Blinking check engine light

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Andy Szkutak

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Ok, i was at a party, and was showin off my neons-i had it on accessory for like an hour when i decided to leave, i fired hger up,.... i noticed it was stumbling to keep rpms...when i started going, the check engine light came on and began flashing.. i noticed a loss of power, similar to my last weeks misfires,but worse...when i got home, i noticed part of the exhaust was glowing red/orange....could my batttery have been worn down to muh to keep power? s i drove, it was putting...like a miss or backfire-quite loud...what does a blinking cel mean? and any ideas what this is?? Thanks Andy:(
 
That is a tough one.



Let me see if I can help you. I am going to try to use some past experiences.



Way back in 1997, I got a 1980 Mercury Zephyr with about 250,000 miles on it for a girl I was dating. The car cost me $100.00. I did a tune up and replaced the plugs, wires, cap, and rotor. I took it for a ride, everything seemed OK. I hear a loud ticking noise under the car. I looked underneith and the catilytic converter was bright orange. After some research, I figured out I had two plug wires mixed up. The converter was getting blasted with unburnt fuel and it was causing the converter to heat up. Switched the wires and started it back up. After a few minutes, the converter cooled off enough and it was no longer orange.



So, I am going out on a limb here, but I think you have eother a wire or two mixed up, or a plug or two is bad. Take it to Autozone and have them check the codes. You can also invest in a code reader and check the codes yourself.



Before you do anything, check the wires. The coil pack should be labled to which plug the wire is suposed to go to. I mis-fire is easy to diagnose with the OBD-II system. If you get any of these codes, it will tell you what is going on.



P0300-Random/Multiple Cylinder Misfire Detected

P0301-Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected

P0302-Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected

P0303-Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected

P0304-Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected

P0305-Cylinder 5 Misfire Detected

P0306-Cylinder 6 Misfire Detected



Check that clinder to make sure the plug is in good shape or if it needs replaced.



I don't what you had done to it when you had the original misfire, but I would start there.





Tom
 
Basically you have extra fuel being burned off at the converter. Could be a few things. Wire plug issue as mentioned above. Stuck open injector, coolant temp sensor either unplugged or stuck on cold, (Acts like a choke when cold or unplugged), or a bad fuel pressure regulator.



You need to get the code pulled to get a better idea on where to head to get it fixed.



Post the code, we will steer you in the correct direction..
 
I had new plugs and wires put in about 2 weeks ago..i had a misfire problem on cylinder 6, and it was found that a bad plug was put in. I had a new plug put in, and no problems since. This is very random...I've prolly put over 1000 miles on these wires and plugs so far, why would it happen all of a sudden?



I'm on my way to my local mechanic..



Thanks

Andy
 
A glowing exhaust pipe means extreme temperatures. Usually it is an indication of a lean mixture which provides plenty of oxygen. A plugged cat usually has a lower temperature after it, not higher.

It definitely is not good to run it that way. As said earlier, read out the codes to determine where to start looking.



I don't believe that draining the battery is the culprit. If it is it has to be caused by something that runs in the accessory position that is associated with he OBDII sensors. Nothing comes immediately to mind.



Did you try to shut off and then start the engine again? Sometimes these computers do strange things that seem to reset after an ON/OFF cycle. Not usual, but it does happen.
 
A converter that gets saturated with excess fuel will turn orange...if you had a loss in power, the fuel might not have getting burned in the cylinders....
 
I appreciate all the help. Mike, yes i did try to restart the truck several times. It drove fine all day yesterday, just when i went to leave my friends, it was missing. No performance issues prior to this. It's in the shop now, unfortunately theyre closed sundays, so it wont be looked at till monday morning.. My mechanic did say that if the cats are shot, it will be close to $1000 for replacements... I'm hoping thats not the case. Ill keep you all posted.



Thanks

Andy
 
If it is a bad cat, You can remove them all and put in 1 high flow cat, should run about $250.00.....



autozone by you??? They can scan it and let you know the code.. It sounds like there is something else going on in that truck...

Todd Z
 
Also, if you are under 80K miles, cats are still covered by Ford.



Ford covers all emission control related devices to 80K

 
Todd, my mechanic runs the scanner for me for free, since i go to him for everything lol..What are the advantages of a high flow cat? any problems possible? How do iremove them all? put piping in? Theres definitely something dumb goin on on this truck...EVERY WEEK i have a new problem..i'm 18 years old, makin $7.50 an hour..this is ruining me...i gotta find the ultimate source of the problems...how do i make an application for a lemon vehicle? i might b close to the requirements....:(



Andy- I'm at 105k, so that warranty wont help me....i dont understand if they say cats should last the life of the vehicle, they should give them lifetime warranties...





Thanks for all the help..



Andy
 
Andy,



You would to have an exhaust shop cut out the old ones and install a new one..

There would be no issues with just 1 cat, the high flow just works better...



I here your issues, But i still feel the mechanic mis diagnosed the truck and that is the start to all the problems... It sounds to me like this guy is just changing parts and doesn't know what is truly wrong..

Todd Z
 
Well Todd, i'm starting to agree with you. I dont have money or time to keep messing around with this guy if hes gonna keep not fixing it... If it doesnt fix it this time, we're gonna go to another shop from now on... My dad and i could change 6 spark plugs and wires by ourselves if we wanted to, and somehow a certified mechanic cant get it right two times????:eek: If its the cats, i will definitely consider the high flow...does that increase mpg or hp?



Thanks again....i'll give an update on the damage tomorrow..

Andy
 
If you are able to do the plugs and wires yourself, why do you subject yourself to the mercy of a mechanic?



I would not be worried about the cats. It takes more then that to plug them up.





Tom
 
Yes, power and MPG will go up a tad.



As a last resort, I would be tempted to take it to a dealer for diagnosis. Most (emphasize, MOST) dealers are pretty good at finding out everything wrong on a vehicle, mainly because they will want an outrageous rate to fix it.



You could take it in, pay a diagnosis fee and let them tell you whats up. If you are comfortable with the repair, do it yourself. If exceptionally involved, you may want to bite the bullet and leave it there for repair.
 
Caymen, i dont have patienece or time to do the plugs, but i would have if i knew this was the case... Also, thats good that the cats are made stronger than that lol...hopefully he just messed another plug up! But what i dotn get is why it worked and drove fine for almost 2 weeks, then misfired...



Thanks

Andy
 
I guess I just cant justify taking my vehicle to a mechanic, wait for him to complete the job, then charge me. I could do it myself for 1/10th the cost and I can spend time at home doing it.



...and then I know it is done right.





Tom
 

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