Fuel tank pressure regulator

bowen

So, I had a check engine light pull up on my SUV this weekend and I Got the codes pulled, it's apparently a fuel pressure regulator issue. Wonderful, I talk to the mechanic where I got it pulled and he said it was okay to drive on, probably wouldn't cause me too much issues other than maybe some stalling while idle and maybe increase in fuel consumption. I had to drive to albany so, that irked me a bit, but oh well.

So I make the trip to and fro, don't notice anything different other than I am doing, so, so much better on my gas mileage than before. I did the Albany trip with probably 1/8th or 1/10th more gas than I usually end up with so I was really wondering what might cause that.

So, Tl;Dr:

My SUV's fuel tank pressure regulator threw a check engine light:

Is it normal to use less fuel now that it's borked (even if I fail emissions on my inspection)?
How much will it cost to get this fixed (even if it's just wires or the full shebang)?
What else should I be on the lookout for?

I drive a 2008 Ford Escape. I may still have it under my warranty too, hopefully, because in my decade or so of driving that has never happened to me before.

wmelon

it shouldn't be that much of an issue. Honestly I would have expected an increased fuel usage, but I guess it could be stuck where you're getting too little pressure and thus less fuel to the injectors.

Depending on how many miles you have, it may still be under warranty. It looks like the bumper to bumper warranty is 3 years/36,000 miles. If not you may be able to get them to slide this in under the drive train or emissions warranties.

bowen

I'm expecting a $300+ expense. But holy fuck that makes me just want to do it myself. Looks as if it's like a 10 minute jobber too. And I never do car things for myself.

Ruckus

If it's covered by warranty, I'd recommend you get it done under warranty by Ford authorized mechanics. Just to cover your ass in regards to further warranty coverage and Insurance.

badpoet

Should be under warranty. Get it replaced at a dealership. The mileage difference could be anything to having your tires inflated more or your were went a bit slower due to traffic/police/whatever. It's possible that you weren't getting the correct amount of fuel pressure, but it doesn't have to be the explanation.

ShadowThomas

My car recently had the same problem. I had driven around with it for a few months, the effects that I noticed were 7 mpg drop (average) and periodic pausing when accelerating. But the car also had a transmission issue that went unnoticed until it was too late. So I don't know how much could be attributed to that.

But I looked into how to fix it myself, and it's either a half hour to 2 hour deal depending on how experienced you are with fixing cars and where the regulator is located.

So if you still have it covered under warranty i'd just get it fixed with that.