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Another p20ba CEL thread

9K views 6 replies 2 participants last post by  Newbomb 
#1 ·
I have read all of the P20BA CEL threads, but still have questions. #1 question is if I can take a quick trip over Thanksgiving without worrying about getting stranded.

1. This code appeared on the coldest day of the year (~25 F overnight). Is this because the heater finally had to kick on?

2. I cleared it, and it re-appeared the next day (but it was cold that day too).

3. At what temp does the heater turn on (or what temp difference between something and something else)?

4. I need to travel where it will be about 5 F overnight. Am I asking for real trouble (DEF freezes @ ~12 F)?

5. What if it does freeze? Could it cause serious damage or strand me?

6. Much reading suggests the CEL will only turn on when the heater is activated, and the resistance check fails. I assume this won't happen at all in a mild climate?

FWIW, I have a 2011 250 with 55k miles. I am assuming the repair will be on my dime, so I will do it myself (looks fairly easy). Any other thoughts?

Thanks,

Todd
 
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#2 ·
Guess there is not one person that knows the answer to any of these questions. Perhaps I should start posting to another forum :|

As an update, I went ahead and took the truck off to central Oregon, and the night low was about 6 degrees. It cranked right up in the morning and I had no issues. Interestingly, the CEL went OFF. I ran back to the 'valley' and it never turned on again.

I am a bit stumped on this one. I'm not going to go digging around to fix something that doesn't appear to be broken, so I'll just leave it at that.

Todd
 
#4 ·
Unfortunately, the CEL came on again and again. It happened even in warmer weather.

If you read the threads, this is a defect I still think Ford should pay for, but good luck with that. The heater element must have a defect that causes the resistance reading to be off enough to throw the CEL. I let it ride until May of the next year, but finally decided I needed to fix it before a long trip towing a trailer; I did not want it to mask other issues.

$350 later, four hours in my shop and it was fixed. The job is 'medium' as far a difficulty. Some will say they did it in a half hour. That is BS, and is most likely someone trying to spout off about their mechanical abilities. I am above average working on vehicles, and this was not super simple.

Beats the $900 a shop was going to charge. I'd get the OEM part. You may save $100 using aftermarket, but I decided to go with the real deal.

Go get a new sending unit, watch the YouTube video, and fix it. Good luck.
 
#5 ·
So the element actually was working and it was just throwing the reading off?

I am just a little concerned because of the tight timeframe I have before leaving on a short trip this next week. The temps are supposed to be getting down near 15 and I don't want to get stranded lol
 
#6 ·
The CEL details on the heater are available. I can't remember where I found them as it was a while ago. However, the logic around the CEL is based on the current through/resistance of the element in several test steps. My heater did appear to be functioning, although did not pass the diagnostic test, and hence the CEL.

I would bet that as long as the circuit is not open, it is still functioning at some level. But again, I am not a Ford mechanic. It may be worth a shot to test the resistance of the element. There are various threads on that too. However, when I tried that it was just a PITA to get the plug off of the sending unit and get a meter on the correct pins. My sending unit read ~4 ohms after I pulled it. It needs to be about 2 ohms (I think).

Because DEF freezes at around 12 degrees, I expect you would be fine at 15 degrees (there are other heaters -- but just one in the actual tank). Seems like you are in the mid-west? I'd probably get it fixed before it drops into the single digits. Still pissed at Ford over this one.
 
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