hi, i have a 1997 ford taurus sho, and the check engine ...

i will try to explain these codes without getting too technical.....P1518 code is for imrc...which stands for intake manifold runner control.....the intake....what feeds air into the cylinders is adjustable with flappers connected to two motors....one for each side of the motor....its to make more torque at higher rpms/loads...either the motor on one side has seized or the linkage has come loose and the flappers are stuck open....this might cause the car to run a little rough and maybe sound like its sucking air......the second code is for the air pump.....the air pump comes on when the car is cold to reduce emissions in the exhaust...on your car the air pump is electrical....its probably blown the fuse....usually it means the pump is starting to go bad and is drawing too much current....both of these problems need to be repaired to have the light stay off....if you want me to try to explain things further or have more questions let me know

Edited by TIREMAN3749 on July 25 2006 at 7:36pm

thank you for responding, but i do have another question though. my brother doesn't seem to think that those codes are actually problems causing the engine light to come on. he thinks it has to do with the computer, kicking out those codes because the computer is messed up. is that possible? please let me know what you think. thank you very much.

the check engine light is on because the computer sees a problem....the computer could be at fault but i highly doubt it in this situation....intake manifold controls have been a problem on ford vehicles since they were introduced...code p1518 is a common fault that i've seen quite often in the last few years and have yet to have found the computer as being the source of the problem...it has always been seized flapper motors or broken linkage....there's always a first time but in your situation i doubt it.....as far as the second code is concerned,the reason why the computer stored that fault is because its not seeing voltage on the power side of the air pump control circuit.....99 times out of 100 you'll find a blown fused and either a seized pump or a pump thats going bad inside and dragging enough to increase current draw and burn the fuse...people both inside and outside are industry are quick to condemn computers soley based on speculation and not on proper diagnostic procedures....if you allow a competent technician with the proper tools and resources inspect your car i'm confident that they will come to the same conclusions that i have........