*Cringe* Check Engine light on....

shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
Ford SportTrac Forum

Help Support Ford SportTrac Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
M

Matthew McBride

Active Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2003
Messages
104
Reaction score
0
Location
warren, OH
Not sure how this has happened, however, Check engine light is on at 23K in my 2002 Sport Trac. Oil needs changed but I havnt had it out to drive so I havnt did it. It also needs a new battery because the factory isn't holding a charge. Could one of these be causing the problem or is it in the Emissions Control? Help someone!!



-Matt
 
Don't recall if the battery will trigger a cel light but my money is on the dpfe sensor. There is an extended warranty on this part for the '02s.
 


Change the oil, oil filter and replace the battery. You might have to check the code and have it reset. Weak batteries can cause weird problems.



Let us know what you find.



 
23,000 miles on a 2002 'Trac!

You need the completete maintenance package...

Tune-up, brakes, battery,fluids, etc...!

Very low miles for a 'Trac of your age!

Go from there!
 
Lol...I was thinking the same thing Mike. My '02 has right at 70,000 now.

Matt, like Nelson said, go get the code read and bring it back here. This bunch is actually extremely good at diagnosing problems from the codes.

Good luck.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
People think low mileage is good for a vehicle. The opposite is actually true. A vehicle 1 year old with 100,000 miles is better then a 4 year old vehicle with 10,000 miles.





Tom
 
Caymen says:
People think low mileage is good for a vehicle. The opposite is actually true. A vehicle 1 year old with 100,000 miles is better then a 4 year old vehicle with 10,000 miles.
Click to expand...



I understand what you are saying Caymen. Too few miles can be a bad thing, but what is "too few" for most cars, and over what duration (miles per year, or avg per week/day, etc.)?



I could see under 5K miles per year being potentially "too few", but maybe not. It might be too few if driven short trips infrequently. Still, 5K miles per year is about 14 miles average per day? Is that too few? Or, for your 10,000 miles in 4 years example...that's an average of about 7 miles per day...again, is that too few?



I understand how longer trips and more use tend to keep a car "broken in" and "clean", so to speak, but again I ask, what is "too few" miles, and is that per year, month, week?



TJR
 
Last edited by a moderator:
It depends more on how the car is driven, not how much it is driven. However, letting vehicles sit for extended periods without being driven and no precautions taken can be bad. If you're worried about resale, then obviously, lower miles is better. If you're going for collector car status, very, very low miles is wanted. If you're not worried about any of those, then just drive and don't worry about it.



My truck, an '01 with 55,000 miles will have times when it just doesn't want to work because it's been sitting. Many times the rotors look to be made of only rust. The battery will be weak and won't want to turn the motor over. But, even if sitting only overnight, my sticky lowprofile tires will deform and cause a bit of shaking until they return to round (and yes, the air pressure is correct).
 
I have to question Caymens logic on that one also since i have an 02 with just 50K. If that's true how come there is such a big difference if resale for a low mileage vehicle vs high?



Matt. My 02's light came on for the 1st time a couple of months ago. It was the dpfe sensor. got it replaced forr free.
 
TomT-

The reason is that with high mileage vehicles, you've no gurantee that regular maintenance took place. Sure, you could have detailed records showing so, and if you do, that usually helps resale, but even if you followed the book to the letter, a higher milage vehicle will generally require more maintenance over a set period then a new or low milage vehicle.



Lets say you buy a car at 70,000 miles. Well, pretty soon you'll need to change plugs, clean out all the systems (coolant, oil, injectors, etc) tires, brakes, and whatever else. The condition of various original seals and connections won't be as good as before, and are more prone to failure.
 
I understand how longer trips and more use tend to keep a car "broken in" and "clean", so to speak, but again I ask, what is "too few" miles, and is that per year, month, week?
Click to expand...



Based on the average of 12 to 15 thousand miles per year, anything below 12,000 miles/year is below average and above 15,000 miles is above average.



A vehicle that is 4 years old and has 23,000 miles only averages to 5,750 miles a year. Driving just a few miles a day will never get the engine to proper temperature. Last time I did any research on how long it takes to get properly warmend up and the oil cleaned by the PCV system, it is something like 15 miles at highway speed. That would average a minimum of about 11,000 miles a year.



I live in the middle of the city and I still manage to average 18,000 miles a year. Subtract 4,000 miles from that yearly average for vacations, and I still average 14,000 miles a year.





Tom
 
I have to question Caymens logic on that one also since i have an 02 with just 50K. If that's true how come there is such a big difference if resale for a low mileage vehicle vs high?
Click to expand...



People are stupid. I wouldn't think twice about buying a 100,000 mile vehicle that is a year or two old before I would buy an older vehicle with really low miles.





Tom
 
I thank everyone for your comments and help and I will be sure to get back to you as soon as I find something out. Just to comment 20,000 of the miles on the truck were put in in the for 3 years, which is still below average however this is the first year I have barely driven it and the first year for problems. Will keep all posted thanks again.



-Matt
 
Theoretical question to make a point, and pull this topic together:



Had you rather buy a vehicle with, say, 35,000 miles, and no maintenance records,

or a vehicle with 120,000 miles with meticulous maintenance records???

I would prefer the latter! Again, depends on many personal driving habits (I.E.,

one 500 mile trip is better than 100 - 5 mile trips). But you still have the same 500 miles

on the odometer, for overall mileage purposes.

But you have no way of knowing this detail without some kind of maintenance record.

I know, myself, I don't document every 5 mile trip I make, but I do document longer

trips, all maintenance records, etc... Always go with a maintenance record, if available.

And then do the math on the average miles-per-year, and so forth!



 

Latest posts

Top