check engine light?

2003 FORD TAURUS

78,000 MILES • 6 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC

ALAN514

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December 16, 2008

Dear Sir or Ms.:

My wife's 2003 Ford Taurus had the Check Engine Light come on yesterday. I took the car to "Autozone" Auto Parts today and they plugged in their Scanner and checked the Diagnostic Codes for FREE.

It came up with two codes: P0306 and P0316. Autozone printed me out a couple of receipts which had more details on them.

For P0306 it said that there was a misfire that occurred in cylinder # 6. The powertrain control module monitors the crankshaft speed and has detected a misfire condition. Probable causes are: Faulty Spark Plugs, Ignition Wires, or Coil. Vacuum Leak, Injector Fault, or High or Low Fuel Pressure.

For P0316 it said Crankshaft Condition. Probable Cause: Crank Sensor Defective; Check Connector and Wiring to Sensor; Check Trigger Wheel for Damage.

Next I stopped in at a local Auto Repair place and talked with the Head Mechanic. He told me that you can't go by the slips that Autozone provided because they just want to sell parts.

The Mechanic said that I should bring the car in for him to connect to his scanner at $69.99 to pin-point the actual problem.

He said if I actually needed a Tune-up it would cost approximately $180. on top of the $69.99 Scanner price. Other parts for the Crankshaft Sensor would be extra.

I went home and followed the advice from the guy at Autozone; who told me to disconnect my Negative Battery Cable to Eliminate the Service Engine Soon light. That actually worked. I tried turning the car on and off twice and the light did not reappear. Although I did not take the car out for a drive.

Questions:

1) By disconnecting the Negative Battery Cable, did that also remove the P0306 and P0316 Error Codes from the computer in my car??? I do live in Ohio where at this time of year it is either Raining or Snowing. Could the Moisture in the air have caused a glitch to cause the Light to come on and the codes to appear???

2) If the Service Engine Soon light does come back on; what steps should I take? Should I get the Scan from the Mechanic, or should I just get the Tune-up and take a chance that it will fix the problem? Money is very tight and scarce right now, as I am unemployed and just receiving Unemployment checks which doesn't even pay all the bills.

3) The Mechanic said that I shouldn't drive the car if the Check Engine Soon light is on because it can damage the Catylitic Convertor. Is this True??? Although I think I need exhaust work anyhow because I am getting exhaust fumes coming into the car. Another expense later in time, hopefully when I get another job.

OK, your responses and advice would be appreciated. Sorry, since I am unemployed I can not afford to donate any money for a response.

Thank-you.

Alan514

Dec 16, 2008 at 12:51 PM

DAVE H

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firstly ...if your mechanic plugs the car into his computer he will only get the same codes as autozone did ... so he will only replace the parts autozone have told you about .. the crank sensor ... the misfire code would come from the crank sensor fault .. so they are basically the same fault one repair would fix both .. it could be the wiring on the crank sensor got damp due to weather conditions and this caused the CEL to come on ... if the light has not come back on after you drive it around for a while I would blame it on the wiring and look into that first if it does come back on ?? Lets use this guide to scan the car correctly

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

Please run down this guide and report back.

Dec 16, 2008 at 1:06 PM

ALAN514

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7 POSTS

December 16, 2008

To: Dave H.

Thanks Dave, for your quick response. Sounds like you are sure that if there is a problem it probably is the Crank Sensor or the wiring leading to the Crank Sensor. Just where the heck is this Crank Sensor located at anyhow???

This is the first that I even heard there was such a thing. I tell you, these newer cars are garbage. I wish they would build car back like they did in the 1960's. I am 54 years old and I used to work on cars when I was younger, but pretty much gave that up when they started making cars so complicated.

As I said in my original posting - I am unemployed and my unemployment checks don't even pay all of my bills. As a result I am behind on everything. I am at the point where I am going to have my other car, a 2007 Pontiac Grand-Prix GT Reposessed by the bank and I will have to depend on this 2003 Ford Taurus that I am having trouble with for going on job interviews and also for getting to work when I do get a new job. Plus in the County where I live in Ohio I am required to have this car's emmissions checked coming up in January 2009. So I need this car running with no Engine Check Lights or Codes in a hurry.

Again, Thanks for your Response.

Best Regards;

Alan514

Dec 16, 2008 at 1:40 PM

ALAN514

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December 16, 2008

To: Dave H.

One other thing...

When the Mechanic told me he was going to connect the car to a Scanner, I thoght he meant a different kind of scanner or Diagnostic Electronic Computer where you connect leads to places on the motor to get readings, and not just plugging in a metter to the connector under the dashboard.

Alan514

Dec 16, 2008 at 1:44 PM

DAVE H

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all new cars are controlled by a PCM (computer) every vehicle nowadays tells you where the fault lies by plugging in under the dash ... he won't do any more the autozone did ?? I would be checking the wires to it first before replacing .. but as you can see it's an easy replacement part .. DIY job .. this picture is from a 3.0L 2V let me know which engine you have for another picture .. let me know Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor (3.0L 2V)On lower right front of engine. See Fig. 1 . Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor (3.0L 2V FFV)On lower right front of engine. Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor (3.0L 4V)On lower right front of engine. See Fig. 5 .

Dec 16, 2008 at 2:57 PM

ALAN514

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December 16, 2008

To: Dave H.

Wow, Pictures!

I actually do not know which of those model Ford Taurus' that I have. I know there are no FFV signs on the Fender or Trunk Lid advertising alternate Fuel.

I am sure that it has a 3.0 Liter engine sitting sideways in the engine bay. I am guessing the 2V and 4V designates how many Valves per cyclinder? It is not a "SHO" Model; so I would have to guess it is the 3.0 2V model.

It does have bucket seats and the Automatic Transmission Shifter in the Center Console.

I tried looking on stickers at the front of the engine bay and inside the driver's door, but I didn't see anything that told me anything relative.

I did open the engine bay and standing by the front passenger side fender I saw some electic wiring and a plastic connector hanging down just to the left of the Serpentine Belt that runs to the alternator and other places.

I couldn't hardly get my hand down in there to even touch it, let alone check connections or change anything. It looks like you would have to practically lift the motor out or drill a hole through the inner fender well to get to it. With it hanging so low to the bottom of the engine I can see why it would get a lot of water on it splashed up from the road.

So, I saw this stuff hanging there to the left of the Serpentine Belt, but not knowing what a Crank Sensor looks like, I am not positive about it. Is the Crank Sensor just something that plugs into a wiring harness, or do you have to un-bolt something from the engine?

Thanks for all your help.

Best Regards;

Alan514

Dec 16, 2008 at 4:06 PM

DAVE H

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the actual sensor is where my arrow is pointing .. it just bolts on with one bolt .. unplug the connector that the other arrow points at ..as you can see the connector goes onto CKP

Dec 16, 2008 at 5:04 PM

DAVE H

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This is a picture of the 3.0L 4V .. it also gives you a better idea of where the CKP is actually located ... it sit's almost connecting to the crank pulley ??

Dec 16, 2008 at 5:16 PM

ALAN514

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December 16, 2008

To: Dave H.

Thanks Dave. It's dark out there now, but tomorrow I'll have to take a better look at it. Perhaps if I pull the car up on a set of ramps and then crawl underneath, I can then get a good look at it and an idea if I want to try tackling the job myself or not.

You don't happen to know what a Crank Sensor might cost me do you? $20.? $50.? $100.?

I did call that Mechanic up that I talked to earlier to ask him how much it would cost to replace the Crank Sensor. He told me $100. with Labor. Not too bad, but if I can do it a lot cheaper myself, I'm all for that.

Thanks again for your help.

Best Regards from Akron, Ohio

Alan514

Dec 16, 2008 at 5:19 PM

DAVE H

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trust me when you see it .. you will do it yourself .. it's one bolt and unclip the wire's ... because of where it is, it may just need a good cleaning and check of the wires .. ??

OEM dealer(ford) part price is $45.00 ... you can probably get it a lot cheaper at autozone ..

Book time for labor is 1 hour ??

Hope this helps ... if I helped feedback is alway's appreciated

Dec 16, 2008 at 5:31 PM

ALAN514

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December 16, 2008

To: Dave H.

It will all probably depend on the weather, because I will have to try to do this outside. The weatherman said we have a big storm coming our way.

Thanks Big Time Dave for all the excellent help.

I did try to give you some feedback points, but they said I only had 0.2 points to give. When I typed that in, they said why are you trying to enter Zero. When I removed the Zero and just entered .2, they still asked, why are you trying to enter Zero. But I may try it again though.

Best Regards;

Alan514

Dec 16, 2008 at 6:07 PM

DAVE H

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no problem .. good luck with the repair and the weather .. ... let me know on the outcome of the repair either way

Happy xmas and a good new year 2009

Dec 16, 2008 at 6:12 PM

ALAN514

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7 POSTS

December 24, 2008

To: Dave H. and anyone else interested in my story:

After originally having Codes show up saying that I had something wrong causing a Misfire on Cylinder # 6 and also something wrong with my Crankshaft Sensor (Not to be confused with the Camshaft Sensor) - I disconnected the negative side of the battery to get rid of the "Check Engine Light" and the Codes.

I ran the car on a trip to Wal-Marts and back home (about a 30 minute trip altogether). This is my wife's car and I noticed she never jumps on the gas at all to give the car any real accelleration and to burn the GUNK out a little. So a few days later I drove the car myself. instead of sitting in the passenger seat.

I floored the accelerator a few times and drove the car up at 60 to 65 a little. I accellerated quickly from stop signs and red lights. I did not baby the car.

All seemed to be running good, with no "Check Engine LIght" showing back up at all. We are in a county in Ohio which requires Emmission testing of Vehicles every two years, and this car was due to be Checked by February 2009.

So while the car was running good I took it in for the Emmissions test. They looked under the car with a mirror, connected their computer under the dashboard to get their readings, and they pressure tested the gas cap.

The results were that the car passed the Emmissions Test in every category. I then went to the License Bureau and purchased my new License Plate Stickers for $49.99.

So I guess the light coming on and the resulting codes was just an accident. I guess I lucked out!

End of Story.

Best Regards and Merry Christmas to All !

Alan514

Dec 24, 2008 at 11:06 AM

GJONES9876

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3 POSTS

Computer problem
2003 Ford Taurus 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

What do I need to check when I was told the check engine code says low fuel pressure?

Oct 24, 2020 at 11:38 AM (Merged)

BLACKOP555

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can you tell me the code that showed up in p**** foramt?

Oct 24, 2020 at 11:38 AM (Merged)

GJONES9876

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The codes are P1131, P1132, and P1151

Oct 24, 2020 at 11:38 AM (Merged)

BLACKOP555

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p1131- lack of upstream heated oxygen sensor switch [ sensor indicates lean bank 1]

p1151-lack of upstream heated oxygen sensor switch [ sensor indicates lean bank 2]

most likely since both are showing lean i would go and clean the maf sensor with QD contact cleaner. dont touch the wires or youll damage them. just spray them with the cleaner. if thats not it check for a exhaust leak before the sensors.

Oct 24, 2020 at 11:38 AM (Merged)

GJONES9876

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3 POSTS

Thanks for your reply, would you tell me where the Maf sensor is located.

Oct 24, 2020 at 11:38 AM (Merged)

BLACKOP555

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the MAF sensor is the mass air flow sensor. it is located right after the air cleaner box on the air hose going to the throttle body.

Oct 24, 2020 at 11:38 AM (Merged)

RAM5ER

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I own a 2003 Ford Taurus V6 DOHC and my check engine light came on. I went up to the local Autozone in order to check the code which was P0141. This code is for the Heated Oxygen Sensor bank 1 sensor 2. I replace the sensor but check engine light is still on. I unplugged the battery and the light went off for about 10 min but it came back on. Went back to Autozone and still had the same code. Does the computer need to be reset by the OBDII scanner or does unplugging the battery reset the computer. Any other suggestions?