Can 10% Ethanol gas cause my Check Engine Light to come on

[beer]

I've been on the northeast for ten weeks or so. My car was purchased in Texas, a 1998 Ford Contour. My Check Engine Light keeps on coming on and off but I don't notice anything wrong. Could it be that the fuel is different and my car was designed for a different sulphur content? Up in CT the gas has (up to) 10% ethanol. Do you think this is a serious thing?

 

[slick230]

Take your car to AutoZone or someplace similar and have them diagnose the CEL for free.

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: slick230
Take your car to AutoZone or someplace similar and have them diagnose the CEL for free.

What would the expected ODB2 code be if this was indeed the cause?

 

[slick230]

Originally posted by: beer

Originally posted by: slick230
Take your car to AutoZone or someplace similar and have them diagnose the CEL for free.

What would the expected ODB2 code be if this was indeed the cause?

Not sure of the exact code, as there are many, but it should start with a "P01" or "P02", followed by 2 other numbers to complete the code. P01 and P02 are the code sets for Fuel and Air Metering. Here's a link that has all the codes:

OBDII codes

And here's a group of enthusiasts dedicated to the Contour, Mystique and European Mondeo, looks like a good place to dig for info:

Contour Enthusiasts Group

 

[lobadobadingdong]

if you suspect the ethanol try running the premium grade fuel for 2 tanks with injector cleaner in the 1st of the 2 tanks if the problem goes away it could be the culprit.

in retrospect, I've taken 90's model chrysler/dodge out west to the 4 corners area, in the high altetude they just don't run right on ethanol, you're pretty much forced to use a higher octane.

 

[Rogue]

I know I accidentally put octane booster rather than injector cleaner in my Contour once and the check engine light came on sporadically for that entire tank of gas.

 

[beer]

Interesting. I'll take the codes and I'll take it by AutoZone to get the OBD2 output. I am not concerned too much, except that I want to make sure it isn't a transmission issue (which the OBD2 codes also cover), and the CEL light is indeed merely a gasoline content thing. I'll keep this thread updated.

 

[beer]

It's the upstream O2 sensor, the only one I have (4cyl only has one bank). Part is $60 at AutoZone, and it looks easy to fix. Wish me luck, I'll try it this weekend.