2015 Ford Mustang 2.3L - P1450, Check Engine Light and Hard Start After Filling The Car With Gas.
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In this article, we will discuss the possible causes of the diagnostic trouble code P1450, how it can affect your Ford, and look at a case study of a 2015 Ford Mustang with this problem.
Customer Complaint: The check engine light is on and it has a hard time starting after putting gas into the car.
First Thoughts: The hard start after putting gas into the car is a common issue with the EVAP system, especially with Fords.
EVAP stands for Evaporative Emission Control System. It basically keeps the fuel vapors from escaping from the car and damaging the atmosphere.
Could it affect the way a car operates? Yes. You will see from this case study that the EVAP system could affect the way your car operates.
Diagnostics: The first thing I wanted to do was get the codes out of the car. It had two in the engine control module. P1450 and P2196.
What does the fault code P1450 mean?
A P1450 fault code is caused by an excessive fuel tank vacuum or other areas in the EVAP (Evaporative Emission Control System) that the PCM is unable to bleed. This can be caused by a failed component or a clogged EVAP system.
Want to learn more about the EVAP system? Check this article out.
What is the common cause of this code P1450?
A common cause of an error code P1450 is usually the bad purge valve. The purge valve can become stuck open and cause an excessive vacuum in the gas tank. The purge valve is usually located on or near the intake manifold in the engine bay.
Is it safe to drive with a P1450 code?
It is not recommended to drive with a P1450 code. If your purge valve is bad and stuck open, extra fuel vapors will enter the engine and cause the fuel system to run rich. In most cases, the P1450 code will cause codes like P2196 to appear. P2196 code is an oxygen sensor stuck rich code and can cause performance issues.
This is what happened to the Ford Mustang in the case study below.
Can a P1450 be caused by a bad fuel tank pressure sensor (FTP sensor)?
Yes, it is possible that a faulty fuel tank pressure sensor can cause this code. The way the powertrain control module monitors this code is by using the FTP sensor. If the STP sensor is producing an incorrect pressure, then it may throw this code.
How do I fix the engine code P1450?
To fix a p1450 error code, you first have to find the cause. If the cause is a purge valve, then the purge valve has to be replaced. If the cause is a defective fuel tank pressure sensor, then it will have to be replaced.
Though a lot of EVAP codes can trace back to a bad gas cap, this error code p 1450 does not.
Frequently Asked Question:
Where do I find wiring diagrams and step-by-step repair procedures for Fords?
The best online resource I use is Alldatadiy.com.
I used it for this case study to find the correct procedure for this 2015 Ford Mustang.
There are plenty of diagnostic aids to test many electrical components and get to the root of any problem.
A good scan tool can give you a lot of information about a troubled area in your vehicle.
The pictures below are proof of that.
The picture above shows the operation of what I suspected was the culprit of these codes. There are several different causes for the P1450 code. The most common in my experience is the EVAP purge valve.
The purge valve opens and allows engine vacuum to suck vapors from the EVAP canister and fuel tank to be used inside of the engine. If the purge valve is defective and not closing all the way, it will cause a constant vacuum to be pulled into the fuel tank.
Other causes could be a EVAP vent solenoid stuck in the closed position or maybe a clogged EVAP line.
In the tests below, we’ll see that the EVAP purge valve is actually bad and is causing the fuel tank to be in a constant vacuum.
In the above test, I am commanding the purge valve to be on and off.
In the actual picture above, I have the purge valve off at 0% but it is still pulling a vacuum in the fuel tank.
Ideally, when this test is performed, there should not be any vacuum in the EVAP system when the purge valve is at 0%.
Also, it is good to note that the EVAP vent valve is also off, which means the system should be open and definitely shouldn’t have vacuum in it.
In my experience, if the EVAP vent valve was bad and stuck closed, it still would not have vacuum in the tank when the purge valve is at 0%.
Repair: This purge valve was an easy part to replace on this Mustang. There were not many components to take loose.
Was this the cause of both codes?
Yes.
I did not have a screen capture but if you read my other case study about a 2012 Ford F-150, it shows that the purge valve can cause O2 sensors to read rich. The button below will take you to that case study.
After replacing the part, the codes did not return and the car was fixed!
Below you can see the new purge valve and the EVAP vent valve are off and the fuel tank is not going into a vacuum.
To verify any EVAP code is fixed, the vehicle needs to be driven until all of the system monitors have been completed. This may take a day or two with the car shut off, idling, and driving down the road. This all depends on how the EVAP monitor runs for your vehicle. You can get information about the EVAP monitors on your vehicle through AlldataDIY. An error code(s) pertaining to any system malfunctions should be addressed accordingly.
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