Need help "engine light" came on!

Hi i drive a 96 ford escort lx 2 dr 5 spd

I was driving doing nothing out of ordinary when suddenly the check engine light start to blink.....it blinked for like 20 seconds or so then it turns to a solid orange.....so i pulled over to the side and stoped the car.

I waited a min or so .....then i started the car again.....i could hear thing "ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta ta" sound for like 15-20 secs then engine sounds normal again......i never hear that sound before its not VERY loud but you can definitely hear it from the inside of the car.

the above problem is very consistent....everytime i start the car, it makes that ta ta ta ta sound for 15-20 sec and then normal sound again

what is wrong with my car? thanks

buy a code reader. they are about $45. The garage will charge up to $250 to do this test so... its up to you.
I have one and it comes with very detailed instructions and all the codes. It will also tell you if a sensor is getting a week or strong signal or if the sensor is not working at all.

ok i might buy that reader if i can find it cheap.....but still, does anyone know what is wrong with my car? is this a MUST FIX or can i just take my time to find the best solution(cheapest).

Since your profile does not say where you live I will assume you live in the US. If so go to the nearest autozone and have the car scanned. They will give you the codes and tell you what needs to be done to possibly fix the problem. If not post the codes and the folks on the forum will help you repair the vehicle. I really can't tell from your description what the cause of the problem is.

"Since your profile does not say where you live I will assume you live in the US. If so go to the nearest autozone and have the car scanned. They will give you the codes and tell you what needs to be done to possibly fix the problem. If not post the codes and the folks on the forum will help you repair the vehicle. I really can't tell from your description what the cause of the problem is.

"

I live in Canada BC, Today i was gonna buy that code reader, but i went to Canadian Tires and i found out my car use (the fat wide plug)OBDII and it will cost me 249.99. The OBDI cost only 49 dollars.THey say the analyze my car starting at 120 dollars.

Another thing i noticed is that this morning when i accelerated, i heard that pinging sound again(not loud).....but after i went to the store and start the car again, i accelerated,but i couldnt hear that ping sound. Finally, while i was driving , at a stop light, the Soild Orange "CHECK Engine light" Started to flash again just like yesterday for like 8 secs then it turns to soild again.

I need some suggestions please. Should i buy the OBDII or take it to shop? but they say no refunds on code readers. :frown:

if i was to take it to a shop...not those expensive big name ones....just small shop and ask them to use thier scanner to get my check engine code, How much money is reasonable? and will they even do it?

btw i live in canada

Check e-bay for a scanner as you should be able to find one much cheaper than you stated. The cost to have it scanned is totally unreasonable at $120 most shops only charge $30 US to scan the computer. If you have a lot of problems then the cost of the scanner is worth the money. I recently purchased one at Sears for $149 US and it has already paid for itself. You should be able to find a code reader for a lot less. However, it will only give you the codes and won't allow you to reset the codes in the computer. Whatever you decide to do is to up to you but until we find out what the code is in order to repair the car.
PS: This one will work to get the codes!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4549097003&category=43989

Check e-bay for a scanner as you should be able to find one much cheaper than you stated. The cost to have it scanned is totally unreasonable at $120 most shops only charge $30 US to scan the computer. If you have a lot of problems then the cost of the scanner is worth the money. I recently purchased one at Sears for $149 US and it has already paid for itself. You should be able to find a code reader for a lot less. However, it will only give you the codes and won't allow you to reset the codes in the computer. Whatever you decide to do is to up to you but until we find out what the code is in order to repair the car.
PS: This one will work to get the codes!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4549097003&category=43989


hi just wondering if that code reader on the link will scan Honda and Dodge cars too because one of the comments on the link said it will work on FORD cars but not GM. Thanks

No, the code reader you buy will be for only one make. This is because all the ports for connecting the reader will be different.

you can get computers that will read all but they are in the thousands.

yesterday, 2 days after the tatatata sound started to appear, i no longer hear it. I dont think its there when i accelerate too but the check engine light is on and some times it will flash for no reason. My question is did my car repaired it self? also, my problem probably is something that is REALLY BAD like the valves dropping to cylinder (i read some other post about escort cars) right? becuase i dont hear the tatatata sound anymore. Thanks again


i just brought the obsII scanner from ebay and hopefully it will come soon so i can scan it ....i just hope i am not damaging the car by driving it everyday.

There should be no damage caused because the CEL is on. If it were something major the computer would shut down the system or it would run so bad that you wouldn't want to drive it. As for the code reader you bought they will work on any car not just your Escort. The OBDII code readers are not car specific like the old OBDI's were.

go into an auto parts........advance......and service station...they have a computer they will hook it up and tell you why the light came on.....mine did the same..theyw will help ya

I dunno about a 96, but with the older cars you could use a jumper wire and read the codes on the dash.... the CEL would blink out the codes. That is the cheapest way to go... perhaps invest in a Haynes manual to get the procedure, or you may find it on the net.

Also... your decription isn't quite clear to me. Perhaps you could have someone else start the car while you are looking under the hood to pinpoint the source of the sound?

I don't know what kind of code readers everyone is getting but I got one at autozone that reads and resets for '96 and up models for $80.

I don't know what kind of code readers everyone is getting but I got one at autozone that reads and resets for '96 and up models for $80.


i got my at ebay for about 45 USD. its call Ctools its smalll and it only give out the code nothing else...it works it said i can make engine light go away by lending the code print it self 5 times. yeah this work with many other car companies too.