Worse petrol experience ever

[krisby]

I bet it is because you were so low on fuel it sucked up crap, just hope your fuel pump isn't next.
I too recently (as in last week) was on fumes, rather than stopping at garages I were unfamiliar with I drove to my local Esso instead, absolutely chocker, taxis use it all day every day, never heard of bad of fuel. Anyway, filled up, as I was pulling on to the road, car spluttered and coughed, I managed to get it home, not without looking like a bunny hopping dickhead though. My first thought was fuel too, but didn't believe it could be, called Esso, no reports of bad fuel. Long story short, my mechanic found my fuel pump failed, just coincidence it happened after I filled up, but might have been the low fuel that tipped the pump over the edge too, and mechanic said he'd never head of bad fuel from that garage or any Esso.
In my case, just bad luck, yours, crap in the filter starving your engine, you're lucky the SAM didn't shut it down.

 

[John Jones Jr]

flango, this is the way I have experienced it.

In the normal course of refueling the majority of the time people fill up when the light comes on of if they are just generally low. Now, even with sediment in the tank this will not generally cause problems as there's a reasonable amount of fuel above the settled sediment at the bottom of the tank. But, when the tank is close to empty i.e. the car is running on fumes so to speak and then the tank is filled, the fresh fuel disturbs the sediment as there's no fuel covering the sediment to stop it being disturbed and so it becomes agitated and mixes with the fresh fuel being added. Thus, the engine is now drawing contaminated fuel directly after filling up. And of course this will cause the engine to run very poorly and lead people to think they filled up with contaminated fuel.

 

[markjay]

I wish I had a pound for every myth I've pulled off a customers car and had to flush and clean, crap builds in the bottom of the tank where the fuel has very little movement when you run very low this gets dragged out and if you are lucky gets caught in the fuel filter causing the exact symptoms described by the OP.

No myth have seen it both in the tank and when I've flushed the tank, dead easy to avoid just fill up when you get to a quarter tank

I would have thought that the other way around is better - let the tank run low until the reserve fuel light comes on before refilling.

If you do this regularly then sediment will not be allowed gather at the bottom of the tank but instead will be carried to the filter in small quantities on regular basis.

What you suggest will work however it will encourage the build up of sediment and when driving on a long motorway stretch with no services you might get in difficulty if the tank dropps below quarter full...

 

[flango]

I would have thought that the other way around is better - let the tank run low until the reserve fuel light comes on before refilling.

If you do this regularly then sediment will not be allowed gather at the bottom of the tank but instead will be carried to the filter in small quantities on regular basis.

What you suggest will work however it will encourage the build up of sediment and when driving on a long motorway stretch with no services you might get in difficulty if the tank dropps below quarter full...

The tanks are baffled to stop fuel moving and upsetting the cars balance in cornering, when the tank is very low this creates dead spots within the tanks so sediment builds up in the dead spots, when you get to fumes the pump sucks a mixture of air and fuel this drags the sediment out of the dead spots and into the filter or worse the pump, keep the tank above a quarter and you never create the dead spots so as you quite rightly say any sediment gets pulled through the filter routinely. sediment creation is exacerbated by a low tank and having a big air gap allowing oxidation and condensation to do their deadly work.

 

[meeeb]

In the normal course of refueling the majority of the time people fill up when the light comes on ....

Do they? You're perhaps jumping to an unsubstantiated conclusion there based on your own habit.

I've never had a fuel warning light come on, and I'm not acquainted with anyone who allows this to happen as a matter of routine.

I've always subscribed to the 'sediment at the bottom of the tank' view and scrupulously avoid 'running on fumes'.

It pays to plan ahead.

 

[Grey Area]

Happened to me, running on fumes and put in just enough to get me home at some countryside garage because I didn't want to put too much cheap fuel in. Pretty much immediately started running rough as anything. I cursed myself for using said fuel at first but then figured out that it was the dredging of my 14 year old fuel tank that was the problem and that I had, in fact, probably made it worse by only putting a tiny bit of fuel in (thus not diluting the sediment as much?). Had to laugh, teach me to be distrustful of non-branded fuels

 

[John Jones Jr]

Do they? You're perhaps jumping to an unsubstantiated conclusion there based on your own habit.

Perhaps, you'd kindly bother to read my post first!

This is what I said, ''In the normal course of refueling the majority of the time people fill up when the light comes on or if they are just generally low''.

 

[horatio]

Running with the warning light a few times caused the fuel pump to start to whining on the 190 so I doubt its a myth.

 

[E270 Owner]

Ahemmm.........

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[brucemillar]

Gunk in tank is fairly common on Pajero's. Just had to replace the fuel pump and filter on my 3.5 V6. That has a strainer at the bottom of the tank. On mine it was blocked with sand like granules (grit) which led to the pump stuttering. No idea how it gets in there? But it does/did. FYI. The pump conked out after I ran out of petrol. SO I am guessing that draining then filling may have helped in it's demise.

 

[chrisjfinlay]

I usually wait until I'm in the "reserve fuel" warning, udner 1/8th of a tank (usually range indicating about 30 miles or so) before filling it up to a half tank... after reading this, I think I may make my next fill soon, and a big one, and rethink my strategy...

 

[ItalianTuneUp]

I use diesel but I usually refill on about 1/4 tank remaining. Hopefully this helps avoid issues like this from happening.

 

[MercedesDriver]

But if dirt from my tank has entered fuel filter it would remain there and any following fill would not make any difference in engine performance and fuel consumption. As I mentioned before I managed only 70 miles with these 23 Esso litres. When I filled Shell petrol, engine got back to normal and purrs like kitten. There was some shi7 in this petrol definitely.

 

[meeeb]

Perhaps, you'd kindly bother to read my post first!

This is what I said, ''In the normal course of refueling the majority of the time people fill up when the light comes on or if they are just generally low''.

I did read it and commented on what I had read.

 

[John Jones Jr]

I did read it and commented on what I had read.

Good man, I'm sure your input will assist the OP...

 

[markjay]

Just to say.. I don't have a strick rule about filling-up - sometimes I do let it run dry, most times I top-up a half-full tank, etc.

However... in the past 20 years I have never had issues with fuel quality or blocked fuel filter on any of my cars.

I do use only V-Power, and previuosly also BP Ultimate, but I cannot say that I know for fact that these fuels actually generate less sediment than others.

 

[flango]

Just to say.. I don't have a strick rule about filling-up - sometimes I do let it run dry, most times I top-up a half-full tank, etc.

However... in the past 20 years I have never had issues with fuel quality or blockedk fuel filter on any of my cars.

I do use only V-Power, and previuosly also BP Ultimate, but I cannot say that I know for fact that these fuels actually generate less sediment than others.

The antioxidant content of premium fuels is far higher than normal branded and supermarket fuels so it guards against this problem, another good reason to use premium fuels and why its cheaper in the long run.

I too only use V Power, Ultimate or Momentum

 

[Ted]

Just to add some real value to this thread, I fill up anywhere between the low fuel light being on for some time and the gauge showing 3/4 tank.
It all depends on when Mrs Ted sees it and decides that "We are almost empty - we need to fill up"

 

[markjay]

Mrs MJ does not believe there's a direct link between the fuel gauge needle position and the car's forward propulsion ability...

 

[BTB 500]

Mrs BTB claims not to be able to open the filler cap (on all 3 of our vehicles)