Jump to content

Exhaust Question - Flex pipe repaired; Check Engine light comes on


bloated liver

Recommended Posts

Hello, I ended up driving through a flooded viaduct and after coming out on the other side, I heard what sounded like a hole in the muffler. Next day, I took it to a muffler shop and they told me/showed me that the flex pipe needed to be replaced and I approved. After getting the car back, I ran an errand and throttled up to 45-50 mph when the Check Engine link began to flash/blink. I put it in neutral and pulled off the road to check. Engine sounded fine. Oil was full. No abnormal smells, vibrations, etc. Car sounded fine and the light went off so I went on my way. This morning the light came on again after passing a car at roughly 40-45mph. This time the car was somewhat hesitant to accelerate and the engine felt sluggish. After 45 seconds, the condition went away and the car experienced no further issues.

 

My question is would the exhaust repair trigger some type of code to cause the light to come on? Is there a sensor in between the flex pipe repair that the mechanic could have possibly forgot to reconnect? Could an incorrect repair set the light off? Or could this be just a coincidence of two separate issues occuring at the same time? BTW, I have a dealer appt tomorrow to get a scan. Any thoughts/recommendations would be highly appreciated.

 

Car details - 2011 Ford Edge Ltd. AWD, 3.5L w/approx 88k miles. Daily driver.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PTU definitely needs checked, but when you have a CEL, you should pull codes first to see what the computer thinks might be wrong. Which is what you are doing, so please update when you have results.

 

These cars are electronically heavy, so it definitely could have been "wet wiring" that just needed time to dry out. Just remember, this is akin to a flooded condition, however temporary, so hopefully water did not get into any of the internal wiring or fuse boxes. Might work fine now, but could experience random glitches further down the road.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Top of the wheels. I checked the engine compartment after driving through but it didn’t appear wet. Not sure if it did get wet and evaporated from the heat. Is the O2 sensor higher up by the throttle bodyAir cleaner?

 

The O2 sensors are in the exhaust just before and after the catalytic converter. You definitely need to get the codes read to see where to start.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good morning, OP here with a followup/resolution. I took my car to another Ford dealer and they retrieved the code that caused the check engine light to come on. Long story short the #6 cylinder was misfiring, so they recommended replacing the ignition coil and getting a tune up that included replacing the spark plugs. This problem was unrelated to the flooded waters I drove through.

 

As for my flood damage concerns, aside from having the flex pipe repaired, Ford recommended servicing the trans fluid (flush), rear axle service, and power steering (flush). Oh and of course, my battery (over six years old) didn't pass the battery check test so I had that replaced as well.

 

Just a quick thanks to all of you who provided their recommendations. When it comes to cars, I'm not mechanically savvy and sometimes it's difficult knowing what questions to ask.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...