointing it.

I ordered the parts a few days ago to perform an intake rebuild on the wife's car. Exact same codes but runs fine. The spray indicates a leak in the infamous intake gaskets.

Probably start mine Tuesday or Wednesday provided parts arrive on schedule.

Steve

Originally posted by projectSHO89:
That hissing noise you heard has nothing to do with the codes you posted.

The conditions you described mean that there is unmetered air going through the system. That means you have a vacuum leak somewhere.

What exactly is intake spray?

I will definitely pass this advice on. Should this be the problem, what kind of repair and what cost will most likely occur?

Any other ideas anyone?

Use starter fluid to track a leak down. Depends on what is leaking and if you can fix it yourself as to how much it'll cost to fix.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
Possible vacuum leak, PITA to track down...Most likely something small

Well this morning after work I stopped down at the shop and talked to the head mechanic about what I learned on the internet with vacuum leaks, etc. He said he had already done a good check for this.

When I got home I did the starter fluid check anyway. When I sprayed in the vicinity of the PCV valve (behind the throttle body) I got a slight RPM increase. I found a nice little 1/4 inch cut in the hose that leads to the PCV!

Put my finger over it and the car almost died. Took the hose off and getting a replacement today. I'm hoping this is the problem.

Wow, that's really weird. I also found a cracked PCV valve hose when I recently did the intake rebuild. I had the infamous P0171 & P0174 DTC codes so I ordered the intake rebuild parts from Bill Jenkins and did the rebuild just before Xmas. AFTER tearing the intake system apart I found a crack in one of the PCV hoses going towards the firewall. Very suspicious.

Originally posted by yapper:
Wow, that's really weird. I also found a cracked PCV valve hose when I recently did the intake rebuild. I had the infamous P0171 & P0174 DTC codes so I ordered the intake rebuild parts from Bill Jenkins and did the rebuild just before Xmas. AFTER tearing the intake system apart I found a crack in one of the PCV hoses going towards the firewall. Very suspicious.

Yep, the one going to the firewall. The hose I pulled off is about 4-5 inches long heater hose. I just did the repair yesterday, so I have yet to see if this solves the CEL problem. I really hope it does. Did you replace your cracked hose?

Yes, I did replace this 3/8 inch rubber hose. This hose attaches to the PCV valve and another hard plasic hose which goes somewhere near the firewall. I went to the stealership thinking it was a special hose since it had a slight bend, but the parts guy said it wasn't a Ford part. I think it was damaged/cracked by a "mechanic" when I had my precats replaced in March 2002 ( don't ever let Midas work on your car ... long story). During the intake rebuild (Xmas 2003) I noticed a 19mm socket resting on the ATX. I think it fell down there during the precat repairs and the hose was damaged when somebody tried retrieving the socket. My CEL light came on around August 2002 with P0171 DTC.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya.

Originally posted by yapper:
I'll keep my fingers crossed for ya.

Too late.

On the way home tonight (jan. 2) the cursed CEL came on. My PCV hose repair wasn't the answer I guess. My hose was in very bad shape (cracking), so I think the shop mechanics probably caused the cut when they were taking stuff apart way back when. Oh well, at least that hose is out of my way.

Well, I guess I better get the starting fluid out again and do another check. I must say I'm not in the mood to do an intake rebuild. I am very capable of doing the repair, but I'm busy the way it is.

I'm gonna give the Ford dealership a chance to find something wrong, after that I'm gonna consider the rebuild.

I hope you have good luck with your repair!

Originally posted by S. Nielsen:

Yep, the one going to the firewall. The hose I pulled off is about 4-5 inches long heater hose. I just did the repair yesterday, so I have yet to see if this solves the CEL problem. I really hope it does. Did you replace your cracked hose?

I read the whole post, but did you replace the PCV plastic hose that goes all the way down the firewall?

Due to the fact this hose is plastic it can develop pin holes in it.
You say you replaced 4-5 inches is that just the piece to the PCV? I bet the whole thing is shot.

Mine had a small hole that went undetected, until I played with it and it shattered.
I replaced the whole run with rubber hose.
Ford wanted $40 for the plastic hose

I paid $10 for rubber hose that will last forever.

Originally posted by chongo:

Originally posted by S. Nielsen:

Yep, the one going to the firewall. The hose I pulled off is about 4-5 inches long heater hose. I just did the repair yesterday, so I have yet to see if this solves the CEL problem. I really hope it does. Did you replace your cracked hose?

I read the whole post, but did you replace the PCV plastic hose that goes all the way down the firewall?

Due to the fact this hose is plastic it can develop pin holes in it.
You say you replaced 4-5 inches is that just the piece to the PCV? I bet the whole thing is shot.

Mine had a small hole that went undetected, until I played with it and it shattered.
I replaced the whole run with rubber hose.
Ford wanted $40 for the plastic hose
I paid $10 for rubber hose that will last forever.

I bet you're right. In the process of replacing the 4-5 inches, the plastic hose made some cracking noises which I tried to ignore for moment. I'm still trying to figure out why Ford used a corrugated plastic hose for a vacuum line.

I will probably replace the entire hose now that you mention it. But it looks like a PITA to do. I mean, that hose is halfway down the firewall.

Originally posted by S. Nielsen:

I bet you're right. In the process of replacing the 4-5 inches, the plastic hose made some cracking noises which I tried to ignore for moment. I'm still trying to figure out why Ford used a corrugated plastic hose for a vacuum line.

I asked myself the same question when mine broke...

I had a mechanic do mine, cause it died at the shop.
I would've done it myself. $10 hose $100 labour. grrrrrr.

I had the same problem recently with mine. I brought it to AutoZone today and had them check it. It turned out to be a Bank 1, p0141 Running lean code. He deleted it and It hasn't come back on yet.

Btw, I'm new here, nice to meet you all. My name's mike and I'm a contour aholic. I got mine for Christmas this year (1998 black, GL).

check the linkage under the throttle body the enrichment valve linkage on mine fell off.

Originally posted by GoSox:
I had the same problem recently with mine. I brought it to AutoZone today and had them check it. It turned out to be a Bank 1, p0141 Running lean code. He deleted it and It hasn't come back on yet.

Give it a couple more days. You may be in for a wild ride.

Welcome to CEG.

my car was throwing same codes as yours, because the enrichment linkage fell off, check yours.

Originally posted by yorkie:
my car was throwing same codes as yours, because the enrichment linkage fell off, check yours.

That is not an "enrichment" lingage.

It is the linkage that connects the front bank secondaries to the IMRC actuator. Without it, the front back runners won't open at around 3.5-4K like they are supposed to. The rear bank (Bank 1) is not affected by this failure.

P0141 is an electrical circuit fault unrelated to fuel mixture.

Here is the first step of the diagnostic procedure for a P0141:

H30 DTCS P0135, P0141 and P0155 AND P0161: HO2S HEATER CIRCUIT IS OPEN, SHORTED TO GROUND, SHORTED TO VPWR OR EXCESSIVE CURRENT DRAW

Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) P0135 P0141, P0155 and P0161 indicate a short to ground, open, or short to VPWR in the HO2S heater circuit.

DTC/HO2S Reference List:

DTC P0135 = HO2S HTR-11

DTC P0141 = HO2S HTR-12

DTC P0155 = HO2S HTR-21

DTC P0161 = HO2S HTR-22

Possible causes:

-- Shorts to VPWR in harness or HO2S.

-- Water in connectors.

-- Cut or pulled wires.

-- Disconnected wiring.

-- Open VPWR circuit.

-- Open GND circuit.

-- Low battery voltage.

-- Corrosion or poor mating terminals.

-- Damaged HO2S heater.

-- Damaged PCM.

l NOTE:
On some applications, a vehicle hoist is required to access the HO2S harness.

Visually inspect the HO2S circuit for exposed wiring, contamination, corrosion and proper assembly.

l Were any concerns found during the visual inspection?

Yes
REPAIR any concerns found in the visual inspection. COMPLETE PCM Reset to clear DTCs. RESTORE vehicle. RERUN «Quick Test».

No
GO to «H31».

Steve

try cleaning the MAF sensor. i had the code p0171 replaced both o2 sensors,spark plugs, pcv, air filter and wires. Washed the MAF down with som carb cleaner and then electro wash and CEL has stayed off.

Originally posted by robd:
try cleaning the MAF sensor. i had the code p0171 replaced both o2 sensors,spark plugs, pcv, air filter and wires. Washed the MAF down with som carb cleaner and then electro wash and CEL has stayed off.

Actually, this was the first thing the shop did, way back in September when I took the car to the shop for the first time. Didn't fix the problem unfortunately.

When I visited the shop last week, he was suggesting that a new MAF was the next step. I have a feeling this would cost me a ton of money plus I'm not sure if it would solve the problem. For example, I ended up buying new o2 sensors and it wasn't even the problem!

If anyone has any costs or other info on the MAF I would greatly appreciate it. Could it be faulty?

Originally posted by S. Nielsen:

Too late. On the way home tonight (jan. 2) the cursed CEL came on. My PCV hose repair wasn't the answer I guess. My hose was in very bad shape (cracking), so I think the shop mechanics probably caused the cut when they were taking stuff apart way back when. Oh well, at least that hose is out of my way.

Even though this didn't solve the CEL problem, I must say that my car is starting and idling after start much much better than before.

I am planning to replace the ENTIRE plastic hose soon.

MAFs can be faulty, and they are sorta expensive, maybe you can get one from a junkyard at a decent price.

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
MAFs can be faulty, and they are sorta expensive, maybe you can get one from a junkyard at a decent price.

Do you know an approximate dollar amount? Can't be any worse than o2 sensors!

Originally posted by S. Nielsen:

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
MAFs can be faulty, and they are sorta expensive, maybe you can get one from a junkyard at a decent price.

Do you know an approximate dollar amount? Can't be any worse than o2 sensors!

When I changed my MAF 2 years ago it cost me $270 CAD from the dealer.
Bill Jenkins has it listed as $180 USD.

Did a junkyard search found them for $40 - $150 USD.
www.car-part.com

Originally posted by chongo:

Originally posted by S. Nielsen:

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:
MAFs can be faulty, and they are sorta expensive, maybe you can get one from a junkyard at a decent price.

Do you know an approximate dollar amount? Can't be any worse than o2 sensors!

When I changed my MAF 2 years ago it cost me $270 CAD from the dealer.
Bill Jenkins has it listed as $180 USD.

Did a junkyard search found them for $40 - $150 USD.
www.car-part.com

I thought I needed a MAF once upon a time & priced one at the auto parts store for $68. The guy let me buy it, install it on my car & when it didn't solve my problem, he refunded my money. Problem was plugs in my case.

The install can be handled with common hand tools in about 15 minutes & no crawling around (unless you drop something & it lands under your car directly in the middle where you can't reach it - don't even ask).

To diagnose the MAF, could he just unplug it & let the internal fuel mapping program take over?

Originally posted by TourDeForce:

To diagnose the MAF, could he just unplug it & let the internal fuel mapping program take over?

Quick answer - No.

His problem is the P0171 & P0174 codes, IIRC (this thread has become longggg...). If you disconnect the MAF and operate under the computer's built-in tables, there is no input reference measurement of the intake air charge against which the computer can compare exhaust gas readings. This diagnostic step is useful when there is a gross failure of the MAF, but that does not appear to be the case here.

In my opinion, the MAF is less likely to cause this problem than are the aforementioned air leaks. Air leaks in the intake and vacuum system WILL cause this exact problem.

Steve