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Car Question

  • Thread starter jimscott
  • Start date
  • #21
all very good advice.....based off what i have read...."misfire" points to the ignition system.....does it misfire almost immediately or after you have driven a few minutes? lowest part of the ignition system is usually the crank position sensor(s) which usually tell the computer where your cylinders are/when to fire spark. over time these sensor housings can crack and will cause ignition system hiccups however generally the weather doesn't play a factor in their malfunction.

Car is warmed up and highway driving speed (> 50 MPH)
 
  • #22
I still have an 84 Dodge pickup, just like that, lol. Not that I drive it, with it's epic 8 MPG fuel efficiency...I drive a GMC Yukon XL SLT that gets 14 MPG instead. :D

With 4 catalytic converters the thing is worth more in scrap.
 
  • #23
I'm leaning to getting a tuneup. I've done the Autotune code thing before. That was disappointing. Engine light was on. Turned out to be bad sensors.. attached to the expensive cannister!

I have a 1999 Chevy S10 pickup..the "Check engine light" comes on and off randomly, all by itself..
it will come on, then the computer runs through its cycle, determines nothing is wrong, and the light turns back off..
I have had it checked multiple times, had a few things replaced..I have given up.
I am convinced it is the *light itself* that is defective! the computer..
there is nothing actually wrong with the mechanicals of the truck.

Unfortunately though in NY state your car wont pass inspection if the light is on!
it makes no difference why it is on..Light on = no pass inspection, period.
I think its a scam..I call it the "pay us money for no reason" light..
Now every year when I get the truck inspected, if the light is on, I just wait a few days until it turns back off by itself..
this has been going on for 5 years..

(disclaimer..of course *most of the time* the lights do work properly! and they do actually mean something is wrong! and it should be checked out..but I believe I have a situation where the light itself is defective..I have no other reasonable explanation.)

Scot
 
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  • #24
Mine doesn't have that much in the way of emissions. It's registered in Arizona in a county that doesn't require them, so it has dual glass packs. :)
Also, not worth more in scrap considering the engine is new, the transmission has like 300 miles on it, it's been lifted and has super swamper tires on it XD It was my very first vehicle so I have a little sentimental value in it.

Scotty, I feel your pain there. The Explorer's check engine light was a mystery too, it kept going on and off. I actually reset the light (since it takes a few minutes to come back on) to pass inspection on it. I replaced all the O2 sensors and had all 4 catalytic converters checked on it and it still kept coming on. It ended up being that one of the O2 sensors was defective, a brand new one, and the reason for the fluctuations was it would turn on when the air/fuel ratio would fluctuate. It was truly frustrating. I'm glad to be rid of that truck.
 
  • #25
Doing this warmed up at highway speed when it is snowing (only) makes me thing maybe it's sucking in snow is the problem... Remember, I am not from an area that has snow often and when I do, it's only a tiny bit. :D I would check the air intake system, make sure your air filter is clean and such. A dirty air filter is about the closest thing I can think of from what's said here... really dirty, plus water getting on it making mud and restricting airflow... eh, maybe.
Also, that car may have a heat riser that pulls warm air from around the exhaust manifold into the intake to make the air warmer (we remove them at the slightest look of being in the way or having a tear here :p ) you can check and make sure that system is operating correctly. You have a air sensor inside the air intake, and if the intake air is too cold it puts the car into closed loop mode which means it basically runs with the choke on, that can make it sputter and such just from too much fuel being used than needed.
Good luck!
Andrew
 
  • #26
I got this car from my mother in law, a year and a half ago. She warned me that the engine light goes on periodically and that her mechanic said that it not a problem. The day after I brought it home the light came on and stayed on, even though I replaced the gas cap AND the air filter. Another mechanic assured me that it was a fuel neck that needed to be replaced. I went to the place that did free diagnostics and 3 codes printed out: emission code p0440 p0441 p0446. Each had 5 or 6 possible causes:

0440
Vapor pressure sensor malfunction
Fuel tank cap cracked, damaged or incorrectly installed
Vacuum hose blocked, cracked, torn or disconnected
hose or tube blocked, cracked, torn or disconnected
Fuel tank damaged
Charcoal canister damaged.

0441
Open or short on VSV circuit for EVAP
VSV for EVAP
Open or short in vapor pressure sensor circuit
Vapor pressure sensor malfunction
Open or short in VSV circuit for vapor pressure sensor
Malfunction in VSV for vapor pressure circuit
Vacuum hose blocked, damaged or disconnected
Charcoal canister malfunction

0446
Faulty vent valve
Open, short or excessive resistance on Vent valve control circuit
Blockage of vent valve
Bad PCM

Notice that each code has causes in common with one another.

Then came time for the inspection. I brought the car into a local mechanic and his hand-held diagnostic tool also came up with the same 3 codes. He turned the light off and told me to drive it a 100 miles and come back to see if there really was a problem or not. I came back once and he said that the car hadn't completed its cycle. I needed to drive it longer. I cam back the next day and the engine light was still off. He said that the car completed the cycle and passed me for the inspection. The next day the light came back on again and I brought the car back. Further diagnosing revealed 2 bad sensors. He said that unlike most cars where one could just replace the sensors, this make and model car had the sensors attached to the very expensive canister, which meant that the whole kit had to be replaced, to the tune of $541, parts & labor. We don't have money for that! Still, the car legitimately passed the NYS inspection and eventually (next inspection) needs to be taken care or.

My engine light and new air filter do not appear to be related, nor does it seem to be related to the misfiring. Things seem to strongly be pointing to the need of a tune up.
 
  • #27
That sucks! My old explorer had 3 sensors, two weren't bad to get at, so other than needing a separate $10 socket (split up the side so the wiring can hang out) it wasn't bad...but the 3rd one we had to remove the passenger front tire to get at (same for the spark plugs)...$120 for the sensors and $10 for a socket but it was a lot of work with all the rusted stuff (truck was a 2001).
Replaced them all, and it lasted about a week and a half before the light came back on. I reset the light for inspection and then we moved out of state and no longer needed an inspection the next year, lol.

As it is, my car has Arizona plates and my Yukon has Colorado plates so I don't have to deal with that mess. My Yukon pulled a good one last winter though, I went through the gate at Drum, rolled the window down (electric) to show my ID, and then it wouldn't roll back up. $460 later for a new motor and someone to do the labor, as I suck at electrical stuff.
 
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