Mods: Please Delete This Thread

[Drekce]

In the recent months the "check engine" lights in both of my (relatively new) vehicles has been coming on rather frequently. This light signifies possible trouble in the emissions control system in the cars. The light usually goes off after a few days, but I did have my Accord checked out by a mechanic when it first started happening. No problem was found.

I started thinking about this today and realized that it began happening when all of the local gas stations began putting Ethanol in their gas. Almost all of them have the signs at the pump now that says "up to x% ethanol in this gasoline." Is this a case of correlation without causation or am I on to something?

 

[frostedflakes]

How much ethanol? I think all gas nowadays has some ethanol (fractions of a percent, or maybe 1-2%) mainly as an octane booster and cleaning agent. More than a few percent may be harmful for older engines, though, because it can knock buildup in the fuel system loose and clog up the injectors. I actually had this problem with my old car, I started putting E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) in the engine at about 100k miles and ended up having injector problems. Live and learn, I guess.

Injector cleaning solution that you put in the gas tank helped, you may try this and see if it stops the check engine light. I think it's like $5-10 a bottle.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Most of the places around me now have signs stating their gas contains 10% ethanol.

 

[BrownTown]

Based on my experience with cars the "check engine" light turns on if you so much as look at it funny or cough to loudly. I mean maybe something is wrong, or maybe the check engine light is just a worthless piece of crap.

 

[Colt45]

no

 

[Drekce]

Most of the places that I fill up at are 90/10

 

[radioouman]

screw your gas cap on until it clicks three times.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: radioouman
screw your gas cap on until it clicks three times.

First thing I thought of.

OP - have you read your manual?

 

[Drekce]

My gas cap is on fine, and yes I have read the manual.

 

[FoBoT]

no, it isn't ethanol
a grunch of places have had 10% ethanol in gas for many years and a gazzilion people have used it with no problems

 

[sswingle]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: radioouman
screw your gas cap on until it clicks three times.

First thing I thought of.

OP - have you read your manual?

Mine specifically says on the door to click it once. Why 3?

 

[SparkyJJO]

Almost every gas station I see has 10% or so ethanol in the fuel. I highly doubt that is your problem. If my old 93 taurus and my current 98 camaro run on it fine your car can

Ethanol burns cleaner anyway (so I hear).

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: Drekce
My gas cap is on fine, and yes I have read the manual.

Obviously you haven't, because the manual tells you to get the codes scanned.

 

[bigal40]

For older cars ethanol will clean off all the gunk built up on the walls of the fuel tank and it could mess up the fuel filter. My dads 1984 porsche 944 started having trouble starting, ran rough and stalled out occasionally after he started getting the e10 gas. Had to replace the filter and now only put e0 gas in it. I think most shells have no ethanol in their gas even though they seem to be a little more expensiv.e

 

[308nato]

Originally posted by: Pepsi90919

Originally posted by: Drekce
My gas cap is on fine, and yes I have read the manual.

Obviously you haven't, because the manual tells you to get the codes scanned.

Heh....that's why, like the government, you know, mandated OBD and stuff.....light means code means your car knows....we don't

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: ScottSwingleComputers

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: radioouman
screw your gas cap on until it clicks three times.

First thing I thought of.

OP - have you read your manual?

Mine specifically says on the door to click it once. Why 3?

Because countless engineers and product managers tested it and it was determined there needed to be some kind of mechanism to prevent idiots from not sealing their tank. After countless thousands of hours of design the "smart" people figured that this was about as dumbed down as they could get.

They even gave you an audible idiot proof mechanism. Shamefully, there is no such thing as idiot proof.

-edit-
Different fasteners behave differently as to your original question. The guys that did the "3 clicks" approach figured it would be easy for people to count to three. Time and time again this is too much to ask.

 

[Drekce]

A loose gas cap is NOT the problem. You guys are like pit bulls, you latch onto one idea and won't let go.

 

[SearchMaster]

Have you checked the gas cap?

You said your cars are relatively new - how new?

 

[Analog]

If the check engine light comes on, then a code is stored. Find out what that code was. It will store the code even if the light goes out.

 

[olds]

Probably the gas cap.

 

[ISAslot]

Originally posted by: Analog
If the check engine light comes on, then a code is stored. Find out what that code was. It will store the code even if the light goes out.

Code 0x3382 - Check engine light came on

 

[Drekce]

Originally posted by: Analog
If the check engine light comes on, then a code is stored. Find out what that code was. It will store the code even if the light goes out.

Not true. There is a different malfunction light for most coded problems. The light that is coming on is for the emission control system (usually loose gas cap). As I said, I already had the car looked at and there were no codes stored and nothing wrong according to the mechanic.

 

[Uppsala9496]

I have been putting gas with "up to 10% ethanol" in both my car since 1998 and have never had a problem. It's been used exclusively in all the cars my wife has had. Never a problem. I've used it in my boat since the early 90's when it was first introduced and the boat has never had a problem.

Not sure where you live OP, but in the Chicago area, I don't think you can find a station that doesn't have ethanol in the gas. I've never heard of anyone having engine trouble as a result of it.

 

[radioouman]

To be honest with you OP, 10% ethanol in gasoline will cause the computer to change the mixture slightly. This was noticable on finicky carbuerated engines. With those cars, it was best to avoid 10% ethanol gasoline. Even some throttle body injected cars showed some difference between 100% gasoline and 10% ethanol gasoline.

However, gasoline has had 10% ethanol in it for 20 years now. It started at the cheap stations and has progressed to the name brands. I believe that Shell still doesn't add ethanol to their gasoline, but almost all of the others do.

On a modern car, you certainly should not have a check engine light come on due to 10% ethanol in your gasoline. The computer may make a very slight adjustment to the mixture, but it will be perfectly within the normal range of adjustment. If you have a car that was designed for E85, then the computer can adjust anywhere between 100% gasoline and only 15% gasoline (with ethanol making up the difference).

If you check engine light is coming on, it is due to something other than the gasoline that you are putting in your car. You can be absolutely certain that the engineers that designed your car tested it with every possible mixture of gasoline and alcohol that is available for sale in the car's destination country, that your car is designed to run on, and would not have released your car for sale without it passing all of those tests.

Something else is wrong with your car. It isn't gasoline.

 

[imported_Devine]

Originally posted by: Drekce
A loose gas cap is NOT the problem. You guys are like pit bulls, you latch onto one idea and won't let go.

ruff grrrr ... .. ruff