Ask the Mechanic: Contaminated Fuel, what you should know and what you should do
Maintaining and properly servicing a vehicle is not always enough to keep it safe. Sometimes contaminated fuel gets in the way and damages the fuel systems of our beloved vehicles without us knowing it before it gets too late. With rising fuel prices and tough economic situation, motorists in the country are battling a serious problem these days, contamination of fuel.
What is Contaminated Fuel?
As opposed to clean fuel, contaminated fuel is full of build-up microbial growth or water and looks non-homogenous. Microbes that feed on your fuel also excrement regularly as a by-product of them feeding and further contaminate the fuel which might end up severely damaging the fuel pump, fuel injectors or the filtration system of your vehicles. We get contaminated fuel from gas stations when filling up our fuel storages with fuel from the gas station’s bottom of the tank. This is where rust, microbial growth, or water adds up. Fuel quality is of utmost importance for the health of your vehicles.
How to Spot Fuel Contamination Symptoms?
If you notice that your petrol or diesel engine starts rougher than usual or lacks performance or power, there might be an issue with your fuel system. If you are experiencing any backfiring, pinging, or misfiring, contaminated fuel could also be the case.
If you spot any corrosion on your fuel tank it’s time to go to the mechanic, as you might have driven on badly contaminated fuel for quite some time. You can always check the fuel by sipping it in a glass. Clean diesel looks transparent with a yellowish colour with no sludge, whereas contaminated one with rust, diesel bugs or water would have sludge and be dirty and slimy to the look. You won’t be able to look through it. Modern common rail diesel injectors are very susceptible to damage from larger solid particles, thus making sure you are driving with the right fuel is important.
Do Fuel Filters help against fuel contamination?
Most fuel systems have fuel filters. Most fuel filters serve the purpose to protect fuel dispensers in service stations and not your vehicle as much. Most fuel filters are netted up to 10 microns which filters only the rust up to 10 microns and nothing else. All other fuel contamination gets into the fuel system of your vehicle. The damage on your vehicle depends on the contaminants in the fuel. 90% of fuel consumers rarely have a problem because they rarely have the misfortune to fill up their storage tanks with fuel that has been laying in the bottom of the fuel tank of the gas station, where most of the rust, water and diesel bugs lurk. Nevertheless, 10% is quite a lot and newer vehicles are at higher risk since older vehicles are equipped with rotary fuel pumps that are quite bulletproof. Newer fuel pumps, on the other hand, are quite vulnerable to small pieces of solid material.
What to do?
If you suspect that you have picked up a bad batch of fuel, your first priority is to take your car to your mechanic or servicing dealer, for a check and verification. If you are unable to drive your car to your mechanic, ask the fuelling station for a quick fuel testing with their mobile test machines to check and advice or towing if assistance is necessary.
Be sure to note the date, time and location of where the fuel was obtained, this is one of the three rules to remember while refuelling. Although many people do not retain receipts, they can be helpful when making claims for contamination issues and proof of purchase. Advise the service station where you bought the fuel from that you are experiencing problems following the last refuelling and that you will be making a claim against them for the repairs that may be needed.
Nelson Xavier Ssenyange @NelsonSsenyange
Team Leader
Germax Auto Spares & Garage @GermaxASGarage
0779250886/0752088734
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