Yes the check engine light has been on for some time but I haven't smelled fuel. Recently started smelling gas that hasn't been burned all of the way. I can tell that it has gone through the engine by the smell and there isn't any fuel leaking anywhere. I's not a ,"full on" raw gas smell but a rich unburned smell. I've been thinking of cutting a larger hole in the intake box for a poor mans cold air induction to get more air through it but would still like to cure the rich condition. It's a '99 2L with the auto. Any ideas?

Thanks,
BoGiggers

Do you still have a cat?

02 sensor? i would get the cel read, i bet it will tell you what the problem is

I've been thinking of cutting a larger hole in the intake box for a poor mans cold air induction to get more air through it but would still like to cure the rich condition.

It will have no effect.  You can increase airflow by just opening the throttle a bit more.  The ECM will just measure the extra flow and add more fuel.  It is probably a bad sensor or a leaking injector.

Thanks guys. Last night I drove it twice for a total of 30mi. and the light was off the whole time. Maybe it was the long sit from the holiday weekend. It's still got that fuel smell though. The cat is still on it. It has 218,000mi. on it and that's really my only complaint so far. Yeah I figured that opening up the airbox wouldn't have any effect with the rich condition but it would give a small boost to the power and the mileage from what I hear. I'm hoping that lockouts would gain me another increment of fuel savings as well. Those half-shafts don't need to be spinning when I'm not in 4.

I'll swing by Autozone and have them plug in and diagnose it. The code should still be in the memory. I'm hoping it's something simple and cheap!

BoGiggers

Mine was stinking too recently with the CEL light.  Code for me came up EGR.  Cleaned out the passages and it fixed both issues?  Like Sir Lance said get the code read so you quit losing sleep over it.

hmmm... I'll be checking that tomorrow! Gotta catch some z's before the night shift...

Thanks!

BoGiggers

My buddy plugged in his computor and it's the bank 1 o2 sensor. That was the only code. It still runs and drives fine but I wonder how long I can drive it that way? Christmas is right around the corner and I have free towing so I'll keep on limping!

218,000mi and going and going and going...

BoGiggers

I wonder - how much extra fuel is being injected and not burned - and how long before the cost of wasted fuel exceeds the cost of the repair.

I will have to let the ZWO guys go into details, but my understanding is.....   You are ok to drive it as is, you will be burning extra fuel like fordem said, you will have increased carbon production which may lead to the egr passages getting blocked eventually, the o2 sensor feeds the emc computer info which controls the mixture (richer/leaner) from the injectors.

Yeah, I would rather fix it sooner than later. I was going to replace the tires on my wife's Jeep Liberty but I just took my sons to school in it and it didn't slip a tire. It's about as slick as it can get right now in our area. Her tires are at about half tread and doing much better than I anticipated so that frees up the money to buy the sensor and then some. It's in the exhaust tract before the catalytic convertor right?

Bogiggers

Can't say for sure.  Was it Bank 1 sensor 1, or just generic bank 1?  I believe we have 1 post cat and 2 fore cat, but then again I am new to this tracker deal.  Got any questions about 78 F-250's?

A 99 2.0l is an inline four so two O2 sensors - one pre, one post.

I work nights and I've had all kinds of house problems for the last week and a half so I haven't gotten the sensor yet. Today I'm working on the plow truck because it didn't start, no spark. When I run for parts for it I'll grab the sensor but I'll have to see how much steam I have left after fixing the plow truck.

The code said bank 1 sensor. Upstream is in the intake tract or before the cat? When I have the sensor in hand I can just hunt it down. I'll ask the parts guy too.

What differentials does a 1978 F-250 have? Dana 44 front and ? for the rear? The F-150 has a 9in. rear but what about the F-250? Dana 60?

Bogiggers

LOL, wrong forum, but mine is a mildly built 460 (for towing), to a built c-6, to a pair of Dana 60's, and on out to the BFG 35's.  She's a good ole girl with the xlt package (A/C and stuff).  Runs strong, but doesn't drive by the fuel stations like the tracker does.  7-8mpg- loaded, towing, empty, freeway, town, etc, just doesn't matter 7-8mpg.