My check engine light is flashing when i accelerate on my 1989 ford bronco. it doesn't flash with coasting or just idling. Only when i am accelterating. Auto Zone cant read it because it is a soft code. How do i find out why it is flashing?
You can do all this for free if you know how to work the system and by that I mean Walmart. The system is Walmart. Go to your local walmart and pick up an onboard diagnostics system. Hopefully you have a 97 or newer vehicle. Look for the O.B.D. II package that says it will turn off your check engine light. It works because I have tried it myself. You don't turn the car on though (just read the instructions). Once you complete all the instructions it will make the light turn off. This doesn't mean that it fixed the problems or that the light will never turn back on again. Just drive for about 15 minutes and the light should come back on. That should give you a fresh start. Now turn the car off and plug in the O.B.D. II in again. Now you can proceed to write down the codes and look them up in the book provided. Once you have all your codes and have written down what each code means on a piece of paper, you can go back into Walmart and go to the refunds section. Tell them the equipment you bought doesn't plug into your car's onboard computer because its the wrong model. They will give you your money back and thats how you do all this for free.
maybe the software has just realised that you've got an american engine? Joke My car used to show the handbrake light as on whenever i was accelerating. Actually it was mostly when i was accelerating pretty hard that it lit up. That turned out to be a loose cable in the sensor switch. So it may be worth logically following as many electrical contacts to eliminate them, it can be quite a task unless you are lucky and stumble across fairly early on. Good luck and if you don't get lucky i'd send it in to get looked at professionally.
That vehicle is equipped with the old EEC-IV system that has three levels of codes. Hard faults- those that are present now; running faults- those that are present with the engine running; continuous faults or pending- those that have been triggered intermittently during the last 40 key cycles. In order to test for any codes, it will probably require a Super Star II tester, or equivalent. A dealer may still have one, or some independent shops. There are any number of causes for the condition. I suspect an intermittent problem that will only show up as a continuous or running code. Any code(s) received will be your starting point for diagnosis before replacing any parts. Do you notice any other symptoms other than the light? What engine/trans is in the vehicle?
