P1445 Code Help please

[Kappa2006]

Hey guys. Just the other day my cel came on. I had the code scanned and found the p1445 code in there twice. Not sure why it came up twice. Had it cleared and it came up twice again. I looked the code up and it says the Purge Flow Sensor circuit Input is High. I searched and found that it might be the fuel filter, might be the Purge Control Solenoid or Purge Control Valve, might have something to do with the front 02 sensors, and might have something to do with the timing. Figured I might be able to get a straight answer from someone else. The car actually drives perfectly fine. No problems anywhere. Idle's fine, pulls fine under full throttle. I want to fix the problem before something more serious comes up. So if anyone could help me out, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks a lot.

Brian

 

[Kilgore Trout]

If your car has more than 30k on it might as well change the fuel filter.

 

[Kappa2006]

yes the car has 103k on the clock. Just bought the car from a used lot so i'm going to replace the fuel filter this weekend. Hope it solves the problem, but what would a dirty fuel filter have to do with the Purge Flow Sensor circuit Input being High?

 

[Mike97gt]

when posting about EEC concerns please give us the year of your car and mods. the more info the better

this code is for the evap system post back with more info on your car and i will try and help.

 

[Kappa2006]

1996 mustang gt vert. drop in K&N filter....been in the car since i bought it. Removed snorkel and aftermarket cd player. Other than that, completely stock.

 

[Mike97gt]

that code is for the purge flow sensor voltage voltage out of range.

3 things can cause this code.

1. damaged purge flow sensor

2. damaged pcm.

3. wiring vpwr and pf pins shorted ( short to power) pf open circuit or pwr ground open circuit. ( check the wiring first. maybe you will find a obvious wiring concern)

firs the connector is connected and not corroded do this test. if the sensor was disconnected or the connections were bad then that was most likely your problem.

ok first you need to disconnect the pf sensor and measure the resistance between vpwr pin and the pf pin on the sensor itself. if it's between 40-230 ohms then the sensor is good if not replace it.

if it's not the sensor get back to me.

 

[Kappa2006]

Ok I checked the resistance between the red and purple wire. I got a reading of 79.6 ohms. The connectors all looked good too. I had my ohms meter set to 200....it doesn't auto range, but I'm pretty sure thats the correct selection to get ohms readings and not kilo-ohms or mega-ohms...thats in range so I guess the sensor is fine. What would I check next? Thanks for your help by the way.

Brian

 

[Mike97gt]

check those two wires all the down the harness. see if there is a short to power or a weak ground.

this would be a lot easier if you had a EEC 5 breakout box.

 

[Kappa2006]

could the sensor be dirty? What would I use to clean it out? All wiring is correct. Ground is strong, no shorts that I can detect. Resistance accross the wires in the sensor is good. Possibly dirty sensor? Does the fact that the code came up twice mean anything? When I had is scanned, the same code was in there twice.....does that change anything? Thanks for your help guys.

 

[BlackenedSVT]

FYI, you really should change the fuel filter every 15k miles or 30k at the least. Not just once...change it EVERY 30k. I do.

 

[Mike97gt]

could the sensor be dirty? What would I use to clean it out? All wiring is correct. Ground is strong, no shorts that I can detect. Resistance accross the wires in the sensor is good. Possibly dirty sensor? Does the fact that the code came up twice mean anything? When I had is scanned, the same code was in there twice.....does that change anything? Thanks for your help guys.

kappa this is one of those codes where you NEED a scan tool with PID access and a EEC V breakout box.

get back to me and let me know if that reading was under 4.8 volts or over. plus i need to to check with the key on engine off the voltage at both wires.

 

[Kappa2006]

OK, here are all of my voltage readings......

Engine and Key Off: Red wire - 0volts
Purple wire - 0.07 volts

Engine Off, Key On: Red Wire - 12.01 volts
Purple wire - 4.99 volts

Engine On: Red Wire - 13.99 volts
Purple Wire - 5.01 volts

Let me know what you think.

Brian

 

[Mike97gt]

kappa lets post the rest of this on here so other members can look this stuff up.

ok as i said in the PM you need to test the resistance between the black and white ground wire and ground 104 thats in the front left hand side of the engine compartment. there is 2 grounds there 104 and 105 test all of them and see if any of them come out with less than 5 ohms of resistance.

104 and 105 run off of the negative battery terminal go you can find them there.

test from where they bolt into the chassis.

 

[Kappa2006]

i haven't checked ground 104 or 105 yet, but I checked the resistance from that black wire on that connector back to the negative terminal of the battery and got .5 ohms. So the ground going to that connector is fine. But at some point today I guess I'll check those two grounding points and see what I get.

 

[Kappa2006]

OK, i checked the two grounds to chassis near the battery, the resistance from both of them to the black/white wire on the connector was around 0.9 ohms. I removed the grounds and cleaned them up a bit just to make sure, and had the code cleared, but it will most likely come back on. I bought a haynes manual today but its not that thorough when it comes to the evap system. The only mention of the sensor is in the wiring diagram, but that doesn't give info as to what voltage readings I should find in different wires. Is there another resource out there that is a bit more indepth? I really want to figure out what exactly is wrong here so it can be fixed....without bringing it somewhere. Especially since I'm going to school to become a tech.

A thought I just had....possibly the ground wire inside the connector isn't making good contact with the sensor prong? I noticed the probe on my volt meter sticks into the red and purple wire connectors fairly tightly, but the ground hole seems bigger and the probe is fairly loose in it. I doubt thats effecting anything, but how would I test to see if theres a good connection there, since there are no wires on the sensor side of the connector to tap into and test?

 

[Mike97gt]

check that pin you said could be loose.

ok well i can not be sure the tests were done correctly without a breakout box. but if those grounds check out your supposed to replace the pcm.

if i was you i would get another purge flow sensor and retest. if it continues to act up you may need a pcm.

unfortunately without a breakout box and scan tool with live data this is tough to figure out

 

[Kappa2006]

well today I cleaned up all three of those grounds again, this time with sandpaper, cleaned the battery cables and posts, cleaned the connections on the purge flow sensor itself, and replaced the fuel filter. I'll let you know if the cel comes back on. Next on the list will be a new sensor...

 

[Mike97gt]

cool keep us posted.

 

[Kappa2006]

Well the light came back on....went to Ford and got a new sensor for 20 bucks. Drove 5 miles, shut the car off, another 5 miles, so light yet. We'll see tomorrow morning...keepin the fingers crossed. Hope this finally fixes it so I can start purchasing some performance upgrades.

 

[Mike97gt]

i hope so to kappa. without a scan tool and a break out box this is real hard for me to help you with.

i don't think it's your pcm because you got 4.9+ at the sensor. so if it's not this sensor you need to check that wiring again. look at obvious rub spots first then go to the harder stuff that needs to be unwrapped.