Did it rain just before or was it raining at the time the CEL came on?
Nope. It was warm and dry. And there has been no rain since. Is rain related to CEL problems?
Sometimes rain or very high humidity will cause the coils or the ignition wires to arc. If you have a distributor cap, then it could arc internally as well. You mentioned that you recently had your plugs and ignition wires replaced but you might still have a hairline crack in the distributor cap or a severely damaged tip inside. I always replace the cap when I replace the wires so your mechanic probably did also but you overlooked it in telling us what has been done. Easy to overlook.
I just checked and yes, the distributor cap and rotor were both replaced with the tune-up 15K miles ago. But thanks for mentioning that possibility. Hope the mechanic can figure this out!
Update on my CEL Issue with my 97 Mercury Villager minivan
The car has been driving ānormallyā with no symptoms. The CEL has not come on again since June 22 when it was flashing while I was driving on the freeway. (That was the second time; the first time it came on and stayed on for about a day with no flashing). I have driven the car almost everyday since then but only for short distances - maybe 100 miles total - and not on the freeway until today.
I drove it on the freeway today with no problem and no CEL. My maximum speed was 55mph because there was traffic. The car ran fine and has been running fine - about the same as it did before all this happened. It has been very hot here and I have run the A/C with no overheating issues. (This car has never overheated.)
This past Saturday I added a bottle of Techron to the gas tank and about 7 gallons of Chevron mid grade gas. I donāt know if it helped - maybe. Or if I should buy more or even a different type of cleaner? I did not notice any difference in driving the car after adding it.
Yesterday I took it to a friendās highly recommended mechanic. He checked the codes and the only one that showed was the misfire cylinder 1. Based on that he checked spark plugs and wires, cap and rotor, and the MAF sensor. He looked and listened and could not hear or see anything. I had to decide if I wanted him to really get into it and maybe spend a few hours exploring possibilities. He would have been willing to take more things apart but I did not want to the spend money for that given the carās value. He did not think it was worth the money to replace fuel injectors.
I still feel unsure about whether the problem is really gone. I do have AAA with extra towing so I know I wonāt get totally stuck. Iām hoping to sell this car then borrow one while I look for a replacement used vehicle.
Any ideas are most welcome!
I would just sell it āas-isā with a simple statement like, āThe check engine light has been on, then off, so I put Techron in the gas. It runs great, but I only drive it around town because I donāt really trust it completely.ā Donāt hesitate to let a prospective buyer take it to a mechanic for a checkout.
Happy days to you
I would rethink that plan. This thing is not a valuable vehicle , sure you might get more selling outright but what if you wreck the borrowed vehicle or something expensive breaks while you have it. You could possibly ruin a friendship . Just go shopping, trade the thing off and move on.
I agree with Volvo on this . . .
A 1997 Mercury Village simply isnāt worth much, and it might not be worth the hassle to try to find a buyer
Use it to start shopping for the next car. Youāll just trade it in and be rid of it, versus dealing with tire kickers who waste your time
I suspect the Villager is worth more in trade, versus trying to sell it to an individual