my g/fs 95 stang has its engine light on.
the car overheated, as the rad fan was seized. steam came out the hood and all that not-so-good stuff. she shut it off right away and we added water to fill it up. anyway, the rad fan was replaced and the car has ran great since.
i disconnected the battery (both terminals) for several minutes, in an attempt to reset the computer. when i put the battery back in and started the car (only for 30 sec). just after the next time the car was started the light came back on.

am i not resetting the computer, or could there be something else wrong??
how can i check what codes are present with out paying $150 at ford??

 

Autozone reads codes for free. But thats OBd2 compatible for sure and yours isn't after 96. Might give them a try though. if you took the battery off for over an hour then you reset the comp and you have a problem cuase you keep getting the code. If you did it for a short period of time then it might not be reseting it. How long was it?

 

it was only taken off for a few minutes (3-5 maybe).

 

I'm thinking something else is wrong and maybe as a result of the overheating. For some reason though, I think it has to be unplugged for 10 minutes at least and have it tested after that.

 

Everytime i reset by taking the battery off i take it off for at least 30 min.

 

The 95 Mustang uses OBD-I, not OBD-II. AutoZone doesn't normally have the old scan tools for the older system.

You can pull the fault codes from that system (EEC-IV) with nothing more than a paper clip and watching the CEL flash.

Directions are probably around here somewhere (the procedure is the same for all pre-96 OBD-I systems), otherwise, good instructions are available at www.fordfuelinjection.com

There's no need to mess with the battery cables on that car to reset the PCM. Just pull the EEC fuse from the under-hood fuse panel for about 15 minutes with the ignition off. The reinstall it and start the engine to force an idle and driving strategy relearn.

Steve

 

This thread explains everything you need to know about checking & clearing EEC-IV (OBD-I) codes.

 

3.8 V6's blow head gaskets real easy. Infact I would bet if thats you engine thats your problem. You code is probably an o2 sensor failure from the steam in the exhaust.

 

basically i just want to know how to reset the car's computer. in my car you have to remove the radio fuse for a few minutes.

how do you do it in a mustang?

 

Disconnect the negative terminal for 2 minutes..

 

READ my previous post.

There's no need to dink around with the battery cables.

The CEL keeps coming on because there's something you haven't fix and the fault is still there. Until you read the codes, you're just spinning your wheels and guessing.

Steve

 

i borrowed an obd-II reader (95 3.8L stangs are obd2 and 95 GT's are obd1, i don't know why ford did that) from crappy tire (returned when finished, lol) and found the codes to be:
DTC P0171, left bank, and DTC P0174, right bank, indicate the fuel/air ratio is too lean. The system is at the rich limit.

the engine light came on when the car overheated. i'm not sure why it would at that particular time and the car seems to run fine. any hints as to why this code may have come in???
oh, and i cleared it and am waiting to see if it comes back or was just and intermitant thing.

 

Check for vacuum leaks.

 

There is a diagram on the radiator cover that shows all the vacuum lines that you should check for leaks

 

k, i think i found the problem...keeping my fingers crossed that it is!
the line just after the MAF on the intake line that runs to the oil filler cap was disconnected. i reconnected the hose and disconnected the battery to re-set the computer. i reconnected about a half hour later. i also turned on the lights to put a load on the power system as was suggested to do, before i reconnected the battery.
i will be driving the car to let it run through its drive cycle to see if it comes back on.