I have 37K on my '02 F-150 the Service Engine Soon light came on this morning; what's the cause of this warning? is this something that needs to be serviced by a Ford dealer? or is this something I can take to a mechanic?

 

as long as you mechanic has a code reader he should be able to fiure it out.
the warning could be anything from emissions to sensors.etc...

 

any auto parts store should be able to read it for you and tell you what you need to fix it

 

It depends on how mechanicaly inclined you are. do you do all your own work? do you have a decent set of hand tools? you need to be comfortable working on your own truck before you jump into something. The check engine light can come on for a number of reasons and if you plan to do your own work take it somewhere to pull the codes, come back here and post them to get a better idea of whats going on. If your not comfortable working on it then take it to a dealer to get fixed properly

 

I would first start off by going to Auto Zone and getting them to pull the codes(for free). Bring the codes back here and the great guys on here can give you probably everything you need to fix the problem. I started off on this site with the same problem and with the help of all these great peeps i can now just about take apart a 4.6. I now a 5.4 and dont need that knowledge but the 5.4 is not very different. Anyways, hope you are ready to become a mechanic and good luck. After doing this you will take a lot more pride in your truck. I promise. You will treat her better than your wife.(if you are like the other 98% of the folks here).

 

Hello all:

I have worked on cars and trucks over the years and am not afraid to swing a wrench as needed. I recently purchased a used F150 Supercrew 4x4 - 2002 model. Love it. However, I am learning this vehicle from scratch...and do not know the nuiances of maintenance and repair for this vehicle...so, I continue to read the posts and responses and basically listen and learn.

My question here is about the Service Engine Soon light. Can anyone help here...although at this time I have no light issues or mechanical problems...it would be nice to know...

What is the procedure to reset the "Service Engine Soon" light?

Thanks!

 

It comes on when the PCM detects a fault that stays in long enough to set a related code.
The codes are cleared with a scanner but that is not all you do.
The fault has to be found or the lite will come back on.

 

so what everyone is basically trying to say here is go to autozone and get the code. nothing can be done without the code.

if you dont want to do that you can just disconnect the battery for a minute to clear the light. if there is no problem with your truck it will not come back on. if there is a problem it will re-appear and then you'll need to get the code read.

 

Yes you need to code to have an area to look at, the MIL light can come on for alot of reasons.

I dont know why everyone just thinks you can reset it first then see if it comes back on? It came on for a reason and 95% of the time there is a fault and will just come back on in a couple drive cycles. the other 5% is when someone left there gas cap loose. Disconnecting the battey will reset the light but you need to leave it disconnected for about 5minutes to make sure the keep alive memory for the pcm is cleared as well.

 

Went to AutoZone the code reader gave the following: P1400 DPFE EGR Circuit Low Input, I'm still in the dark... any ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

yup replace your DPFE sensor. It should be about 30bucks for a new one and take about 5minutes to install. very easy

 

Hi,
I have a 4.2L 2002 F-150 and I recently replaced the DPFE sensor myself.
If you need a DPFE sensor I would recommend buying it from this website. http://www.trademotion.com/partloca...m?siteid=214126

Ford sells the sensor for $35 and from the website I bought it online for $24.78.

Also it was super easy to install. Make sure you take the negative cable off the battery and let it drain (leave headlights on for a few minutes) before you replace the DPFE sensor.

Just unplug the old sensor and make sure you mark the 2 hoses, then install the new one. The PCM will be relearning your driving habits so you may idle funny for awhile. Good luck!

 

37K Miles? You need new hubcaps.

/kidding