Check engine light illuminated - petrol tank issue?

[Vicario]

I've been using E10 since the changeover. My engine light has come on several times recently and each time I have cleared it by opening the petrol cap and then closing it after a few seconds. I remember that the AA man did this on a different car several years ago when it went into limp mode (with light on) and he said that it was due to a buildup of fumes because the cap wasn't tight enough. But I always tighten mine very carefully nowadays, so can this be a similar issue linked to E10 petrol? On each occasion the petrol level has been at about a quarter of a tank. It's a 2015 Corsa Excite.

 

[Mottie]

Blocked tank breather?

 

[Vicario]

How can I check that?

 

[Mottie]

See whether your tank is vented through a separate vent tube or the fuel cap.

Edit. Searching on eBay they appear to have a fuel tank vent valve. Maybe that's where your problem lies?

 

[Keithmac]

Pull the code with a diagnostics tool.

You'll have an evaporative emissions control system of some sort.

 

[Gasguru]

How many miles have you done on E10...daughters Corsa had trouble adjusting to it for several days throwing the engine light on...no codes were stored but it sorted itself out after a week and has not reappeared.I guess it was running a little lean with the E10 and it was not happy applying excessive trim to the combustion.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

See whether your tank is vented through a separate vent tube or the fuel cap.

Edit. Searching on eBay they appear to have a fuel tank vent valve. Maybe that's where your problem lies?

I thought they had to have sealed tank caps now, venting to the engine intake?

Best thing is try an engine diagnostic unit for trouble codes. Clear all the old codes, then run it to see what new ones appear.

 

[Burnerman]

Consider the carbon canister system....this takes fumes from the tank and allows the engine to ingest them. There's an electrically operated valve that controls it, and check for perished pipes at the same time.
John

 

[Vicario]

I do have the AA Smart Breakdown sender which reports to the app on my phone. It says 'no problems detected'. It does work because in February it reported a critically low battery and the AA rang me too (on a Sunday morning!) to warn me. I hadn't allowed notifications on my phone but when I looked at the app there was a warning. Presumably this system is the code reader mentioned above.

 

[Vicario]

There are lots of articles on the Web about E10 causing the engine light to illuminate. Several advise keeping the fuel topped up to over half a tank (ethanol fumes issue). Others suggest alternate 5 and 10 refuels.