1991 Ford Crown Victoria-help

alledan

My son has a 91 crown vic. with the 4.6 v8. The car now has 98K on it. The other day the "check engine light came on. The times that it does come on is sporadic-any thing from 5 minutes after start to 30 minutes after.

I was wondering if anyone has had experience with this type of problem with this make and model and what can i do at home to fix it?

Palantirion

My advice is to take it to a trusted mechanic who can electronically diagnose the problem. The warning light could come on for a hundred different reasons; one might be that the warning light circuit has a problem, or your O2 sensors might be shot, or it might detect an incorrectable fuel/air mixture problem, etc., etc. All the warning light tells you is that a code has been sent to the car's CPU by a warning sensor somewhere in the car.

A properly equipped mechanic will have the hardware to read the code, and be able to tell you exactly what the CPU thinks the problem is. From there he can use his mechanic's sense to tell you what the real problem is It's worth the money (about $70 here in CA) to have the problem diagnosed properly . . . OR you can get your own diagnostic machine (hand-held device from: http://www.autoxray.com/index.htm) for $449. Depending on how many repairs you plan to do and how good a mechanic you are, the latter might be a serious option.

If you want this amateur's diagnosis I'd need a bit more info on the car, namely: What, if any, characteristics have changed since the light started coming on? Examples of things to consider: Does it use more gas? Pull to one side? Make any new noises? Have you installed any new equipment or had any repairs done? Are the engine and tranny oils clean and at the proper level? Coolant? When was the last time the O2 sensors were replaced? Does the light stay on, or turn on and off?Have the fuel injectors ever been cleaned?

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Edited by - Palantirion on 09/08/2002 07:49:55

nord

Most likely the O2 sensor.

Nord

barto

more likely than that its a ford.
flame away!
barto

the hard stuff we do right away - the impossible takes a little longer

nunn

Buy a new gas cap. Really.



SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net

duckhunter

NOT TO WORRY. MY 91 'VIC HAS 325,000 MILES AND STILL DOES GUN SHOWS.

I WOULD RATHER BE DUCK HUNTING.

alledan

I'll try re4placing the gas cap and se if that has any effect along with checking the fuses. I should say i will have my son do that. He get miffed when i try to fix something of his.

If it is one of the sensors then we will take it in to the mechanic for that part.

Funny tho-the car runs great!

doomsknight62

One of my friends owns an old Crown Vic- same year as your son's. His light came on around the same time ( 98k ) but it is still on. His car has over 150,000 miles on it now and he never experienced any problems. But hey, cars vary- if you're worried, take it to a mechanic!

" God is in His Heaven, All is Right in the World. "

alledan

I checked the gas cap and it still maintains good pressure. I also checked the fuses and all are OK.

We took the car to a local mechanis who has a long term good reputation and he checked the system on his computerized diagnostic unit.

He found that the EGR port in the manifold was blocked with carbon. He cleaned the port out and replaced a gasket and the light is off and everything looks good.

The cost wasn't bad either-$105.00 for everything compared to huge prices at the dealers 2X-3X!