"Check Gauge" light

[LEMANSZ]

After visiting Beverly Hills ford, they hooked up the obs2 and cleared 16 'low battery' warnings...we will see if that clears it up... the Ford dealer was great

 

[Gierkink]

I had the same problem yesterday when my oil pressure gauge starting swinging back and forth like a windshield wiper. Whenever it hit “0” the “check gauge” light illuminated. I shut the car down and restarted it and the problem went away. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS DEFINITELY A DIFFERENT ISSUE THAN THE “LOW VOLTAGE” PROBLEM I’VE ALSO EXPERIENCED. Both times I’ve had the low voltage problem I hadn’t started the car for more than two weeks and the battery just turned over the engine enough to start it. The result was a tach that didn’t work at all. Once I’d run the car for a while and restarted it everything was fine. The check gauge light/oil pressure problem happened to me after I’d driven the car for almost two hours earlier in the day. I agree with analogdesigner’s earlier post which stated that there must be some problem with an oil pressure sensor.

Rob

 

[LEMANSZ]

I think my issue was as stated...car on the showroom floor too long...becoming dishcarged. My Ford guy cleared out all the codes, we'll see what happends. To avoid discharge and not trusting that useless cig apadpter charger, whcih doedsn't even show if it's plugged in. I opted for the 'battery babysitter' option and and attahed pigtailes directly to the battery terminail and out the 'bonnet' for easy access...works like a charm.

 

[Gierkink]

Lamansz,

Nice use of the word "bonnet". The sensitivity training seems to be having an impact!

Rob

 

[LEMANSZ]

I'm trying to hide my Detroit roots, is it working?

 

[Gierkink]

Yes indeed it's working, however I can always spot those Wings fans from a miles away... I'm from Toronto.

Rob

 

[LEMANSZ]

update..after 3 days at BH Ford, I THINK they found the culprit..a loose wire in the dashboard...we'll see

 

[GFORCE]

Dead battery on showroom floor.

They did not want to even go though that so they installed new battery.
Thats what the tech told me.Getting it home in ten days!

 

[analogdesigner]

This makes more sense!

Lemansz,

This is starting to make some sense, especially if you remember my old post from almost two months ago:

GTjoey,

If you read his original post, he is experiencing an intermittent problem. The battery could not be low, as there is no evidence of this. Think about it, the car starts fine. Cranking over a cold engine requires up to several hundreds of amps! A weak battery simply couldn't do this. Once the engine is running, the alternator will provide up to 60 amps, most of that is more than adequate to run everything in the car along with charging a low battery. The system (battery) voltage will be roughly 13.5 to 14.5 volts when the engine is running (depending on day vs. night and engine RPM). The voltage regulator's job is to ensure this. If the system voltage in the car dropped towards zero, even momentarily, the car engine would simply quit running! The battery voltage gauge monitors the system voltage via a computerized "Smart Box". The voltage gauge does not monitor the system voltage directly as older cars did. This is why I feel that there is a faulty connection or module. A faulty relay is not too likely in this car since I have spent several hours studying the wiring diagram. There are many relays, however, they usually are not used to control or switch low level signals such as those needed for any one of the gauges. Now, if a relay which powers the entire Smart Junction Box was failing or intermittent, the warning lights on the dash would probably flash like a pinball machine. The Ford manuals do not provide a theory of operation either, making precise troubleshooting very difficult. Due to the complexity of modern day automobiles, auto mechanics simply swap out modules rather than trying to pin point the exact problem. It's much faster and cheaper this way.

Am I missing something here? I do not wish to sound like a know-it-all, however I make my living designing all types of electronics. So, any comments would be appreciated. I hope that Lemansz can inform us of exactly was caused this problem.

Jay

 

[Bill Briley]

Jay,
Thanks for the all the "Home Work". A lot of us would rather try and find these problems rather than chance a Dealer visit. :thumbsup
You are certainly correct in noting Ford offers no theory of opperation.

 

[analogdesigner]

Could have been a loose or "open" wire

Jay,
Thanks for the all the "Home Work". A lot of us would rather try and find these problems rather than chance a Dealer visit. :thumbsup
You are certainly correct in noting Ford offers no theory of opperation.

Thanks Bill for the nice comment.

I am actually surprised that the dealer's mechanic was able to locate something as odd as that. Lemansz may have found a real good mechanic! I'll keep my finger's crossed for him as well. Jay

 

[LEMANSZ]

So far, so good. Beverly Hills Ford treated me great. Rick Dubois is the GT schooled wrench and Neil Okun, the owner is great as well. Give them a call. 310 276-3673