Help w/ 97 Escort

[RangerFella]

Okay...well this isn't a Ranger but it is a ford and maybe somebody here can help me out.

I've got a '97 Ford Escort 4dr SE with the 2.0L I4 and a stick. It's got about 180,000 miles on it. It refuses to pass emissions because of the 'check engine' light that stays on 24/7. Anyway, the gist of all of this is...it won't pass emissions because there's something actually wrong with the computer or whatever or something like that. I don't personally know, I just know what the shop I took it to and (like a dummy) paid 300 dollars to have them just reset the computer. It passed last year and then after a few hundred miles the light came back on. I was wondering if there's any way I can reset the computer myself or...

It's at a point now where paying even 100 dollars to fix something temporarily that I couldn't keep doing...would be not worth it. The car itself isn't worth 300 bucks now but I need it. Any ideas on how I can get this thing to pass without spending any money? I'm 100% confident if they ran it through the old test, the one where they stick the probe in the pipe and all, that it would pass. I'm not looking to do anything illegal I guess...just some help or a little trick would be great. Thanks a bunch

 

[LittleBigFoot]

Have you tried disconnecting the battory?

Worked for me

 

[RangerFella]

Yes, this has been doing this for years and years...like 4 years...

I'm pretty sure the computer is fried...

 

[4x4RangerGuy]

There aren't ANY codes popping up when you check it with a scanner? CELs rarely pop up because of a bad computer. It seems strange to me that you paid $300 to a shop and they didn't tell you anything and just reset it.

They can't run it through the pre-96 emissions because its OBDII. They have to plug it in and let the computer do its thing.

If the computer is really fried, go to a yard and pull a new one. Or look on eBay. Personally, I would demand to see the codes pulled when you paid $300 to that shop. That's ridiculous.

 

[Insanejughead]

That is completely ridiculous to pay that much just to have a problem that wasn't discovered or fixed to reappear.

I think I'm lucky to have the OBDI on my truck. I am on a military base, so I can take it to the auto hobby shop and pay the guy $5 to hook up the tester to tell me what the codes are. From there I look the codes up and replace the affected parts it describes.

I only have one code left to fix and it's the Ignition Control Module. I haven't fixed it yet is because it's a very expensive piece.


If you don't feel comfortable at all going to that dealership to have them look at your car and they aren't getting any better... I would file a complaint.

 

[egnorant]

$300!!!

Forr $279 you can go to AutoZone and BUY a scan tool that has a button that you can reset your computer yourself...takes about 8 seconds.
Find someone with a ODBII reader (AutoZone will free) and get the codes.
Fix the part that is broken!
Any other symptoms?

Bruce

 

[RangerFella]

Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking when I paid that money for them to just reset the stupid thing. I had taken it to a ford dealership and they sent me to the place that charged me that. I was really pissed when I found out that I paid 300 dollars for them to just re-set the stupid thing.

I don't know anything about the codes...I guess I never asked. I just assumed that they were, for 300, going to FIX the car. Resetting the computer isn't fixing it !!


It's total


I guess I could take it to Auto Zone but the only problem is I don't want to get a ticket for an expired tag...and the cops around here are DEFINITELY like that. I couldn't afford to pay the ticket