CEL when driving and depressing gas pedal (Codes inside)

93 LX

Founding Member
Jun 2, 2000
3,081
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Norwalk, CA.
90 GT Vert no engine mods, stock.

CEL comes on and off under acceleration. Codes are very strange and not very descriptive.

Key on Engine off:
11, 11, 1
31, 96, 31, 96

Key on Engine Running:
13, 21, 44
13, 21, 44

Cylinder Balance:
9, 9

Can someone give me a better explaination of these trouble codes?

Thanks
 
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Code 11 Computer's interal seft test passed OK.

CODE: 31 (KOEO) - EVP circuit below minimum voltage. Vref (5 volt reference voltage supplied by the computer) missing or
broken wire or bad connection in circuit. Use a DVM to check for 5 volts on the orange/white wire. If it is missing, look for +5 volts at
the orange/white wire on the TPS or MAP sensor located on the firewall near the center of the car. Use the black/white wire for the
ground for the DVM.
With the sensor removed from the EGR and still connected, press the plunger and watch the voltage change on the brown/lt green
wire. Pull the passenger side kick panel and measure the voltage at the computer. You will need to remove the plastic cover over the
wires and probe them from the backside. A safety pin may prove very useful for this task. Use pin 27, EVR input (brown/lt green wire)
and pin 46, signal ground (black/white wire) to measure the voltage. The orange/white wire is Vref and should always be 5 volts -/+ .
25 volt. Be sure to measure Vref at the EGR sensor to rule out any broken wires or bad connections.
Measuring the voltage at the computer helps you spot broken wiring and intermittent connections.


Code 96 – KOEO- Fuel pump monitor circuit shows no power - Fuel pump relay or battery power feed was open - Power /
Fuel Pump Circuits. The fuel pump lost power at some time while the ignition switch was in the run position.

Look for a failing fuel pump relay, bad connections or broken wiring. The fuel pump relay is located under the Mass Air Meter on Fox
bodied stangs built after 91. On earlier model cars is under the passenger seat. On Mass Air Conversions, the signal lead that tells the
computer that the fuel pump has power may not have been wired correctly.
See MAF - Mustang Mass Air Conversion - StangNet - The Mustang Network

Diagram courtesy of Tmoss & Stang&2birds
fuel-alt-links-ign-ac.gif


Look for power at the fuel pump - the fuel pump has a connector at the rear of the car with a pink/black wire and a black wire that
goes to the fuel pump. The pink/black wire should be hot when the test connector is jumpered to the test position. To trick the fuel
pump into running, find the ECC test connector and jump the connector in the lower RH corner to ground.
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86-90 Models:
Using the diagram, check the red/black wire from the fuel pump relay: you should see 12 volts or so. If not, check the inertia switch:
on a hatch it is on the drivers side by the taillight. Look for a black rubber plug that pops out: if you don't find it, then loosen up the
plastic trim. Check for voltage on both sides of the switch. If there is voltage on both sides, then check the Pink/black wire on the fuel
pump relay: it is the power feed to the fuel pump. Good voltage there, then the fuel pump is the likely culprit since it is getting power.
No voltage there, check the Orange/Lt blue wire, it is the power feed to the fuel pump relay & has a fuse link in it. Good voltage
there & at the Pink/black wire, swap the relay.

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Key on Engine running - Idle Speed Control motor or Air Bypass not controlling idle properly (generally idle too high)

If your idle is above 725 RPM, the computer will set this code. Normal idle speed is 650-725 RPM. Higher
than that may mean that you have a vacuum leak or someone has mechanically set the idle speed by
use of the idle speed screw. This effectively disables to computer’s ability to control idle speed.

Code 21 – ECT sensor out of range. Broken or damaged wiring, bad ECT sensor.
Note that that if the outside air temp is below 50 degrees F that the test for the
ECT can be in error.


The ECT sensor has absolutely nothing to do with the temperature gauge. They are
different animals. The ECT sensor is normally located it the RH front of the engine in
the water feed tubes for the heater.

The ACT & ECT have the same thermistor, so the table values are the same

ACT & ECT test data:

Use Pin 46 on the computer for ground for both ECT & ACT to get most accurate
readings.

Pin 7 on the computer - ECT signal in. at 176 degrees F it should be .80 volts

Pin 25 on the computer - ACT signal in. at 50 degrees F it should be 3.5 volts. It is
a good number if the ACT is mounted in the inlet airbox. If it is mounted in the lower
intake manifold, the voltage readings will be lower because of the heat transfer.

Voltages may be measured across the ECT/ACT by probing the connector from
the rear. A pair of safety pins may be helpful in doing this. Use care in doing it
so that you don't damage the wiring or connector.

Here's the table :

50 degrees F = 3.52 v
68 degrees F = 3.02 v
86 degrees F = 2.62 v
104 degrees F = 2.16 v
122 degrees F = 1.72 v
140 degrees F = 1.35 v
158 degrees F = 1.04 v
176 degrees F = .80 v
194 degrees F = .61
212 degrees F = .47 v
230 degrees F = .36 v
248 degrees F = .28 v

Ohms measures at the computer with the computer disconnected, or at the sensor with the sensor disconnected.

50 degrees F = 58.75 K ohms
68 degrees F = 37.30 K ohms
86 degrees F = 27.27 K ohms
104 degrees F = 16.15 K ohms
122 degrees F = 10.97 K ohms
140 degrees F = 7.60 K ohms
158 degrees F = 5.37 K ohms
176 degrees F = 3.84 K ohms
194 degrees F = 2.80 K ohms
212 degrees F = 2.07 K ohms
230 degrees F = 1.55 K ohms
248 degrees F = 1.18 k ohms

Diagram courtesy of Tmoss & Stang&2birds

88-91_5.0_EEC_Wiring_Diagram.gif


See the following website for some help from Tmoss (diagram designer) & Stang&2Birds
(website host) for help on 88-95 wiring Mustang FAQ - Engine Information

Ignition switch wiring
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/IgnitionSwitchWiring.gif

Fuel, alternator, A/C and ignition wiring
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/fuel-alt-links-ign-ac.gif

Complete computer, actuator & sensor wiring diagram for 88-91 Mass Air Mustangs
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/88-91_5.0_EEC_Wiring_Diagram.gif

Vacuum diagram 89-93 Mustangs
http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/mustangFoxFordVacuumDiagram.jpg


Codes 44 & 94 - AIR system inoperative - Air Injection. Check vacuum lines for leaks, & cracks.
Disconnect the big hose from smog pump: with the engine running you should feel air output. Reconnect
the smog pump hose & apply vacuum to the first vacuum controlled valve: Its purpose is to either dump
the pump's output to the atmosphere or pass it to the next valve. The next vacuum controlled valve
directs the air to either the cylinder heads when the engine is cold or to the catalytic converter when the
engine is warm. Disconnect the big hoses from the back side of the vacuum controlled valve and start the
engine. Apply vacuum to the valve and see if the airflow changes from one hose to the next.

The two electrical controlled vacuum valves mounted on the rear of the passenger side wheel well turn the
vacuum on & off under computer control. Check to see that both valves have +12 volts on the red wire.
Then ground the white/red wire and the first solenoid should open and pass vacuum. Do the same thing to
the light green/black wire on the second solenoid and it should open and pass vacuum.

Remember that the computer does not source power for any actuator or relay, but provides the ground
necessary to complete the circuit. That means one side of the circuit will always be hot, and the other side
will go to ground or below 1 volt as the computer switches on that circuit.


The computer provides the ground to complete the circuit to power the solenoid valve that turns the
vacuum on or off. The computer is located under the passenger side kick panel. Remove the kick panel &
the cover over the computer wiring connector pins. Check Pin 38 Solenoid valve #1 that provides vacuum
to the first Thermactor control valve for a switch from 12-14 volts to 1 volt or less. Do the same with pin
32 solenoid valve #2 that provides vacuum to the second Thermactor control valve. Starting the engine
with the computer jumpered to self test mode will cause all the actuators to toggle on and off. If after
doing this and you see no switching of the voltage on and off, you can start testing the wiring for shorts to
ground and broken wiring. An Ohm check to ground with the computer connector disconnected & the
solenoid valves disconnected should show open circuit between the pin 32 and ground and again on pin 38
and ground. In like manner, there should be less than 1 ohm between pin 32 and solenoid valve #2 and pin
38 & Solenoid valve #1.

If after checking the resistance of the wiring & you are sure that there are no wiring faults, start looking at the
solenoid valves. If you disconnect them, you can jumper power & ground to them to verify operation. Power &
ground supplied should turn on the vacuum flow, remove either one and the vacuum should stop flowing.

See the following website for some help from Tmoss (diagram designer) & Stang&2Birds (website host)

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/fuel-alt-links-ign-ac.gif

http://www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine/images/88-91eecPinout.gif

See Mustang Forums at StangNet for a very nice drawing of the Thermactor Air System (smog pump) plumbing

If you have a catalytic converter H pipe, you need to fix these codes. If you don't, then don't worry about them