Contaminated Fuel - Gasoline

Main Navigation

Advertisement
Social Connect
Resources
Our Brand Family
Counterman - Babcox Media
Counterman has been serving auto parts jobbers, retailers and distributors since 1983.
Sponsored Content

Contaminated Fuel – What to Know

Fuel contamination is more common than you think. Most of the gasoline available today in the United States is clean and free of contaminants. But, there is still contaminated gasoline being sold around the country, from Decatur to Florida to New Jersey.

Avatar
By GMB North America Inc.
Published:

Sponsored by GMB North America, Inc.

Fuel contamination is more common than you think.

Most of the gasoline available today in the United States is clean and free of contaminants. But, there is still contaminated gasoline being sold around the country, from Decatur to Florida to New Jersey.

What Causes Fuel Contamination?

Fuel contamination can be caused by many different factors. The most common ones are:

  • Dirty storage tanks: Loose storage tank caps can allow dirt and water into the tank when it rains. Sometimes storage tanks rust out. This can allow water into the tank, and rusty sediment can build up in the tank. (These problems are in addition to the obvious environmental concerns caused by fuel leaking out of rusty tanks). Fuel pumps have filters, but they don’t catch all the debris or water. So drivers can pump contaminated gas into their cars.
  •  Stale fuel: Gasoline can go stale in 30 to 60 days, especially if stored in a non-airtight container. The process of oxidization destabilizes the fuel, and causes gummy deposits to form in the tank. These deposits can clog fuel injectors and carburetor jets.

Common Problems Caused by Contaminated Fuel

While the causes and types of contamination vary, the net result is almost always the same:

  • Clogged fuel filter: The filter’s job is to filter dirt and other contaminants out of the gasoline before it goes to the engine. Contaminated fuel will clog up the filter quickly.
  • Damaged fuel pump: Water in the fuel can easily corrode fuel pump components, causing the pump to fail.
  • Poor engine performance: Sometimes the engine will not get enough fuel due to a clogged fuel filter. Some contaminants will make their way to the engine and clog up the fuel injectors. This can cause symptoms such as slow acceleration, rough idle, poor mileage and more. Water in the fuel causes similar symptoms.

Checking For Dirty Fuel: What to Look for

If one of your customers brings in a car with these symptoms, don’t be so quick to rule out dirty fuel. It takes only a few minutes to check the fuel. Use a swab test to determine if the fuel is stale, and if it has water in it. Ethanol masks the smell of stale fuel, so smelling the fuel is no longer a reliable test. Check the fuel filter for sediment.

If you find water in the fuel of a customer’s car, you have a couple options:

  1. Use an additive to treat the gas. Additives will bond to the water, allowing it to go through the combustion process. This will work for smaller amounts of water in the tank.
  2. Drop and drain the tank.

If you find sediment in the fuel filter, you could drop, drain and clean the tank. Or you could replace it completely. Of course, if you drop the tank, inspect the fuel pump and replace it if needed.

This article was sponsored by GMB North America, Inc. For more information, please visit our website at www.gmb.net

You May Also Like

Sponsored Content

Advanced Filtration Is Key to Vehicle Longevity

Let’s face it, we love our cars – and we drive a lot. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Americans drive more than 13,000 miles per year on average. Although the miles continue to rack up on our cars and trucks, their overall shelf life keeps increasing. Once upon a time, vehicles

FRAM
By FRAM
Published:

Let’s face it, we love our cars – and we drive a lot. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Americans drive more than 13,000 miles per year on average.

Although the miles continue to rack up on our cars and trucks, their overall shelf life keeps increasing.

Read Full Article

More Sponsored Content Posts
What Causes Fuel Pumps to Fail?

Like most vehicle components, natural wear and tear is the unavoidable cause for parts replacement. Fuel pumps are often out of sight and out of mind for most shop visitors. That’s because they are an as-needed repair and not typically a part of ongoing maintenance. Nevertheless, if you diagnose fuel pump failure, customers will want

By Carter
Protecting Your Vehicle in the Winter

Depending on where you live, autumn is an idyllic time of year with bright colors and mild temperatures. If there is one downside though, it means that winter is on its way, which means frigid temperatures, snow, ice and difficult road conditions. The lifespans of cars and trucks are increasing all the time, so protecting

By FRAM
A Closer Look: Standard® Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI)

Gasoline direct injection (GDI) is used on most new vehicles and requires a different approach to diagnosis and service. GDI technology has been an integral part of helping to improve fuel economy while reducing emissions, and can be found on more than half of the U.S. fleet. In fact, the use of GDI engines has

By Standard Motor Products
Overcoming Supply Chain Issues in Today’s World

Many legislative and environmental mandates have affected the collision repair industry over the last decade. To comply with such mandates, vehicle manufacturers continue to design vehicles with increasingly advanced electronics, ranging from Advanced Driver Assistance Systems that increase safety, helping people with everything from parking to driving, to the recent push for electric vehicles. They’ve

By U-POL

Other Posts

High Oil Consumption?

A common question an OEM oil supplier like ENEOS sees is how to tell when oil consumption becomes excessive? Since a few factors could be involved, here are some of the potential implications. How much is too much?First, because of wear, vehicles are more likely to consume engine oil as they age. Common culprits that

By ENEOS
The Value of Replacing the Water Pump and Timing Belt Simultaneously

Water pumps have long been considered the heart of a vehicle’s cooling system. Although its sole function – pumping coolant from the radiator through the engine – seems simple, it’s a crucial process to keep engines running at optimal temperatures. Unfortunately, some drivers can overlook this – along with proper care for the part. On

By Carter
Fill Your Customers in About Total Vehicle Filtration

If you’ve ever wondered what one of the biggest threats to a vehicle’s engine is, the answer is microscopic particles. If these tiny specs of dirt and dust aren’t filtered properly, they will quickly accumulate inside the engine, which can cause significant damage to many parts. Worse yet, this can lead to complete engine failure.

By FRAM
A Closer Look: Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS)

Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) Overview: Advanced Driver Assist Systems have been quite the industry buzz over the last several years. We have seen new business opportunities arise, and even a new segment of mobile technicians focusing on ADAS calibrations. While ADAS may seem relatively new, automotive service professionals have been servicing Driver Assist Systems

By Standard®