Fuel compensation sensor question

[tideman]

New to the forum; glad I found it, contains a wealth of information.

My wife has a 2002 Yukon SLT w/64K miles. She wants to sell it or trade it in for a smaller SUV. As I was driving it to several dealerships to obtain trade in value, the check engine light came on. The GMC dealer states it is the fuel compensation sensor; replacement cost is around 1K.

Does the sensor have to be replaced since we do not run alternate fuel? And, is there a downside if I don't replace it--other than the fact that I would have no way of knowing of other potential problems. My limited expertise says no, but I need a second opinion. Of course, the dealer said it needs to be replaced.

Great vehicle, this is the first mechanical issue we have had.

Thanks in advance.

 

[blueflamed03]

trading in...disconnect battery right around the corner form dealer, erase codes and go trade it in...

 

[ezdaar]

Disconecting will do nuthing, the code is stored. Dealership will pull that code anyways, just leave it.

 

[tideman]

Thanks, appreciate the input. Can I safely continue to drive it without replacing the sensor? Other than the sensor, it is in great shape.

In fact, I drove to auto zone to get a can of sea foam, and on the return trip the check engine light went off; it seems to go on/off every few days. If I decide to trade it, guess I can always wait until it goes off and then take it to the dealer. But, the main thing is I want to ensure it won't cause any mech problems if I elect not to replace it.

Thanks in advance, Jim.

 

[Splatmaster527]

I had mine go bad a while back and it sucks for sure because they are so expensive...

Anyway to answer your question there would be no mechanical problems related to not replacing it.
Your theory on trading it in while it is off is a good one lol
Worst case you lose a bit in the trade if they read it and find out but you really cant do much else

 

[Schwab]

Are they sure it's a problem with the sensor? I've seen several of them in the shop where
the sensor has just needed to be reset. Are there any rich DTC's?

Or am I thinking of the completely wrong part? haha I'm thinking of the sensor that calculates the alcohol content of the fuel.

 

[ntxstallion]

Here is the only one that I've found. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Flex-Fuel-Sensor-GM-Trucks-12570260-12568450-NEW-/150517742482

 

[Schwab]

I haven't actually ever seen one, so I'm not sure if that's it. But I'd ask them if they tried resetting the sensor. There's a function on the scan tool to do it, and it takes less than 5 mins. Had one in the shop this morning that was reading E10 89 octane fuel at 71% alcohol content. All I had to do was reset the parameters. Took it on a long test drive, and the DTC's never reset.

 

[blueflamed03]

Disconecting will do nuthing, the code is stored. Dealership will pull that code anyways, just leave it.

well I know it wont repair or hide the code, but it will reset the SES light.