Did I ruin my engine ???

Is it still under warranty? If so,just play dumb and take it in.I`m sure it`s not lifter noise your hearing.Just a low octane ping.

It's more likely a noisy injector or two. They can sound a lot like noisy lifters. Chevron Techron cleaner might help or you might have to have a pro clean them. I'd change the filter, too. H

As a Service manager for a manufacturing co. I can see stuff like this coming a mile away. I've seen it all and expect it all.

Please don't do this.

db

"Hairy" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@uni-berlin.de:

Snip

There are additives to get water out of gasoline. One is called "Heat." You can buy it almost anywhere car stuff is sold. I second the "change the filter" advice. And, urge you not to do it again:)

Al Also in Tucson

I second the Heat product, I've used this a lot years ago when we used to get a lot of water ridden gas in the early 80's. I believe it comes in a yellow bottle and simply says HEAT on it.

Brian

Well, I dumped two bottles of "HEET" into an almost full tank of gas. I'm going to burn off about a quarter of a tank, then add a bottle of Lucas fuel injector cleaner. I'm keeping my fingers crossed ...

Mike

You would argue with a customer,and tell them they did it themselves? That`s good management skills.

There are 2 different bottles of heat.(or last I checked) Red and yellow.Yellow can burn out O2 sensors.Stick with the red bottle.

That's the one I used. Red bottle, called "Iso-HEET"

Mike

You would argue with a customer,and tell them they did it themselves? That`s good management skills.

What if the customer we telling the truth?You would never know!

I think service managers need to practice being tactful and apply a little finesse. Customers like dealing with a guy who is a little bit of a diplomat. I wonder how your boss might respond if you told him "I don't care." I think he just might tell you that you made a wrong career choice. Yes, you do owe us something! You owe us courtesy and realistic explanations of your diagnoses. When a customer detects that "I don't care" attitude, they start shopping for a better mechanic but worse than that, they tell their friends about their experiences. I hope you're not a guy that I ever have to deal with.

db

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

when it comes to service advisors, i have a good one. so good that when she left one dealer to another, i hunted her down and now she has my business. she has always been straight up and went the extra 2 miles for me and all her customers. in fact she is the one i went to FIRST before buying new trucks, and she would tell me the problems she has seen and if i should wait. she even has gone as far as to tell me if i buy an extended warranty what to get and not to get. she in my book if the best, and i will follow her to another dealer if she goes. reason she left the dealer i started using her ta is that they were more concerned bout makin money and moving customers and really didnt care bout them. that was at a chevy dealership, now she is at a gmc/cad/dealer. again she is the best so yes there are a few good service writers out there, or at least one.

Okay guys ... I have another question: Assuming the clicking noise I hear *is* the lifters (and it probably is) Why am I hearing it? I mean, I assume I'm hearing it because they're not being lubricated they way they should (??) and if so, why would that be a result of putting bad gas/water in the fuel? What's the correlation?

Curious mechanical minds want to know...

Mike

There is no correlation. That's why I suggested checking the injectors, which 'can' sound like lifters. The correlation there should be obvious. H

I would check the injectors, but that involves taking a lot of stuff apart to get to them, and right now, I can't afford the time to do that. I did use a mechanics stethescope, and the sound is strongest from lower down on the engine. Probably about a foot lower down from where the injectors are. Around where the exhaust headers are (I think)

Mike

If you checked the injectors with a stethescope and found no difference between them, then you eliminated that possibility. Maybe you have a cracked manifold or gasket. They also can make ticking noises. H

H, This whole thing started about 2 days after I threw bad gas in the tank. Is there a way that could've caused a cracked manifold or gasket?

Thanks

Mike