01 check engine light

[Tinovolpe]

Hi I've a read a bunch of posts on this condition but here is my question. I was driving my 2001 taurus this morning in a pretty good rain and the check engine light started blinking. I didn't know what to do but since I was on the highway I kept going. Then it went off for about a mile and then came back on still blinking. When I got off the highway it went off but when I stopped at a light the car felt like it was going to stall so I put it in park and gave it some gas to keep from stalling. Now the rough idle and possible stall sounds like misfire. I have to swing by autozone to get the codes pulled. Could the rain have anything to do with this. wet wire or coil perhaps?
Thanks Tino

[shorod]

If the rain got something in the ignition system wet, or if you happen to have corrosion in connections within the ignition system, the rain could have "activated" that corrosion to cause a problem. Since the Check Engine Light (CEL) was flashing, that points to a condition that was causing an emissions-related concern which could be misfiring or something with the emissions system. Getting those codes this evening is a good plan.

-Rod

[kevinb70]

just an FYI in case anyone comes by this thread in a future search.

A blinking engine light usually means yes, as shorod stated is an emissions issue.

But the difference between a blinking CEL and a steady CEL is that the blinking is a warning that continuing to drive may damage the engine or emissions system (such as a misfire causing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust and burn up your catalytic converter. You may find it stops blinking under coasting or very light acceleration, but go back to blinking under heavier acceleration.... if you got to drive it, try to keep it from blinking!

[Tinovolpe]

Just wanted to give an update that I haven't seen the blinking light again until just this morning on the way to work, and just by coincindence it was once again raining. not hard rain but it was raining all night. Now in the interm I did change the plugs and wires so I'm puzzled. If the light is still blinking on the way home I'm driving right to the closest Autozone and get the codes read.

Thanks

[shorod]

Bummer. Please post back with the code number (should be in the form of P0123) and we'll rely with logical next steps.

-Rod

[kevinb70]

if you have eliminated the wires, check for a cracked coil. wouldnt hurt to pack the wire boots with dielectric grease... will help seal the boots and make it easier to pull off as it prevents the boots from sticking

[Tinovolpe]

Another update. Three days in a row it's been raining and three days in a row the exact same pattern occurs. My commute is about 5 miles on local secondary roads and about 5 miles on a main road with lights. I leave in the morning and everything is fine (car is in a garage overnight) no engine light, idle smooth. As soon as I make the uphill turn onto the main road the light comes on. Three days running in the exact same spot. really uncanny. If I can make the lights and get the car up to about 50 and cruise the light goes out. After sitting in the parking lot all day in the rain on the way home the light never comes on. Go figure!!
One question. If the engine light is not blinking are the codes still there??
I haven't had a chance to look under the hood but tomorrow may actually be a sunny day. I'll see what happens.

[shorod]

If the check engine light (CEL) comes on, codes will be stored, even if the light goes out. If the CEL is blinking when on, you have issues that are effecting emissions and should be dealt with ASAP to avoid melting your catalytic converter.

If the ECM completes something like 50 drive cycles without the cause of the code reappearing, then the ECU may release the code from the "current" status and move it to "history code" status but it will still be retrievable with the right scan tool.

Since it sounds like your CEL has been on quite recently, pretty much any scan tool should be able to retrieve the diagnostic code or codes.

-Rod

[Tinovolpe]

Thanks for that. I'll stop by Autozone and see if they can pull anything. Another update. As I suspected this morning's drive was dry (if overcast) and sure enough the CEL didn't come on and the engine ran nice and smooth. So it sure seems to me that the rain is getting something wet. As I mentioned I did change the plugs and wires over the summer and I did use dielectric grease when I did it. Someone posted that it might be a cracked coil. Is that what the plug wire go to from the engine that's wedged in behind the intake manifold against the firewall. Looks like another knuckle buster weekend job.

[shorod]

Both V6 engines on the '01 Taurus use coil packs so there are actually 3 coils. The spark plug wires connect the coil packs to the spark plugs. I'm not real familiar with the underhood of the '01, but on some other Ford V6s, yes, the coil pack is near the firewall and not really easy to get to. If you get the diagnostic codes and the code is a P0300, I wouldn't be inclined to suspect a bad coil pack assembly. If you have a misfire code for a specific cylinder, then coil could be fair game, but I'd still swap wires and plugs around first to see if you have a bad component or possibly a loose connection. Of course the misfire could also be due to a vacuum leak, bad fuel injector, or compression, but getting the diagnostic codes will help guide us.

-Rod