Ford Ranger 1996 check engine light on

I took it to autozone and put it on the machine and it came up with the code 1, purge valve. what does that mean?

On my 97, it was the purge solenoid. Under the hood on the driver side fender, right behind the battery, there is a small solenoid with 2-3 vacumn lines going to it, along with a snap lock electrical connector. Mine was hotter than hell, I replaced that and the check engine light was out. About 20-30 dollars at autozone for a new one...

Thanks for the response. I was mistaken on the model. it is my daughters boyfriends truck. so anyway. where is the purge valve and how difficult is it to replace it. can you point me in the right direction? thanks.

Like I said, it is on the fender (driver side). Look for a part about 4-5 inches long, which has, I believe, 3 vacuum lines going into it, along with a electrical connector. Simply remove the vacuum lines, unsnap the connector, and replace. took 10 minutes to R&R...