What else is gonna go wrong?

[wendysmiling]

2 weeks ago it was the fuel pressure regulator. Fixed that thanks to you guys. Two days ago speedometer dies. Today "check engine" light comes on.

I kept the VX because being a truck I thought it would be more dependable than a car (oh, and it's cool). My husband had it for fours years w/ no problems. He gives it to me and it's been in our garage being worked on literally even weekend. It's only got 75K on it.

Do I have the take the d@mn thing to the dealership for the check engine light?

Hubby is sick of working on it. Isuzu told him it could a sensor in several places for the odometer (including the tranny and the wheels or something). And I can't even sell it with the odometer dead. I love it, but right now I'm really hating that truck.

We are out of patience, oh yeah, and money. (grumble) Maybe I'll win the lottery tonite.

Oh I'll take some cheese to go with the whine. Anyone want to trade for a reliable Toyota Corolla?

[etlsport]

try www.scangauge.com order one of those puppies... dealership charges 90 bucks or so to read it each time.. u can do it all the time for 160!

or just go over to autozone they will read it for free and u can look up the code online to see what the problem is

[Maugan_VX]

Just do yourself a favor and clean the MAF before you go run out and buy a code scanner. I've had my CEL come on about 5 times or so, and everytime it said it was an O2 sensor, I just cleaned the MAF and it was good for another 6 months before it happened again.

The MAF gets dirty and throws the computer all whack. Use a quick dry electrical parts cleaning spray. Douse the thing. Plug it back in, have the light reset at autozone, drive away. If it comes back on soon after being reset, then you might have a bigger problem.

My 2 cents.

[rowhard]

You can also go to a shucks, autozone, what ever you have locally and they will plug in a OBD code reader and tell you what the code is for free,... in hope that they might be able to sell you a part or 2

[Anita]

If your speedo died following with a check engine light, it probably is because of the speedo stopping. Same thing happened to me. Try replacing the fuse for the speedo... I bet that is your problem.

[wendysmiling]

Well hubby took all advise, printed the electrical manual checked everything related to the speedo and it bounces more, but still not working. So we are off to the dealership tomorrow for a $110 diagnostic. I hope hubby can fix it after we find what is wrong.

[Trudy Carp]

I feel your pain. An intermitant CEL was making me nuts @ about the same mileage that I was dealing with a bad tranny. I'm the office manager in a small body shop and we occassionally have CEL's to deal with from accident damage. We used to sublet these out, but between the boss's 98 Pathfinder and my VX, we had soo..... many CEL issues we finally decided to buy the shop a scanner. I literally grabbed it out of the tool guy's hand and ran for my VX. I couldn't believe how easy it was to use. We both found our problems before the Cornwell tool truck was off the lot. Even though I also had codes for both upstream oxy sensors, my problem originated with a dirty MAF sensor. You just have to understand "cause and effect" before deciding what to replace. In my case, the oxy codes went away after the MAF was cleaned, just like Maugin_VX. The one we purchased was just under $300 and id's the codes for you. Maybe more functions than the average personal use would require. But, it's so easy, even a caveman can do it. Did I just say that?

Oh, and my money's on a speed sensor in the trans being your speedo problem. my 30 years with Ford Motor Company leads me there. I would think that the axle and wheel sensors would be more tied to the TOD & antilock brake systems. But, the Japanese never cease to amaze me with their ingenuity. Why do you think I drove a Trooper my last 6 years with Ford?

[wendysmiling]

The dealership says I need to replace the entire gauge console ($500) to fix the speedo. (wondering if they are right, or if they want $$. You never know..... After hubby working on the electrical it works about 70 % of the time. It bounces frequently.

The check engine light only comes on when the gas gets below 1/8 tank (not each time, but on occasion). It goes out when gas is put in it.

[johnnyapollo]

That last thing you said sounds like it could be fuel pressure related. Have you changed the fuel filter lately? Try that and see if it helps.

--John

[wendysmiling]

Thanks all!

[Ldub]

The check engine light only comes on when the gas gets below 1/8 tank (not each time, but on occasion). It goes out when gas is put in it.

This also sounds like a leaky gas cap or it's not being tightened enough (3-4 clicks) after filling.

Just another possibility...