Check Engine Light

[HornedToad]

My 2013 Ford F350 6.7 with 80,000 miles started up kind of rough and was clanking louder than normal on a cold morning this week. Lunch time I was sitting at idle in a drive through line and it sputtered with the check engine light coming on, the light stayed on the rest of the day. The next morning the check engine light was on after I started it up, but went off on the drive to work. It's been a couple of days and the light has not come back on and the engine seems to be running fine.

Should I take it to the dealer for service or wait and see if it comes back on?

 

[Gary521]

There are several places that you can take it to have the check light read. Auto Zone is one place that does it for free. Even if the light is not on when you have it checked, the system remembers why it came on.

 

[CoveredWagon]

Might have been water in the fuel

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Do you have an OBD-II scanner? I bought the one below when the check engine light came on in my son's Toyota....AFTER the dealer quoted him $575 to fix the issue.

Using this device, (connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth) I was able to get the error code, and fix the issue (one spark plug was failing) for ~$20.

Since buying the first one, I bought a second one that I keep in our truck in case I need it while away from home with the RV.

Link to OBD-II scanner on Amazon

 

[porthole]

Like mentioned above, most auto parts stores will read the codes for you at no charge, can also reset the system back to no codes.

Just an FYI, the boys on the Ford Truck Forum have done a lot of testing with OBD bluetooth devices, especially for using Forscan software to change a variety of parameters with the truck.

This is the OBD adapter that they always fall back on for reliability.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006NZTZLQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=5M75G131GGIG&coliid=I1UXPB8VCY9BH4

FTE thread on the Forscan software

 

[LBR]

Do you have an OBD-II scanner? I bought the one below when the check engine light came on in my son's Toyota....AFTER the dealer quoted him $575 to fix the issue.

Using this device, (connects to a smartphone via Bluetooth) I was able to get the error code, and fix the issue (one spark plug was failing) for ~$20.

Since buying the first one, I bought a second one that I keep in our truck in case I need it while away from home with the RV.

Link to OBD-II scanner on Amazon

View attachment 56055

Yeah, thats the one I have in the list also...

 

[Lynn1130]

Or this:

https://www.amazon.com/Ideashop-Qua...qid=1515858380&sr=8-2&keywords=maxiscan+ms309

 

[jbeletti]

I don't have the time to do any reprogramming on my truck right now, but I sure want to. Using the BT OBDII tool and FORScan, I'd do this:
- Double Horn Honk Disable
- Secure Idle (Police Mode)
- Autofold/Unfold Mirrors via Lock/Unlock on FOB (requires pin swap at mirrors)

 

[Gary521]

There are several good OBD scanners that you can buy - heck even Harbor Freight has a good one. I also have one that uses a cell phone that I carry when we travel made by Actron (Bosch). I think some of the ones that use a cell phone will tell you parameters as you are running. As someone pointed out, these thing just might keep you from getting ripped off. In addition, using these might tell you that the "fix" might be something simple like a filter, for example.

 

[Shortest Straw]

I have this:

https://edgeproducts.com/shop/insight-cts2

Monitors almost anything you can think of with real time temps etc. You can also check codes, reset them, and do a manual regen if you so choose.

 

[rxbristol]

My 2013 Ford F350 6.7 with 80,000 miles started up kind of rough and was clanking louder than normal on a cold morning this week. Lunch time I was sitting at idle in a drive through line and it sputtered with the check engine light coming on, the light stayed on the rest of the day. The next morning the check engine light was on after I started it up, but went off on the drive to work. It's been a couple of days and the light has not come back on and the engine seems to be running fine.

Should I take it to the dealer for service or wait and see if it comes back on?

The engine light will come on if there is an emission problem and go out again if the computer does not detect anymore problems after three journeys (per owner's manual).

 

[porthole]

I have this:

https://edgeproducts.com/shop/insight-cts2

Monitors almost anything you can think of with real time temps etc. You can also check codes, reset them, and do a manual regen if you so choose.

Since that is a monitor only, how do you do a manual regen?

 

[Shortest Straw]

Since that is a monitor only, how do you do a manual regen?

All you have to do is toggle screens to the manual regen, push a few buttons, open the hood, push another button and monitor your temps. Takes about 20 minutes.

 

[porthole]

All you have to do is toggle screens to the manual regen, push a few buttons, open the hood, push another button and monitor your temps. Takes about 20 minutes.

Care to detail that with any details?

There are two screens, both are 'displays', no buttons for regen

Or do you not have the truck in your signature?

 

[Shortest Straw]

Care to detail that with any details?

There are two screens, both are 'displays', no buttons for regen

Or do you not have the truck in your signature?

My pickup is in my signature. Edge calls it a monitor but it does way more than that and is user friendly. You can do many different things from the menu screen including setting up your gauges, importing background screens, it has a maintenance function that will tell you when you need oil changes etc, it has a trip performance function, and some other stuff. It can be hooked to your computer for updates from Edge. You can set the gauges to monitor just about everything that Ford has its computer monitor. Reading and resetting codes is also included. The gauge screen is the primary screen that is visible at startup and toggling to other screens is simple.

 

[HornedToad]

The engine light will come on if there is an emission problem and go out again if the computer does not detect anymore problems after three journeys (per owner's manual).

Not really an Amazon fan... so I went to Harbor Freight to find an empty shelve of scanners that were on clearance. At O’Reilly’s yesterday and a guy ask to have his truck scanned and reminded me to check mine. They said if the engine light was off their scanner wouldn’t pull the code... and they were right.

No more problems since so I guess I’ll write it off to an emissions problem from cold weather condensation.

Last I remember those scanners were very expensive, at the price today I need to get one to carry in the truck if the engine light ever comes back on.

Also the “Why am I wasting $$$ on an ESP” was answered when the engine light came on!


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[Lynn1130]

In reading the info on the CTS2 it appears that it will allow reg on certain vehicles. I have the CTS and mine will not do that.

They said if the engine light was off their scanner wouldn’t pull the code... and they were right.

Must be the particular scanner they are using because both my CTS and the handheld that I purchase from Amazon, and is mentioned earlier, will read codes even without an check engine light.

 

[TravelTiger]

We had a periodic engine light come on on our trip from TX to a Colorado. Refueled with local (Colorado) fuel, and did not see it again.


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[Lynn1130]

We had a periodic engine light come on on our trip from TX to a Colorado. Refueled with local (Colorado) fuel, and did not see it again.

You might want to have it scanned just to see what it left in memory. The code may still be there but not triggering the light.

 

[porthole]

Most soft codes, e.g. check engine light comes on and goes out are stored in memory for a set number of key cycles. For example when I worked on Chrysler products the code remained in memory for 45 key cycles - off/on/off

- - - Updated - - -

My pickup is in my signature. Edge calls it a monitor but it does way more than that and is user friendly. You can do many different things from the menu screen including setting up your gauges, importing background screens, it has a maintenance function that will tell you when you need oil changes etc, it has a trip performance function, and some other stuff. It can be hooked to your computer for updates from Edge. You can set the gauges to monitor just about everything that Ford has its computer monitor. Reading and resetting codes is also included. The gauge screen is the primary screen that is visible at startup and toggling to other screens is simple.

I only used the CTS2 because I have it. When I first bought it I was using to help try and diagnose a problem with Turbo brake kit I installed.
Ended up pulling the kit but never took the monitor off.

Downloaded a software update and I see you can do a manual re-gen now. Although I don't see a need for it, kind of neat to have it available.

There was only one occasion in 99,000 miles in the past 7 years where I had done multiple short trips at the time of a scheduled re-gen, and after awhile the Truck' s computer was getting snarky about the scheduled miss.

That one opportunity would have been a time to use the manual re-gen.