[QLD] Bad Fuel?

[VYMAD]

yeah check your spark plugs and leads. not uncommon to develop a miss quite quick when they start getting too old

He said he just putnew plugs and leads in.

OP, try changing your fuel filter and blow backwards through the old one to see if much crap comes out.

 

[ozrockracing]

Hi Thanks for the replies.

Plugs and leads are newly fitted....I am assuming it is bad fuel after a significant improvement today. I dumped a litre of Metholayted Spirits into the fuel to help soak up any water that may be in the tank and lines, and within 10 minutes the idle had begun to smooth out a little and the car is accelerating better as well.

I will run some injector cleaner through it with the next tank of fuel and replace the fuel filter as well. By the way...where is the fuel filter on the VS III, being new to the Commodore and having not worked around Holdens for many years, I am not sure where they are now located.

In relation to using Metho to absorb the water, this is an old Bushies trick, and we have been doing it for years with no ill effect. Metho blends with water, and also with fuel, being as it is around 96% Ethanol it basically turns water into a combustible substance, as it mixes with the fuel and burns off through the engine.

I have to say I prefer that to the alternative of dumping 60 odd litres of fuel.

The fuel station where I filled last time has had a significant amount of road work happening around it for the last couple of years and I believe they may have gotten water in their tanks while they were unable to trade because of road closures, quite a few others have been complaining of similar problems from the same servo.

 

[VYMAD]

Yeah, metho is good. Not sure where the filter is on the utes but it MAY be near the fuel tank. It's there on the VT/X/Y/Z sedans anyway, in the fuel line just after it leaves the tank.

 

[ozrockracing]

Yeah, metho is good. Not sure where the filter is on the utes but it MAY be near the fuel tank. It's there on the VT/X/Y/Z sedans anyway, in the fuel line just after it leaves the tank.

Thanks for the heads up, I will begin the search from the tank area where it leaves it's little confined space. The tank cover in the floor of the ute is still in place, I tried lifting it after removing the 15 odd screws by to no avail, it is stuck there good and proper, and I didnt want to damage the cover by using a prybar to try lifting it.
My luck, it will be in that little tank area, and I will have no alternative but to get it removed...Oh Well.

I am hoping Holden had the initiative to mount it on the rail similar to the idea Ford had with the EB II (My Other Car...it was my Dad's...I bought it off him just before he died and have become very attached to it, even though I know it has no real value, it is hard to say good-bye to it.)

 

[Sabbath']

$4k for a fuel pump assembly?? im assuming its made of titanium and carbon fibre

Yes, approximately $4k for a fuel pump assembly in the new Diesel Captiva's.

 

[ozrockracing]

Update...

I located the Fuel Filter, it is mounted on the Drivers Side Chassis just in fron of the rear axle and in line with the bush in the lower control arm, this is near the rear of the tank and the fuel lines exit the tank to the rear.

I have run the motho through and taken the car for a few short drives to help run the fuel through a bit. There was still no noticeable change, so I removed the fuel filter (looked to be the original) there was quite a lot of black sediment in the filter and the fuel appeared a little cloudy, this would indicate to me that there is a little water in the tank and by all accounts, the metho has blended with both the fuel and the water to help drag it through the engine, a little rough idling will undoubtedly continue as a result.

I have added a bottle of injector cleaner to the mix today, that should help to clean out any debris that has made it past the old fuel filter and maybe clogged or begun to clog an injector.

After adding both the metho and injector cleaner and changing the fuel filter, I took the Ute for another drive, it appeared to have more pick up from a standing start, and seemed to be idling a little better, I will see how it is in the morning from cold and after sitting overnight, as this was when it was most noticeable.

 

[shadetreemechanic]

Just be careful with dumping too much cleaner etc into the tank as depending on the tank's age it might dislodge crap at the bottom and clog your injectors defeating the purpose. You mention cloudy fuel?
So wait till this tank is finished, put in proper fuel and then replace that filter

Besides the metho i would have suggested adding a bit of 98 (it has cleaning additives built in too which is good). I don't trust aftermarket "cleaning" products

 

[Dr HaxZaw]

Out of curiosity what feul have you been running it on?? cause if its the E10 stuff it would explain all the black rubbish in the feul filter

 

[VZ_SS]

Yes, approximately $4k for a fuel pump assembly in the new Diesel Captiva's.

That sounds like a car a I would love to never own.

 

[Dr HaxZaw]

That sounds like a car a I will never own.

fixed for you lol