flex fuel sensor malfunction?

[Wicked_Sludge]

i'd part with it for $100.

my truck isnt flex fuel. this sensor was installed in a set of fuel lines that were ordered for a truck in our shop, then canabalized for their fittings. i cut the sensor out before the lines were tossed. its brand new, but still has the ends of the fuel lines crimped to it where i cut them off. i see no reason why a guy couldnt cut the line off and crimp it into his own lines.

[00stranger]

let me think about for a couple days. i'll see how much they want from the wreckers and if it's more than 20$, id rather get the new one from you.

[Wicked_Sludge]

sounds good. PM me when you decide.

[fixizin]

I think I've seen this alien thing, down around fuel filter country... figured maybe it was a failsafe for the inertial cutoff... wrong.

But DUDE!... that should be a LIFE OF THE VEHICLE THING... bang on your Ford Dealer again, then hit up the Canadian version of the Environmental Protection Agency...

Isn't the PCM, and even the firmware image, the same across a large span of Ranger models, and it figures out "where it is" by scanning some inputs? (e.g. "receiving power-on-test signal from E85 sensor = Flex vehicle, check...") Can't this sensor just be DISconnected at the big wire harness, then it DEFAULTS to petrol?

Fook mi... as a Flex owner, driving around with the same time-bomb, I feel I've ALREADY gotten the CONSUMER SHAFT!

Originally Posted by Bob Ayers

The signal from the E-85 sensor is not DC.

SHeey-at... for WAY less than what Ford is bending him/US over for, I'll cobble him up a Basic Stamp (or even a NetBurner!) w/ power-supply that'll hook into the 12V, and GENERATE ANY WAVEFORM HE WANTS... even the one that says he's runnin' moonshine+kersone! Bloody hell on earth!

Hell, I'll put a BROADBAND INTERFACE on there and STILL come in under Ford... then the OP can load in some new waveforms from his Blackberry... LOL!


PS: Needless to say, Chilton's on CD, thee lamest shop manual to ever have the chutzpah to title itself such, has NO mention of this sensor.

[fixizin]

To put in perspective just HOW BAD this RAPE is, a whole new PCM can be had for only $164!!!

That damnable sensor must use jewelry quality DIAMONDS to ascertain fuel content.

(the hell of it is, I never wanted a flex truck, that's just what all the 3.0's were in '98-00... grrrr... been from CA to FL in the thing, never saw a single E85 pitstop)

[Bob Ayers]

If your never going to run E-85, the cheapist, and most reliable solution is to unplug the E-85 sensor, and swap the Flex-Fuel PCM for a non-Flex Fuel 3.0L PCM.

[00stranger]

i didn't know i had a flex fuel truck until i had my friend scan the code. Fixizin, i wouldn't call it i time bomb, where you live there's probably a lot of flex 3.0L so it would be easy to find a sensor at a wrecker. i found a thread on the net where someone else was complaining about how much he payed for the sensor, then someone else said they picked one up fo 10$ at the wrecker. it doesn't seem to be that common of a problem for these sensors to go, but even if you change to 1 or 2 in the life of truck, it shouldn't cost too much with wrecker parts.

when i change the sensor, i'll post what was involved. if it's fairly easy to change, i would suggest that everyone find a spare sensor(just in case). my truck died when i was towing my atv, so i drove my atv to get to a phone. i'd hate to see someone get stranded in the middle of nowhere.

unpluging the sensor doesn't work. that was the first thing i tried when the truck died the first time on the side of the road. engine would turn over but not start, pluged the sensor back in and it would start but run like a deisel.

changing the pcm should work but even the wreckers around here want around 200$. i'm just going to always carry a spare sensor. hopefully it's going to be easy to change

[Jason]

Does your truck have the little green leaf on the the back or side? If it does, it's a flex-fuel vehicle. Ford labels them all with that little leaf.

[00stranger]

my truck has no leaf, or even a xl or xlt badge. i have a feeling the PO took it off so i wouldn't notice it was flex. there's no reason to own a flex out here since gas stations don't carry e85. the only place i noticed it says flex fuel is inside the fuel filler door but i never noticed it before.

does anyone know what's involved to change the sensor? if i figure out how to post pics, i'll show or at least describe what's involved for the next person who has this problem. i noticed there is a NHTSA service bulletin for this problem. the id # is 613656. ford doesn't seem to have any tsb's or recalls for it though. what does NHTSA stand for?

[Big Jim M]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes...

Google is our friend..

Big Jim