Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting 98 Contour with egr problem

Hey all have a good one. I have a 98 SE with the 2.5 that last week pulled up 3 codes which was
1. Lean bank one
2. Lean bank two
3. Misfire
I was thinking maybe it was bad gas because the car wanted to stall out while driving, but would idle great. I filled it with 93 oct gas with some gas dry and fuel inj cleaner. I then cleared the code and drove it for 3 days until it pulled up a different code which was egr: excessive flow. Has anyone ever had this problem? let me know thanks Robert

The gasoline that was used has NOTHING to do with the original poster's symptoms, either the reason or the solution.

The "lean" codes do not mean the engine is running lean, it means the computer thinks the engine is running too lean even after trying to enrichened the mixture.

If your codes were P0171 and P0174, you have a classic case of an air leak somewhere in the intake system after the MAF. There are several active threads regarding this and I suggest you review them for more information. However, with the misfire code present, it might be possible you just need plugs and wires. Are you encountering any driveability concerns such as surging, hesitation, etc?

Please post the EXACT codes given, not an abbreviated description. Without the exact codes, an accurate diagnostic cannot be begun.

If your scanner can check for "pending" codes, look at those also as the 171 and 174 codes take several drive cycles to be set.

As for the "egr" code, again, the exact code number is needed.

Steve

Check the PCV hose running down the firewall. The hose is nutorious for leaking/cracking as it's made of plastic.
Mine had a small leak couldn't see until we touched it and it shattered. I was getting the same codes.

A lean code could also be the DPFE sensor not working if an EGR code is present.

Higher octane gas is merely the ability to resist pre-detonation. As a car ages, carbon builds up and you tend to get hot spots in chambers. Lower octane gas will detonate from this before the spark plug sets of the charge and when the two shock waves meet, you get engine knock. Higher compression engines will also require higher octane. It's basically a waste of money to use a higher octane gas if the engine doesn't need it as the BTU content of 87 or 93 gas is the same. Of course if you listen to all the marketing, some companies do end up putting more detergents to clean fuel injectors in their 93 than their 87, but their 87 has to have enough to do the job as mandated by the EPA.