Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice » Ford, Lincoln, Mercury

P1506 – Idle Air Control System Over speed Error

Rick — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 20:58:49 +0000

If you get this code on a Ford vehicle with the Duratec engine, don’t start with an idle air controller valve (IAC) replacement. This vehicle has a LOT of vacuum leaks and that can cause serious idle problems. Air leaks into the engine AFTER the MAF has already metered the incoming air. So the oxygen sensor sees a very lean exhaust. Since the vehicle is at idle, the computer tries to reduce incoming air by shutting down the IAC. Once it commands less air and stills sees an idle that’s too high, it sets a P1506 trouble code.

One of the common air leaks is in the rubber hose

PCV valve elbow

going to the PCV valve. The hose has a 90 degree bend in it and it tends to crack there. So START your diagnosis by replacing both the PCV AND the hose. Many readers report that Ford doesn’t stop this hose. If you can’t find it, check the link below. Since this part has such a huge failure rate, Dorman has stepped into the market with a replacement. Install the elbow, clear the code and then see if it returns.

Want more more information on this repair or any others for your vehicle, buy an online subscription to either Alldatadiy.com or eautorepair.net. Click on this link to compare the two services: Compare Alldata and Eautorepair.

If you just need information for a single repair and want to save money,eautorepair offers a lower price 1-week subscription for only $11.99. Or, if you’ll be working on this vehicle in the future, you can buy a 1-year subscription (Alldatadiy.com for $26.99, or eautorepair.net $29.99)

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P1233 Fuel Pump Driver Module off-line – Ford

Rick — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 04:24:02 +0000

P1233 Fuel Pump Driver Module off-line – Ford

This codes sets if the fuel pump is not starting up properly. Two things can interfere with fuel pump startup—the fuel pump relay or the inertia switch. Start by checking the fuel pump fuse. Next, manually reset the intertia switch. If that doesn’t work, check for power at the fuel pump connector. If you’re not getting power, pull the fuel pump relay (or swap it with another relay with the same part number) or jumper the relay contacts to power the pump. If that still doesn’t work, check for power coming into the relay. If you have good power, re-jumper the relay contacts and check for power coming out of the fuse box and going to the fuel pump. If you’re still fighting a losing battle, check the wiring crimp connectors. Some techs report faulty factory crimps at the relay box.

For more information on this repair or any others for your vehicle, buy an online subscription to either Alldatadiy.com or eautorepair.net. Click on this link to compare the two services: Compare Alldata and Eautorepair.

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Uneven brake wear, vibration, and noise on Ford Forcus 2008-11,

Rick — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 16:34:10 +0000

Some Ford Focus owners are reporting uneven brake wear after performing a brake job or having it done at a shop. The problem can be caused by improper installation of the brake pads. While the pads look alike, there is a definite inboard and outboard pad. They cannot be swapped. The pads have a wear sensor and special “nibs” that hold the shim in place.

The pad with the wear sensor must be placed on the inboard side of the caliper (next to the piston). If it is placed in the outboard position, the nibs will press against the caliper housing and “cock” the pad slightly. The caliper’s clamping force will be applied to the nibs rather than the entire backing plate. This will cause uneven wear, vibration, and other noise.

If you’re doing your own brake job, always make sure you install new abutment clips and lubricate the caliper pins and hardware with a high temperature synthetic brake grease

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Slow fuel filling on Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner

Rick — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 22:38:20 +0000

Some Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner may experience slow fuel filling when the weather is cold. The symptoms and cause are different than the other slow fuel filling problem mentioned here. You may or may not also have a trouble code P0451 when experiencing this problem. A frozen fuel filler vent line is usually the cause.

To fix the problem shorten and re-route the vent line. Remove the gas cap. Jack up the vehicle and remove the left rear wheel. Disconnect the fuel filler pipe mounting screws. Then pull the filler pipe away from the wheel well so you can get access to the vent line. Cut the plastic straps holding the vent line to the fuel filler tube. Pull the vent tube loose all the way down to under the vehicle.

Remove the vent cap from the end of the line. This cap prevents spiders from building nests inside the vent. Start at the open end of the vent line and measure back 12-in. Cut the vent line at that point and toss the 13-in. piece. Re-install the vent cap and route the line so it’s between the tank lip and the underbody. Push the vent cap end of the tubing into the alignment hole between the subframe and body section. Secure the line with zip ties. Re-install the filler pipe to tank and tighten the mounting screws. Install the wheel and gas cap

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P0351, P0352, P0353, P0354, P0355, P0356 Coil On Plug Primary Circuit Failure

Rick — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:47:34 +0000

Ford has issued a TSB (TSB 09-2-6) for owners of 2005-06 Ford Escapes and Mercury Mariners with the 3.0-liter engine may find a Check Engine light with the trouble codes above. Ford has discovered problems with factory installed spark plugs that have poor insulating properties. These plugs can allow radio frequency (RF) interference that can damage ignition coils and even modules. If you see just one of the above trouble codes, immediately remove the spark plug for that cylinder and look for a two-digit alpha-numeric code on the plug’s porcelain insulator. If the code isn’t shown, replace the plug with a revised plug (AGSF-32W-M1). Then clear the trouble code and replace the coil-on-plug ignition coil.
However, if you’re getting multiple trouble codes, start again by checking for the date code on the plug. If it’s not there, replace all the plugs. Then clear the trouble codes and drive the vehicle. If you get multiple trouble codes again, you may have to replace the ignition module.

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Ford F-150 blows fuse

Rick — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:28:17 +0000

Shops report that 1997-03 Ford F-150 trucks can blow fuse #29 repeatedly. The fuse powers the overdrive cancel switch located in the steering column at the end of the shift lever. The problem is most likely a short in the red/yellow wire that goes up the steering column. To repair, remove the shrouds on the column and check for the short.

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P0500, U1262 codes on Ford F-150 5.4L

Rick — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 07:24:17 +0000

If you have a Ford F-150 with the 5.4L engine and have a flashing ABS light and a speedometer that stops working intermittently, or a temperature gauge that goes to HOT intermittently, read this article.

Ford has had significant problems with its ignition coils. Occasionally a coil can fail in such a way that it generates a large voltage spike that confuse the computer. That can set off all kinds of weird behavior. If you have the vehicle scanned, chances are you will NOT find any misfire codes, nor will you find any ABS codes. The P0500 code is for loss of vehicle speed sensor input and a U1262 coded indicates a loss of communication between the Hybrid Electronic Cluster and PCM.

Since no misfires codes come up in the OBDII scan, you’ll need a high end scanner capable of reading the raw (uninterpreted) data known as Mode $06. That mode stores raw misfire data and analyzes it until it meets the parameters to set a trouble code. Viewing Mode $06 is the only way to detect which coil is misfiring and spiking. Or, you can start replacing coils until you find the culprit. Just don’t start replacing ABS components or instrument clusters.

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Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Warning lights on even when vehicle is off – Ford Focus

Rick — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:02:21 +0000

Shops are reporting problems with late model Ford Focus vehicles where the warning lights stay on even when the vehicle is off, or flicker while driving. This can happen to the oil light, brake light, ABS light individually, in combination, or all of them.

Here’s the fix:

Remove the instrument cluster and clean the printed circuit board with rubbing alcohol. Then coat the entire circuit board with di-electric grease. Ford is finding that mold growth on the circuit board bridges the circuits together and causes these symptoms.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Starter engages when shifting to reverse Ford Vehicles

Rick — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:23:41 +0000

This symptom sounds crazy until you understand that the Transmission Range (TR) sensor acts like a neutral safety switch AND switches power to the backup lights. If water gets into the TR sensor, it can corrode the insides and can transfer power from the backup lights to the starter solenoid.

Since the power flow from the backup lights stays on the entire time the shifter is in reverse, it will burn up the starter.

Replace the TR sensor and the problem should go away.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

P1316, P1282, P1211 on Ford Powerstroke Diesel

Rick — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:07:28 +0000

Owners report trouble codes P1316, P1282, P1211 on Ford Powerstroke Diesel along with skipping or misfire symptoms. Install a scan tool to read the “duty cycle” specs for the Injection Pressure Regulator (IPR) and the Injection Control Pressure (ICP) sensor. The high pressure oil pump is capable of putting out more than 3,000psi. But the IPR regulates the amount of pressure with a solenoid that is pulsed open and closed by the PCM. The PCM reads the oil pressure from the ICP and commands the IPR on and off. The IPR can regulate 3,000psi with only a 12% duty cycle. So you should check both the ICP and IPR readings on the scan tool. If the psi reading on the ICP goes up while the IPR duty cycle goes down (12% or lower), that indicates a faulty or sticking IPR. The reason is that the PCM can no longer shut down the duty cycle enough to properly regulate the oil pressure. The IPR has a reasonably high failure rate.

For a complete description on how the system works, click on Ford Powerstroke 7.3L Diesel. High pressure pump system description, operation, and troubleshooting

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use