check engine codes

my check engine light has been on for over 2 years now, and I have never had the codes pulled, all I pulled was the check engine light bulb because it was annoying. I probably will have about 15 codes by now, so my question is, if I get my codes pulled can anybody tell me what they mean? thanks (i hope) in advance..... Rick

Fire away...

I went to autozone and they read it for me, there were 2 codes, both saying my O2 sensor was bad.. the one behind the 3rd cat, and they charge 68$ for it.. is that a regular price, or has anybody gotten it cheaper? dont know if this makes a difference, 96 3.8 lx

oh yeah, I also wanted to ask if the O2 sensor can cause any problems. Im thinking no, because that was the only thing the code reader said was wrong, and my check engine light has been on for 2 years so it must have been that the whole time. My car is wayyyyy slower than when I first got it in 2002, could it be getting progressively slower because of my O2 sensor? could it have affected other parts of my engine as well which would cause me to lose power? those are my main concerns.

what codes were they...codes can be set from many diffrent causes

Well depending on what the O2 sensors says is the way that the engine is mixing air and fuel. Right now it is probably running very lean, probably not an imediate problem or a completly necessary concern. It would be best that you have the ones that are bad replaced. $68 for O2 sensors is not bad at all. I went to Ford and and they said it was $100 for a new O2. So i think that's pretty good.

i dont remember, I just looked for the paper but couldnt find it.. all I can remember is that it was 2 codes for the 02 sensor and they both said something about B2S2... I dont know if that is useful, so I'll keep looking for the paper he wrote it on. he did tell me that it was the one behind the 3rd cat .

I didn't know that there was an 02 behind the 3rd cat. They might have changed it for 96. If so that would definitly need to be replaced to restore power. I'm not sure about the exact codes or whatever. But was the engien running lean, or did it specifically say that the 02 sensor was bad?

it specifically said O2 sensor. He may have said behind the "last cat" and then I automatically assumed he knew it has 3. But I do think he said the words "third cat".... and I am very hopeful that you are right about it restoring power because now days my car is slower than a hyundai. Id be scared to race a civic and I used to smoke them all the time.... :(

I had a MAF problem which had the same effects as a bad 02 and it was scary slow. It SHOULD cure the problem. No garuntees. But it sounds like a simple replacement of the 02's is necessary. If that doesn't do it, take it to a professional because something it seriously wrong.

what kind of problem is possible with the MAF? I did buy a tornado thingy, and a K&N filter at the same time and installed them together but that was over 2 years ago as well.. I dont remember if it was before or after the check engine light came on, but im leaning towards after. Is it possible that that screwed up the MAF as a result of me doing it wrong?

and oh yeah, it wasnt an overnight thing... the car got progressively slower over the last 1 year. It was still fast for about a year after the light came on.

Mine progressivly got slower and slower, but the light came on very recently and i had it checked right away, cause i like my car running right. I didn't know what was going on. I thought it was my trans. But the light came on had the codes read and the guys at autozone was an avid thunderbird guy that had had the same problem.

hmmm... I have always kinda thought my trans was the problem. Maybe Im lucky and the O2 sensor is the only problem. But with my luck its the O2 sensor AND the trans, lol. No, I actually have pretty good luck, so maybe this O2 sensor which has been bad for 2 years is the root of all my slowness. lol. lets just hope so. Im crossing my fingers. OH YEAH... how much does it cost to have the O2 sensor swapped? Do they have to cut and weld my pipes? I cringed when he said it was behind my cat. it seems expensive.

no it should be expensive at all. The 02 sensor merely screws into the pipe. All they have to do is cut the wire and reconnect the new one. Pretty easy actually, and could possibly be done in your driveway with some simple hand tools. But i have never dealt with the 02 sensors on Fords. But i am almost certain it wouldn't take more than an hour for a professional.

Yeah I thought that i was gonn ahve to drop a ton of money to fix my trans. But i figured i would wait until i replaced the MAF. And the lean conditions must have been causing trans shuttering and such. So i was very relieved.

I changed my O2 sensor on the cat in about 30 minutes or so just make sure u have some wd-40 close by

cool

Well The O2 Codes Could Be An O2 Sesnor, A Vaccum Leak ,a Mass Air Flow, Or A Rich Condition...the O2 Behind The Cat Does Not Effect The Way The Car Runs It Only Gives The Computer An Idea How The Cats Are Working The Front O2s Contro; Fuel And Air Mixture, They'll Be The Problem Childs...if You Buy Them From The Dealer You Unplug On And Plug In The Other Its Pretty Simple And There About 100.00 But You Will Need A Jack And Some Jack Stands And A 7/8 In Wrench Good Luck....if You Buy Them From The Dealer Get The Calibration Code On Your Driverside Door Jam To Get The Correct One

I just got finished with code probs... I noticed that almost a year ago.. at approx 3k rpms.. it felt like there was a governor on the engine...but once warmed up it ran fine.. this problem was there even when in Park.. not just in gear... I was told that the TPS was bad.. replaced it..and nothing good came out of it... then codes were read and said both banks were running lean... read a reply in here about another with the same prob... and was suggested to replace MAF... so I did from my Advance store... (cheaper than AutoZone here) After replacing 3 of 4 Oxy sensors... I changed out the MAF and...Viola!.... its like new again.. no more hesitation at 3k rpms..... I had cleaned the MAF completly and it didnt matter... replacing it was the answer. I also changed out plugs.. and wires.


91k miles... 95TBird 4.6 V8

so even though the code reader told him O2 sensor, it could be something else? If I found those codes, or had them checked again, would you be able to tell if it is the MAF, vacuum leak, or what not? or do I just have to guess and check? Heres another thing, I dont know if its related or not, but smoke comes from under my car, at just about my 2nd cat... Its not thick, its almost like steam, but I can see it coming out from under my car when I sit at a red light. Oh yeah, and one more thing, sometimes when I start my car it idles at about 1300 RPM, then drops to 1100 after a few seconds, then stays there for about another 10 seconds and then really slowly drops down to about 900 RPM... the whole process takes just under 30 seconds. It used to always idle at 800. Ive noticed this before, a long time ago, but it would only take about 2-3 seconds for it to idle normally, so I figured that was okay.

my check engine light has been on for over 2 years now, and I have never had the codes pulled, all I pulled was the check engine light bulb because it was annoying. I probably will have about 15 codes by now, so my question is, if I get my codes pulled can anybody tell me what they mean? thanks (i hope) in advance..... Rick
hi, send me the cade and i will let you no on them, paul

send me the codes and i will let you no what they are, paul

hi, i have a 1987 ford thunderbird with a 3.8 v 6 when i drive down the street the car jurks, on the egr valve is a evp senser when i check the volts on it with the car off but the key on the volts say 6 volts but with the vac hose off it runs super, i put a new evp on it and the same thing. it did not make any diffrince, the code 31 came up. says low volts,under the water buckit is a air blead valve that lets off the vacum from the egr valve, and i changed it to but the same thing, jurk, could it be the computer problum, thanks paul