Check Engine Light

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Majdelboy

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Hi,

I was driving and I just got a check engine light came on. I kept driving without any problems.

How critical is it for me to keep driving it and should I immediate go to the dealer to get it fixed? How expensive will it be ?

Already I am starting to have problems...txs.
 
nope. Find an autozone and pull the code asap. post back in this forum and 50 professional DIYers will give you a diagnoses or some sort of opinion for free.
 
Majdelboy said:
It's a 2000 Lincoln LS V8 non-sport...txs
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did the light stay on or did it blink? If it is still on go to an autozone and ask them to read your PCM. Wriet down the code and post it here as soon as you can without it we can only speculate.
 
I'm in Ottawa, Canada and there is no AutoZone stores here. I will need find if there is an equivalent place here...txs.
 
STOP NOW! DONT DRIVE ANYWHERE! if you drive more than 5 miles with a CEL, you will BLOW UP AND DIE! LOL, just kidding buddy. its nothing to worry about. getting it diognosed is about 100-150 depending on the scruples of the opperator, if you got a good dealer, or its under warrenty, its free...but other than that, whatever the problem is, that could range from...say a cheep thing like a sparkplug that has gone bad, and is causing a misfire or somthing($5) to somthing catostrophic, like the transmission is shot, or the whole bottom end of the motor just dropped out of the car 5 miles back on the highway type of deal...but its best to take it to someone you trust, MAKE SURE YOU TRUST THEM! you can get ripped off all sorts of ways in the car business.
 
just call around and ask if the have a scan tool and will read the pcm for free. AZ in the states does it FOC, free of charge.
 
Canadian Tire (or Crappy Tire) will also pull your ODBII codes for free as well - or at least they used to before I came to the US.

Once you have the code - go here -> http://www.obdii.com/codes.asp

it will tell you what the specific issue is.

many of us have the shop manuals so we can give you some guidance.
 
I had trouble starting mine last week and once I got it going the engine light stayed on. I took it to the dealer on Saturday and they said that the throttle body needed to be replaced. They had to order the part but the car is drivable. It is going in tomorrow to have the work done. My car is under warranty and all work free so it was an easy decision for me to go to the dealer.
 
Will any autozone read the PCM? The autozone stores near me do not have garage bays, they just sell parts and auto supplies.
 
TonyLS said:
Will any autozone read the PCM? The autozone stores near me do not have garage bays, they just sell parts and auto supplies.
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right - but they have a ODBII reader and they come out to the parking lot, plug it in and tell you the code. They can only read the generic codes, can't read the manufacturer specific extended ones.
 
Quik LS said:
right - but they have a ODBII reader and they come out to the parking lot, plug it in and tell you the code. They can only read the generic codes, can't read the manufacturer specific extended ones.
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Thanks for the tip! Good to know when the car goes out of warrenty. Is the PCM connector under the hood? or in the passenger compartment?
 
TonyLS said:
Thanks for the tip! Good to know when the car goes out of warrenty. Is the PCM connector under the hood? or in the passenger compartment?
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under the steering wheel just left of the center console near your right knee cap.. I think that they can at least give you the manuf specific code just not the literal definition but you can always look it up online.
 
TonyLS said:
Thanks for the tip! Good to know when the car goes out of warrenty. Is the PCM connector under the hood? or in the passenger compartment?
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By law - it has to be within 3' of the steering wheel and accessable without any tools. On the LS it's between the steering wheel and center console - just under the lower dash trim.
 
Hi,

After 2 days the check engine light went out by itself. I filled with tank with premium gas..this may have been the problem ?

Thanks for all your help.
 
Well for the crap they pass off as gas here in PA, mine will run on 89. From a dead stop you mash it, you hear two rattles, and it takes off from there. Not as snappy as on 91+, I guess it really only boils down to about $1.50 a tank difference. If I was on a trip, long distance and I was just setting the cruise and driving, I wouldn't put good gas in it. I found out my mileage is the same 25 mpg with 91 or 89. I drove back and forth to Akron OH twice in the last week, kinda a nice acid test. I'm not gutsy enough to try 87... I'd still like to make it home!
 
kleetus said:
Well for the crap they pass off as gas here in PA, mine will run on 89. From a dead stop you mash it, you hear two rattles, and it takes off from there. Not as snappy as on 91+, I guess it really only boils down to about $1.50 a tank difference. If I was on a trip, long distance and I was just setting the cruise and driving, I wouldn't put good gas in it. I found out my mileage is the same 25 mpg with 91 or 89. I drove back and forth to Akron OH twice in the last week, kinda a nice acid test. I'm not gutsy enough to try 87... I'd still like to make it home!
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DON'T!!!!! the engine is designed to run on 91+. it's a $12,000 (installed) engine in a $40,000 car - do not run on less than 91+ octane!!!!

the engineers the designed the LS expressly told us that the car does not have enough adjustment to compensate for lower octane fuel. the couple of pennies you save during the fillup ain't worth it.
 
Fair enough... I know it's taking out timing advance, you can feel that.
 
2000 ls check engine light

I have a 2000 LS and the check engine light is on. I got the generic codes from AZ, then the dealership did a full diag on it. The prognosis is the elbow hose to the pcv valve. Is this a hard fix? They want $500+ to repair. I found a garage that will do the work for half, but they want to do their own diog. Any advice? :Bang
 
You must have a V6...and that is a common problem. You must also be suffering from a lean miss. It sounds very plausable to me.

And if I were a shop...I would insist on my own diagnosis too. That is good for you. If you go in and tell them to replace the PCV hose and it doesn't fix it, you still owe them for the repair because they did just what you told them to do. If you go in and tell them it's got a problem...and they diagnose it as the PCV hose and they replace it...but it doesn't fix it...then it's on them because they mis-diagonosed it.
 
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