Pulling Codes?
 

I've been getting Check Engine lights recently, mostly on a cold start in the morning when it's fairly cool out..usually goes away upon acceleration, but I'm curious to see what's tripping this because I've got a real nasty bog/misfire tapping the gas anywhere below 1000 rpms.

How do you pull check engine codes on these cars? I knew how to with a paperclip on my Camaro but I'm unfamiliar with this Ford system...where is the connector and which terminals do I jump? I assume the rest is the same..just turn the key forward and wait for the light to flash the codes out? Is there a website with codes on it?
Thanks everyone!

There IS a paperclip method, though I cant tell you how to do it... something with bubble gum and a volt meter or something... :)

you can get a simple code reader for about 30 bucks at WALMART and it beeps and flashes lights at you... or you can go all out and get one that displays the codes on an LCD....

I did a search and found this... might be helpful
http://forums.mustangworks.com/showt...per+clip+codes

So you mean I HAVE to buy a code reader? Already bought one of those damn things for the Chevy and regretted it after I found out I could just paperclip it..

no, if you read that thread I sent the link to, there's a post on HOW to use the paperclip method
-=as

Did just a few mins after you linked me...thanks! God this system is complicated..but it sounds like it's VERY capable... Hell, never seen a car that can run a compression and injector test ON ITSELF before..... HOPEFULLY I'll have time to try it out tonight...gotta go get taxes done and then I have some stupid senior graduation meeting tonight...argh.

It's funny, I was reading those and I dont buy that the car does compression tests... there's no pressure sensors in the head that could do it... unless it's a calculation based on O2 and Air Intake... I thought that was odd.. maybe newer ones do it ... but I dont think my 89 does. I could be wrong... I have been many times before...
-as

Sounds a LITTLE too good to be true doesn't it? Oh hey guess what? Random sidenote..checked my timing today! About 18 f*cking degrees! No WONDER the car is damn near impossible to start, and it hesitates/misfires below 1000 rpms.

hey nixon, your o2 sensors might be bad, i guess, since your gas mileage is bad, and you mentioned the check engine light.
when setting timing, remember to pull the spout.

Pulled the spout. With it on it read more like 25 degrees or so. Disconnected, it read 18..although odd thing, it didn't throw a check engine light when I disconnected the thing and started the car on base timing...who knows why.. Don't know if the O2 sensors are ok or not...connector looked too flimsy for me to want to mess with on a short time frame so I didnt pull codes tonight, just checked timing. Tomorrow, if I don't have to go up to the college to do some financial aid crap, then I'm going to adjust the timing and try to pull codes again.

I dont know what the normal reading with it is, but mine reads 22 with it. As far as the check engine light, it shouldnt trigger when you pull the spuot, I dont think. I dont follow what you mean by " the connector looked too flimsy". Do you mean the self test connector? Or the connector at the o2 sensor? It takes about 10 minutes, from initially cranking the car for warm up until you are locking and shutting the door, to pull the codes. If you get any, post them and someone will most likely give you an answer.

Caymon

The self-test connector...looked like it had a cap over the top but I couldn't get it off..and the underside had like 4-5 wires going into it already and the wires didn't look very secure in it...especially the wire sticking into the left, single-connector slot that I had to try to jumper.

Do you have a digital camera? If so, maybe you could shoot a pic or two and post them. I'm confused on what you are saying.
Caymon

I don't have a digital camera, but here's a Paint drawing I just made. The wires coming across the bottom, I don't remember which ports had wires and which were blank so I just drew a few for effect...but the top row is accurate on my drawing. The top left single-clip connector has a wire in it already, and I'm afraid to try to take that out...and in the top view, you notice it has clips on the side..looks like the cover comes off but I've tried jimmying and wiggling it and can't get it off.

First off.. Those caps usually break or are lost on older fords so I wouldnt worry about breaking it. Ive had 3 Mustangs and they were already broken or lost when I bought em. Pull the spout and set the timing to 10-12 degrees. I am surprised your car didnt ping like hell with it advanced like that. Here is a link that shows the diagram on how to wire it. It shows 2 ways. Now I am not sure about the older Mustangs but my '94 I can wire it and count the check engine light blinking or I can use my scanner. Your check engine light might blink otherwise you need a analog voltmeter or a test light. http://www.therangerstation.com/files/4hup96.gif

Jump the wires and then turn the key forward to acc. you will hear the fan kick on and off and you will hear your fuel pump cycle.

Maybe I'll check it this evening...we'll see. And I reset my timing to 14-15 degrees with 91 octane..it still misfires if I give it pedal at below 1000 rpms so I'd like to kick it back to 12 but I gotta borrow my friend's dad's distributor wrench again. But yeah, the engine sounded exactly the same at 14-15 degrees of timing as it did 18 degrees...I can't believe it myself. It's the damndest thing. Although it took FOREVER to start with it that high..took about 3 full seconds MINIMUM of turning over to start..usually between 3 and 5.

Compression and Injector test
 

Your right, theres no pressure sensors, but it is doing a compression check, so to speak.

Through playing with the Injector pulse and timing, the computer can determine if compression is low in a cylinder or an injector is clogged, by how much the RPM's vary or changes in O2 readings.

While it can't say #4 is 165psi, it can say "I varied something, and when I did it to #4, the RPM's didn't change as much as the other 7"

There is no way it's doing a compression test, it's doing whats called a cylinder balance test, it cuts out an injector and checks to see the rpm drop. it does this for each on and if any one cylinder is different i will tell you which one. go to the articles section here and then electronics and it shows how to pull codes. thats where i found out about the cylinder balance test.