Questions and Answers

Toyota Camry Had Contaminated Fuel Q. Hello Vincent, I recently had a problem with my 2000 Toyota Camry V-6 automatic transmission with about 60,000 kilometers. The problem was clearly identified by the local Toyota dealer as some unknown contamination in the fuel. However, the matter was not resolved until, after several visits to the dealer.

I took the car to an independent garage. There they sent the fuel tank out to a local radiator shop where the fuel tank was cleaned. I think the dealer should have had the fuel tank cleaned thoroughly the first time I took the car to them. My question: where can I find a source, or sources, which states the industry standard or best practice to handle a problem of this nature?

I have found the following:
The Haynes Fuel Injection Diagnostic Manual, ISBN 1 56392233 - 9 , a manual for the do-it-yourselfer, says (p6-2)

"Always check for contamination in the fuel when disconnecting and servicing the fuel lines, fittings or fuel filter. Look for excessive amounts of debris, rust or contaminants floating in the fuel. Also check for rotten-smelling fuel. This could be the result of old fuel, fuel that has been mixed with other harmful additives or the incorrect fuel (diesel fuel).

Larger chunks of debris usually indicate severe rust or corrosion from inside the fuel tank. Be sure to have the fuel tank cleaned by a professional fuel tank service company. Many times it will be necessary to replace the old tank with a new one to avoid any further corrosion problems. Make sure the fuel system is free of any type of contamination before continuing with the fuel system checks!"

Presumably somewhere there is similar guidance for the professional mechanic.

Best regards,
Peter
Coolum Beach, Australia

A. Without knowing what the problem was there is really no way I can reference anything specific.

I went to my book shelf and picked out a service manual at random. It was a Chiltons for 1992 GM models. I checked the index to find all the references to "Fuel" and "Gasoline" and checked them all. there is nothing like what you quoted from the Haynes manual.

Then I did the same thing with a couple of Mitchell Manuals and MOTORS Manuals as well as Alldata Online. Nothing like that anywhere.

The Haynes manual is more oriented to the DIY so they try to take instruction down to the lowest common denominator. In other words, they assume anyone using their manual is an idiot. Now that's not a bad thing, it just means that there are many things professionals do that don't have to be written down in a professional service manual.

So it depends on the source of your information and how basic they make things. I hope this kind of makes sense.