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Platkar... dirty fuel

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 11:31 am
by dalkill
On monday 22/10, after work, i went to fuel station around the corner.
They said there was no fuel, and since I get voucher from office, I held out till the next morning.
On my way home, the reserve light went on, thinking toyota normally has spare 100km when that happens, and it's 50km round trip, i left it till next morning.

Next morning I went to same station and saw tanker in the yard. Thought this is good sing. So i threw in the R400 voucher...
All ok till Wednesday mroning, when car started cutting out... slow driving ok, but anything over 60 it stalls... so I took of fuel filter, with 130 corolla, quite easy, blew out the filter, and off it goes for another 5km.. managed to do this couple a times till we get to Autozone, where i put in new filter.... goes ok, till I head home and it starts again.

Dad helps me home, and there he blows into the fuel supply line. it pushes out with a gush, into his face as well, but then we see the fuel running smoothly through the filter... OK, so i thought that was that.

Then this morning, same thing...

Now my question... is it because i drove till reserve, or was their fuel dirty. I called the station, and manager tells me that on monday they cleaned the tanks and they did not have any other complaint about they fuel.

I've driven in reserve already, and this never happaned before. It seems quite odd that the day after they cleaned their tanks I have dirty fuel in mine...

How do i go about investigation who is at fault, and how do i go about cleaning the tank?

Re: Platkar... dirty fuel

Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2012 7:20 pm
by Mud Dog
From time to to time, fuel is contaminated with water, especially during rainy spells. It's not always easy to see in a filter ... gets absorbed into the filter element and then restricts the flow of fuel through it. I'm suspecting that this is what the fault is ..... if it were contaminated by some form of particulate you would almost surely see it in the filter. Best way to rectify is to remove the tank, drain completely, blow back the fuel lines, fit new filter again and refit tank. Water will not emulsify with the fuel but will sink to the bottom and should be evident in the containers that you have decanted the fuel into. The fuel can be re-used if canted back into the tank, carefully not allowing the water at the bottom back into the tank.

There is a method of rectifying the problem if it is indeed water without all the rigmarole of removing the tank. Just disconnect a fuel line and drain the tank in situ. There will still be quite a bit of fuel left in the tank and of course the water contamination which will be sitting at the lowest areas. Leave it there. Replace the filter and reconnect the lines. Add about 100ml of ordinary methylated spirits to the fuel remaining in the tank and slosh it about by rocking the vehicle a bit .... this will allow any water to emulsify with the fuel. Pour your decanted fuel back into the tank after examining for water and being careful not to get it back into the tank if there is any. Add a further 100ml of meths for every 20 litres of fuel re-filled. Drive that tank out completely before filling fuel again. It works ... I've done it often. Only thing I cannot vouch for is that the presence of meths doesn't attack any of the rubbers IRO hoses and seals, although I never had a problem after doing this a few times to the same vehicle.

As for persuing the fuel station for costs, well you will have a hard time proving that it came from their tanks .... they could argue that it could have entered through your filler cap or came from some other source. You may be lucky and they might offer some sort of compensation out of good will, but I wouldn't bank on it.

Good luck.

;-)