"Wrench" warning light

[firstbird05]

Last night, after stopping at the Post Office, I shifted into reverse but then, when shifting into D nothing happened. The engine did not race but I just sat there. The car had not been turned off while I went in to mail a letter. The wrench symbol was lighted on the dash and, when reading the book, it told me it was the electronic throttle control and the car was in "limp home" mode. Well, I wasn't going to limp anyplace - the car simply would not move forward. I did back into a parking spot and, while contemplating what to do, turned it off and restarted. Everything was fine and I drove home. The book also said to tell my dealer about it. It did not say it was critical or give me any other idea as to what went wrong. Only 5600 miles so I am sure one of you can tell me what to expect when I get back home next week and contact the dealer. I'll be on the road for a few days but not driving the Bird. Any information is appreciated.

[FUN X 3]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

It's been my experience that if the wrench light is no longer on, the dealer won't do anything. I've found that when something happens like you experienced, the best thing to do is pull over to a safe spot, shut off the engine, wait a few minutes, and then crank it back up. It usually solves whatever problem there was. It's like rebooting your computer.

[firstbird05]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

Thanks, Phil. You sound like my wife...."just unplug it and plug it in again." I'm off to Ohio this morning and won't worry about it until next week. I do appreciate your answer. Just hope it does not happen at 70mph instead of a parking lot.

[AZTB]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

Greg...things like what you experienced are some of my complaints with technology. It has the potential to leave us stranded and we don't know why. Then, it 'fixes' itself, after which the dealer can't help you or get the 'codes' leaving you with this thing in the back of your mind, like, "When's it gonna happen again?"

[Ediron]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

I've had the Trac Control and ABS light go on a couple of times.I pull over shut it down wait 30sec. or so and start up and it clears itself.One time it didn't and I had a brake sensor fixed.One of the quirks in the Bird

[FUN X 3]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

Thanks, Phil. You sound like my wife...."just unplug it and plug it in again."

LOL! My wife says that with a wink and a smile...

[94mcd]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

I had the throttle control problem and took the car to the dealer who found the problem when he put it on the diagnostic machine. Don't let the dealer tell you he can't find the problem, it will show up even if the car is running okay. Dealer replaced the THROTTLE SENSOR and reprogrammed PCM F or TSB 05144. Part number 3L5Z*9B989*AA potentiometer-engine throttle. Hope this helps. Pat

[Kokomo]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

Check you coolant level (while engine is cold). Unless you are certain it was the throttle control, it is possible your car overheated briefly while sitting at idle and that triggered the limp mode. Then the temperature came back within acceptable range and therefore was able to run correctly after restarting. Some of us have experienced this intermittent overheat/normal triggering limp mode and it was found usually to be either a little low on coolant, or sometimes a more serious cooling system problem. It happened to me a couple of times in the 2nd and 3rd year and topping off the antifreeze fixed it both times. Now I just check that regularly along with oil and such.

[firstbird05]

Re: "Wrench" warning light - Thanks

Thanks to all of you. I have not had the pleasure of meeting any of you in person but appreciate all the helpful advice and counsel available on this site. I'll keep an eye on the coolant and, if it happens again, I'll talk to the dealer. I have a good mechanic friend (although he thinks only GM cars are the way to go) and he tells me error codes, at least in those, are stored for several ignition cycles after the problem occurs and can be "read" by a scan tool.

[redbirdman]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

also check coolant recovery bottle for cracks(small)

[R-04-Merlot]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

Since owning my Tbird I've had the wrench show up about three times. Each time, I was able to shut the car off, wait a minute or so and restart. Each time the wrench disappeared. It's almost as though everything in the computer did not receive the control alt delete start command.

[firstbird05]

Re: "Wrench" warning light - more info

Today, after church, the wrench light showed up again and, on the way home, also the "engine" symbol. I limped home and will see what the Ford dealer says tomorrow. I believe I'm glad I purchased the extended warranty. There are only 5700 miles on this 05 so I should NOT be having these issues.

[firstbird05]

Re: "Wrench" warning light - resolution

It was the throttle sensor and will be replaced tomorrow morning. Thanks to Pat for the suggestion. The codes are stored for several ignition cycles after a fault is determined so a dealer should be able to check these things.

[Rosebud]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

Is it covered buy the extended warranty?

[firstbird05]

Re: "Wrench" warning light

It is covered by extended warranty I have from Ford. Only paying the deductible I selected.