1998 ZX2 service engine sign on, not sure why?

[xitalianacutiex]

Please bear with me as I am new to all of this...

I've tried to search for an answer to my question but I have not really found anything.

Recently I purchased a 1998 Ford Escort zx2 with 55,500 miles on it after my 1995 Dodge Neon had to be junked bc of engine damage. I did a check of the VIN on autocheck.com and everything appeared to be clean. When I went with my father to look at the car everything also checked out. Also, in addition, my boyfriend looked at it, inside and out, and also took it for a drive and commented on how well it drove and how good under the hood looked.

The A/C doesn't really come out cold but that really doesn't bother me bc I am used to not having it anyway. I purchased the car last wednesday and have put about 250 miles on it. On the way home from my boyfriend's house about a half hour into the drive the service engine soon light came on. I checked the temp and it was normal, and I listened to see if I could hear anything, ie a timing belt going bad or any knocking noises and everything sounded normal. I even tried shutting my car off and restarting it a few minutes later but it still came on...

I have a warranty with the car that has a 100 dollar deductible. So, my questions are... Should I bring it back to the dealership and demand they look over my car since I just got it last week?? Or should I just take it to a place and have it looked at under the warranty?

Also, does anyone have any ideas of why the service engine soon light is on???

Thanks.

[robertdlouhy]

take it back to your dealer.they will find the problem and see if its a covered part under your waranty.but they should fix it for free since you just bought it.

[Xtra_X]

Correct me if I'm wrong but you could take it to Auto zone and they will read the OBDII Error code and that should lead you to the issue. It can be as simple as those damn O2 sensors. For the error codes and what they mean and the sensor locations see below:
LINKY LINK LINK
LINK-A-LINK-A-ROOO

[jeffcoslacker]

Before I even read the codes I take them out and drive 'em hard for 20 minutes or so. Real hard. Full throttle, high speed.

My wife's '98 turned on the SES light last year, and I took it out and drove it like I stole it for about 10 miles, and the light went out and hasn't been back.

My Lumina's light comes on about once a year as well, and 5 minutes of 85 mph+ on the highway puts it out every time.

It can be any of dozens of things that turn that light on, but usually emissions are involved. Even not having the gas cap tight enough will narf up the tank vapor purge system enough to key the light.

[Davescort97]

If you aren't having any driveability problems, the most likely source of Check engine light (CEL) is emissions. Take it back and see if they'll fix it for free since you just got it. I had a CEL on emissions and it cost $285 at the dealer and all they did was hook up the code reader and replace a couple mickey mouse emissions components. So, what I'm saying is that the $100 deductible will go a long ways towards solving your problem. It's practically impossible to get your car out of the shop these days for less than $250. If you disconnect the negative battery t erminal for at least 15 minutes it will reset the Check Engine Light. It may come on again, but hey, it's worth a try.