Questions and Answers
Batch Of Bad Gas
Q. Hi Vince! Or should I say Help Vince! I lease a 1999 Honda Accord EX 4-cyl automatic with 52,000 miles. I've never had any problems with it, until this evening when I went to start it. The weather this evening was fine, it hasn't rained here in over a week and it was 42 degrees when I went to start it.
When I tried starting it, the starter sounded like it was straining really hard and the car shuddered and shook as I was trying to turn it over. I waited 10 seconds and tried again. Same thing happened, only this time the car turned over, then shook, vibrated and shuddered even more violently this time so I immediately turned off the engine.
The previous morning, I started by filling it up with regular unleaded (have always used regular) from a Mobil station that I have never been to. After I filled up, I drove about 140 miles total that day, with a stop here and there. According to the gas gauge, I used 1/4 of the fuel I filled up with.
A friend of mine who races cars thinks I might have filled up with some 'bad gas'. She thinks since 24 hours passed from the time I last tried using the car, contaminants (rust/dirt/water) might have settled and got ahead of the rest of the 'good gas' so when I went to start the car, no dice. Other ideas are someone stuck something up my tailpipe (haven't checked yet) or the timing belt has skipped a tooth or has just plain broken. I haven't checked any of the fuses or relays yet (should I even bother?)
Most aggravating of all, my wife and I decided to extend the lease for our Accord with American Honda Finance 6 extra months beyond the original 36 because we just weren't ready to give the car back yet, and now 2 months into that extension this happens.
I hope and pray this is an easy fix.
Thank you!
JimA. I think the possibility of you getting a bad batch of gas is good, especially if the station had just gotten a fuel delivery. The gasoline storage tanks have, about, 12" from the fuel pickup and the bottom of the tank. This allows room for any water or garbage to settle down and not get pumped up. There is a chemical that gets applied to the dip stick to measure how much water is in the storage tank and every so often (every two years in my case) the tanks are flushed out and cleaned.
Now when a gas station gets a fuel delivery, the fuel is dropped straight into the storage tank and all this water and junk gets mixed up and can be pumped into an unsuspecting vehicle. I schedule my fuel deliveries for late evening after I close and this allows time for the junk to settle out before I start pumping the next day. Most stations, especially chains such as Mobil, do not have this luxury.
What you can do is pull the spare tire out and underneath it you will see the fuel pump access cover. Release the fuel pressure by removing the fuel pump fuse and cranking the engine. Disconnect the battery and remove the gas cap. Then remove the fuel lines (put a rag over the lines in case there is residual fuel pressure) and connector from the fuel pump. Remove the eight small bolts around the fuel pump flange and carefully lift the fuel pump out. With a flashlight you will now be able to see inside the gas tank. If you see a puddle of water under the gas and a lot of junk, then the chances are real good the gas is at fault.
When you take the flange off, you will need to replace the flange O ring with a new one and I would replace the fuel pump filter sock as well.
If there is water and junk down there, call the gas station where you bought the gas and explain what happened and ask firmly, but politely, what they will do for you. In cases like this the station will be more than willing to make good. If not, then you will have to drop the gas tank, clean it out and reinstall it. Hopefully the fuel filter will catch any sediment before it got to the injectors. Refill it with fresh, clean fuel and replace the fuel filter.
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