Faulty Fuel

Texaco is probably ok. It seems to be mainly Tesco and Morrisons.

Grenergy goes on about Bio ethanol , presumably distilled or by product of another brewing /distilling process.

Also presume that bio-ethanol attracts lower duty than petrol, dinnae actually recall seeing fule at a supermarket any cheaper or indeed any information about 1/20 of it not being petrol , but like in the old museli advert, bulked out with cheaper ingredients.

Think like many I`m done with supermarket petrol.

Adam

Ethanol also has an affinity for water, and this can sometimes cause problems, and sometimes fix problems.

If too much water gets absorbed into the ethanol, then it can separate out. So anhydrous ethanol is specified for a petrol mix. Ordinary commercial ethanol has too much water, and the water can drop out when mixed with petrol.

On the other side of the coin, a good (dry) ethanol blend petrol can safely and effectively remove small amounts of water from fuel systems.

John

When I used to have a petrol I used to get a few more MPG from BP or Shell (only none supermarket stuff around here) but only when driven in Grannie mode.

Nothing I could be sure of, and that was the only thing I could think was that they padded the fuel.

Tom

Ok so IF they've ruled out Ethanol and it IS silicon

Shouldn't that mean that the Oxy sensor has just been contaminated with a layer of silicon, rather than being actually 'burned out'?

So, rather than throw the old away, maybe a good clean up (Carburettor cleaner?) and re-fit, might fix it??

Is this worth a try???

I've got a 4 year old Corsa with (suprise suprise) the Emmision Control light on (as of yesterday) and needless to say we filled up at Tesco's in Baldock Herts, last week.

I suppose we still have to wait for the official ruling but if I can fix it myself in 15 minutes, rather than take it to Vauxhall and then go through all the faff of *claiming* the costs back.

Any opinions/advice welcome

PJ

Hmmm, Tescos 99 is the only petrol mine runs good on. ...but I haven't filled up for a while.

Where is the silicon going to come from? Don't tell me you bought the tanker cleaning story.

Deranged lorry driver sabotaging his delivery?

Have you been in the South East recently? :)

Silicon is used as an anti-foaming agent in petrol apparently.

Not surprisingly - Tesco 99 Octane fuel is the one the British Rally Championship cars run on.

David

It's used in Diesel, not petrol, hence the problem.

Regards, Ian

"Ian" wrote in news:45e883e8$0$8754 $ snipped-for-privacy@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net:

I can remember someone on brickboards.com warning people not to use silicon based products upstream of the air flow meter, as it would screw the heated wire used. Sounds like the same sort of problem.

Silicon is a hard semi-metallic element, that in its natural state looks a bit like opaque grey-black glass.

Silicone is a compound made from silicon replacing what would normally be carbon, in hydrocarbons. This can be anything from lubricants, to gels, to hard plastics.

Thanks, but do you know what effect will it have on catalytic converters, injectors, cylinders, spark plugs etc ? Long or short term ?

Latest info. from the Trading Standards Institute -

"Fuel Tests Confirm Contamination (Press Release)

The first tests carried out for Trading Standards authorities on potentially contaminated petrol samples, following complaints from thousands of motorists, have confirmed the presence of silicon.

Ian Hillier, Lead Officer Petroleum, Trading Standards Institute, said: 'The first result is from a sample of unleaded petrol supplied by a motorist in Cambridgeshire whose car suffered a breakdown.

'Silicon products are used by fuel producers as anti-foaming agents in diesel. However, Silicon can cause serious problems in petrol engines, particularly in modern cars with computerised fuel management systems. Silicon can build up as a deposit on sensors causing them to malfunction. . . NOTES TO EDITORS

Silicon

The presence of Silicon in our sample may indicate contamination with Silicone, which is the anti-foaming agent used in diesel."

"Petrol Contamination Update - Final Results Awaited (Press Release)

We are still awaiting the final results of tests on fuel samples taken following complaints from motorists of possible contamination.

Initial tests on a sample of fuel have confirmed that it complies with British and European Standard BS EN 228:2004.

This standard sets out maximum and minimum levels for common ingredients in unleaded petrol. It also sets out maximum levels for some of the most frequently occurring contaminants such as lead, sulphur and copper.

However, compliance with the standard does not rule out the presence of a contaminant which would not normally be found in unleaded petrol. Tests are continuing for the possible presence of such a contaminant."

Directly, it has absolutely no effect on any of those. Indirectly, it poisons the oxygen sensor (in some models) which makes it need to be replaced (in some cases, heating it to a higher than nominal temperature in a blowtorch can make it work again).

Indirectly, this may cause catalyst damage, if you drive for a long time with the sensor damaged (the engine check light will come on).

In theory, it could cause other damage, but this is going to take a very long time.

Excellent info. - thanks Ian !

Daytona

Thanks for the correction.