check engine

[Ed Fenwick]

The truck gave me a "check engine" the other day. It is an O2 sensor. Since most of my driving is a mile or two, I cleared the code and put in half tank 87 ans half tank 92. Then went for a 100 mile ride at about 3000 RPM, hoping to clean the sensor. Do you think that this will work, or did I just waste 1/4 tank of gas?

Thanks for your opinion Ed

 

[EddieS'04]

Ed, what was the actual code. Also just because it said O2 sensor. Doesnt mean it is the sensor. It could be something else and the sensor is picking up an error. This is one of those iffy issues.

Not saying it is not the sensor. But I have seen many sensors get changed. But that wasnt' the problem...

 

[Ed Fenwick]

Eddie, I don't remember the numbers. I have a cheep reader,$15, I guess if the code comes back, I can take the number down. I hope the code doesn't come back though.

TKS Ed

 

[scott degroot]

It's a big misconception that higher octane fuel is cleaner than the lower octanes.

 

[Ed Fenwick]

True 1tech but I was thinking that the lighter front end of the 92 would burn hotter and clean the sensor. You don't think that is so? Maybe I just wasted a half tank of gas!

Ed

 

[William Youells]

Octane is a detonation preventer. Basically make gas harder to burn. This is why you should run the lowest octane gas you can without knock. You will save money on gas and get better fuel economy.

 

[Jackson Ellis]

The drive itself might have done your ST some good. If all of your driving is a mile or two, then you're probably not getting up to normal operating temperature which can cause buildup on your intake valves and water accumulation in your oil. You can burn both off by running through some tanks of top tier gas (which is guaranteed to contain a certain amount or detergent along with less than 10% ethanol) or by using something like Lucas or Sea Foam, with some trips long enough to get everything hot.



Conversely, short trips with miser throttle inputs is a recipe for buildup. Water is a byproduct of fuel combustion; when the engine is hot, the water exits the exhaust as a gas, but when the engine is cool, the water is liquid and mixes with the oil. The water that accumulates in your oil from frequent short trips contributes to breaking down the oil and forming deposits in the engine from oxidation. You should try for at least a weekly trip to burn off the water - just 10 miles or so.



Engines also benefit from wide open throttle every once in a while to help with buildup or deposits. You won't really notice it on your water temperature gauge, but at the tops of the cylinders, WOT gets things real hot. Just like preheating your gas grill, the heat cleans the deposits off.

 

[Ed Fenwick]

thanks ncstatewolfpacker, That is what I was looking for. Do you feel as 1ech did that the higher octane did not help at all? When I had a Cadillac, I often did WOTs. Great fun, much faster than the Ford. I have been lery with this engine. Loud timing chain up front. 130K miles, maby I will try it on the long 10 mile trips.

Thanks God bless

 

[Jackson Ellis]

Yes, 1tech is correct about higher octane fuel. Octane is just an additive to increase fuel's detonation resistance. It's not related to more energy per stroke at all. Part of the problem with octane is it's everyday use. A movie or thriller book will be called "high octane!!!!" But you don't see Exxon or Sonoco advertising high octane as a performance booster. You can bet they would if it were true.



Unless your engine is knocking or pinging then a higher octane won't help. Knocking, which is a result early detonation, which means the fuel explodes prior to the spark plug sparking and the cylinder reaching it's highest point, will lower teh power of the engine and can be harmful to it. A higher octane will fix that by allowing higher compression before detonation, allowing the cylinder to reach the top of the stroke and waiting for the spark plug to fire. That way, all of the force of combustion will power the cylinder downwards. Most newer cars can compensate by reducing timing, which also lowers power and mpg. Conversely, they can advance timing to compensate for too much octane. Whether your ST could benefit from higher octane fuel depends on a lot of things. If your engine is constantly running with a retarded timing, then a tank of premium could make it run where it's designed.



You didn't mention how your truck was running, only that you got a code. If you're getting poor performance, then something's not right. My advice (which is probably worth what you're paying for it!), assuming you're on schedule with regular maintenance, is to run some Sea Foam through a tank, and to use only top tier fuels. You may be running on "bad gas." Bad gas could come from a gas station cheating, or just from the fact that with 1 to 2 mile trips daily (2 months between fillups?), you don't burn through a tankful fast enough. There are additives for stabilizing fuel that you could use. Or some of the things I mentioned in the earlier post could be happening. If you have underlying issues that you need to address, like catching up on scheduled maintenance, you may need a tuneup, or maybe you really do need a new O2 sensor. Either way, high octane gas is not the answer you're looking for.

 

[swshawaii]

code reader by Ed 5/14/2013 21:47 ET

I have a check engine light, so I borrowed a ce-ten94169 code reader. It says P0316 O2 censor.

Ed- The p0316 CEL will not fix itself by clearing the code. You need to address the issue rather than using additives that might help, but will be temporary at best.

Same goes for your timing chain tensioner rattle you started posting in 2009.

 

[swshawaii]

Here's another.