Wicked_Sludge
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2007
- Messages
- 6,937
- Reaction score
- 43
- Points
- 0
- Age
- 38
- Location
- Westport, WA
- Vehicle Year
- 1993
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 3-point-GO
- Transmission
- Manual
a while back i had a post going regarding my '89 escorts widely inconsistent fuel mileage. one tank i would get 34+ (reaching as high as 39 a few times) MPG, then the next i would only get 25...with no major changes in driving style (i run a vacuum gauge on this car). i eventually came to realize that part of the problem was that i was running my battery low with a power inverter and the load the alternator placed on the motor was appearantly enough to cause a noticeable drop in economy. after i stopped using the inverter, my mileage stabilized somewhat, with my lowest being near 30.
fast forward to present day. my mileage has dipped to the mid 20's a few times since then...so the power inverter theory may have just been coincidence. until recently, i had nowhere to start on this problem because everything on the car seems to be in good working order. then last week, i started getting check engine lights, coming on for anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds, then going back out. i pulled the codes and got 41, 42, and 85...all O2 sensor related. since mileage and maintainence records are unknown, i just replaced the sensor. now a few days later, ive been getting the same codes: 41 - no HEGO switching detected, system lean. 42 - no HEGO switching detected, system rich. and 85 - adaptive lean limit reached.
i did some searching on yahoo and came up with THIS POST regarding code 85. i will look at that tomorrow (DVOM is at work)..but until then, does anyone have any ideas why this car appears to be bouncing back and forth from rich to lean? there are no appearent vacuum leaks, the wiring to the O2 seems to be solid and the connector is corrosion free.
fast forward to present day. my mileage has dipped to the mid 20's a few times since then...so the power inverter theory may have just been coincidence. until recently, i had nowhere to start on this problem because everything on the car seems to be in good working order. then last week, i started getting check engine lights, coming on for anywhere from 5 to 30 seconds, then going back out. i pulled the codes and got 41, 42, and 85...all O2 sensor related. since mileage and maintainence records are unknown, i just replaced the sensor. now a few days later, ive been getting the same codes: 41 - no HEGO switching detected, system lean. 42 - no HEGO switching detected, system rich. and 85 - adaptive lean limit reached.
i did some searching on yahoo and came up with THIS POST regarding code 85. i will look at that tomorrow (DVOM is at work)..but until then, does anyone have any ideas why this car appears to be bouncing back and forth from rich to lean? there are no appearent vacuum leaks, the wiring to the O2 seems to be solid and the connector is corrosion free.