Service Engine Soon

Hi all
I have a 98 Taurus with the vortec v6 engine. The SES light came on today. My manual mentions nothing of this light. Can anyone tell me why it came on, what it's purpose is and how to reset it? Also, On this car, when the ignition is switched to the run position, shouldnt the MIL come on as well as the other lamps so I know the bulbs are good? The ABS, SRS, Seatbelt come on and the door ajar work, but the MIL, OIL, brake and Temp dont. Are all my bulbs burned out?
Thanks for your time with these questions!!

Hmmm, Vortec is a GM engine. You should either have the Vulcan or Duratech.

As for the SES light, you know that one works since it came on for you. I'm not sure which all bulbs will light as part of the bulb test. I'm not surprised the Door Ajar and oil pressure lights don't come on. Many times the Check Engine light will cover many of the "guage" related lights. Plus, doesn't your Taurus have a guage for the coolant temp? If so, your may not have a temp light. Check your owner's manual for the lights your car has and what should come on as part of the bulb test.

As for determining why your Check Engine Light/SRS came on, stop by the local auto parts store and ask them to read your OBD-II codes. Most will do this at no charge. Just ask them nicely for the code number rather than their interpretation of the code and post back here. Depending on the store, some will not reset the code and some will reset if you demonstrate you've made an attempt to remedy the cause. Others just don't care and will reset it if you ask.

Does your state have emissions testing? If so, you can't just expect to clear the code and pass emissions testing. When the code is reset, so are the emissions readiness parameters. If the drive cycle hasn't been completed prior to going in for the emissions test, they usually won't continue with the test, or they may charge you to complete the drive cycle tests.

-Rod

Sounds like a hybrid to me. But I doubt Ford and GM would admit to it. Ford could be making a hybrid of their two engines only in select cars.:)

aaachris, I think Rod meant to type check engine light/SES not SRS. Hopefully your SES light is just for your missing lights and nothing worse. It would seem to me those lights not coming on is not normal, I thought. For earlier year Taurii, some if not all of those would come on per Ford TSP.

Sorry about the Vortec thing... I was sleepy when I posted! :disappoin

I just searched the forum and downloaded the owners manual. The SES light is the check engine or MIL light. Ill scan it and let you know what i find out. Thanks for your replies!!

I was able to scan it last night and it came up with a P0402, which is "EGR EXCESSIVE AIR FLOW"
I think the next step would be to make sure the output device (egr) is working correctly. Sounds to me like the valve sticks open. Your thoughts?

Thanks again!

Try a search on the Taurus forum for keyword "P0402." There are a few posts related to this code. You'll likely find you have a bad DPFE sensor, which is quite common.

-Rod

Try a search on the Taurus forum for keyword "P0402." There are a few posts related to this code. You'll likely find you have a bad DPFE sensor, which is quite common.

-Rod

After troubleshooting the egr system and components I determined it was indeed the DPFE. The old one has the aluminum housing the the signal port was corroded... almost completly plugged. Replaced it and my car is now good as new.
Thanks all for the suggestions!

Great, thank you for the follow-up post and glad to hear you got your car running nicely again!

-Rod