2002 F-150 Check Engine Light


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Old 12-03-09, 06:44 AM
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2002 F-150 Check Engine Light

I have a 2002 F-150. A few weeks ago the Check Engine light came on.

The truck runs fine. But, obviously, one of the sensors has been triggered.

I haven't taken it to Autozone yet to have the trouble code checked. Also, Autozone has a new policy that they won't reset Check Engine lights. They will only read the code and tell you what it is.

I want to see if this Check Engine light was a one time deal or if there actually is something going on. To do that I will need to reset the light since it doesn't reset by itself.

I don't think disconnecting the battery for 30 minutes will reset the light due to the built in memory in the onboard computer.

But, does anybody know if Ford has programmed the onboard computer to reset the Check Engine light by doing some weird sequence of events? Such as: key on/key off/key on/key off/press on brake pedal/honk horn/sing a show tune/buckle seat belt......
 
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Old 12-03-09, 07:07 AM
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Not that I know of; you might want to consider buying a reader. They are not that expensive and the you can't beat the convenience of doing your own reading/resetting. I have an Actron model that we've been using for several years and it has given us good service; think we paid about fifty bucks for it.
 
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Old 12-03-09, 07:19 AM
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Yeah, I've often thought about buying a code reader just to have one.
 
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Old 12-03-09, 11:44 AM
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It'll make you popular with friends & relatives, too.
 
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Old 12-03-09, 04:17 PM
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Normally pulling the battery will reset the ecm.
 
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Old 12-03-09, 06:12 PM
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Originally Posted by the_tow_guy
It'll make you popular with friends & relatives, too.
I'm already the family "go to" guy when it comes to plumbing problems, computer related issues, and troubleshooting car problems (without the code scanner of course).

Of course I don't charge family for helping out. So, that's why I'm so popular. Not because of any special knowledge they think I possess. :-)



Originally Posted by jpr28056
Normally pulling the battery will reset the ecm.

That won't work on my truck. I installed a new battery recently. The battery was disconnected for a little while. But, when I got the new battery installed, and started my truck, the radio preset stations and the clock were still set.

There computer retained that information. There must be some kind of memory on the ECM.
 
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Old 12-03-09, 08:30 PM
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Buy the code reader. It will pay for itself very quickly. Just my $0.05...inflation.
 
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Old 12-13-09, 12:22 AM
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make sure gas cap is tight
 
 

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