Has anyone encountered this type of problem? Did it cause any long term damage and affect long term driveability?
I have an '03 Tacoma 4x4 V6 Auto. Today my check engine light came on and when stopped at a light it was running slightly rough. I plugged in my scan tool and it gave the code P0171/lean condition. I viewed the O2 sensor data and it was not switching between lean and rich, the voltage was at around .955. It brought it to the dealer and they checked the Mass Airflow and the 02 sensors. The technician stated that they were operating normally, so he took a sample of the fuel. The fuel was not the normal color, it was clear like water, however it smelled like gas. The service manager stated that it looke like E85, but were I live there are not any gas stations that sell E85 and I would not be stupid enough to try use it anyway.
I advised him that I had filled up the night before at a SuperAmerica. I usually get gas at Holiday or Fleet Farm/Gasmart. He gave me a sample and told me I should talk to the Manager of the Super America.
The engine is running so rich that there is a large amount of black soot in the tailpipe. The technician told me that it would be OK if I continue to drive the truck to run out the bad gas and then fill up with good gas. He said that it should not damage the O2 sensors, catalytic converter, or the engine.
I would bet the farm that your problem is your gas cap isn't on tight. Escpecially since you just filled up the night before. Your truck is almost new, stuff like this doesn't happen to often to Toyota's. Go double check your gas cap and make sure it's tight. Drive around for a while and the CEL will go off on it's own. I'm positive that is the problem, especially since found a lean condition on the OBD.
I put in half a tank today to dilute the mixture, disconnected/reconnected the battery, the light stayed off and it is running better. At first it was still running rough and stumbled off idle, but it quickly cleared up as the service tech had suggested might happen.
The gas cap was the first thing I thought of too, and one of the first things I and the service tech checked, but it turns out that it was the gas. Too much ethanol in the mixture. I guess the gas station has had other complaints and they found that, instead of 10% ethanol, it was more like 20-30%. They believe that for some reason a small amount of E85 was left in the tanker truck or put in by mistake. I've never heard of this happening, but I guess anything is possible considering how much gas in refined and shipped.
I guess all that it takes is one stupid mistake or some idiot to make life hell for the rest of us. Hopefully, they will reimburse me the $99 for the trip to the dealer.
I put in half a tank today to dilute the mixture, disconnected/reconnected the battery, the light stayed off and it is running better. At first it was still running rough and stumbled off idle, but it quickly cleared up as the service tech had suggested might happen.
The gas cap was the first thing I thought of too, and one of the first things I and the service tech checked, but it turns out that it was the gas. Too much ethanol in the mixture. I guess the gas station has had other complaints and they found that, instead of 10% ethanol, it was more like 20-30%. They believe that for some reason a small amount of E85 was left in the tanker truck or put in by mistake. I've never heard of this happening, but I guess anything is possible considering how much gas in refined and shipped.
I guess all that it takes is one stupid mistake or some idiot to make life hell for the rest of us. Hopefully, they will reimburse me the $99 for the trip to the dealer.
Wow, thanks for sharing that info...I would've never guessed ethanol fuel was the problem!
I make it a point to ONLY refuel at the major companies. (Exxon, Texaco, BP, etc.) I've gotten bad gas at convenience stores and even at fueling stations at US Military bases. (I'm retired Air Force)
I figure if it's worth all the TLC in every other area, why would I risk bad gas at a convenience store? (Yes, the refinaries might be the same, but the tanks, lines, hoses, and maintenance at the filling stations are NOT the same.)
I would love to add my experience to this post and please tell everyone that you know!!! I have had my check engine light come on about 3 times in the last couple of months. It only comes on after filling up at a "cheap" gas station. After getting it checked out each time by my trusty friends at AutoZone I've discovered that the Ethanol is causing major engine problems in lots of cars. After each time I either filled up again at a name brand station (Mobil, Exxon, Chevron, Texaco) or bought a 99 cent bottle of gas line antifreeze which removes water. You can buy this stuff anywhere and there's quite a few brands. It fixes the problem every time. I always try to buy at the name brand stations but just to be safe I add a little of the additive every other time I fill up. I bought my car to last and it's really ticking me off to have gas ruining my engine. The article below is about boats but explains what ethanol does to an engine in general.
Hope this helps!
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With gas prices soaring and no relief in sight, the idea of using lower-priced ethanol from U.S.-produced corn is an appealing alternative. But boat owners should be aware than ethanol-gasoline mixtures can be dangerous to the health of your engine.
Gasoline mixed with 10% ethanol is in widespread use in states that have banned MTBE, a chemical that adds oxygen to gas and reduces air pollution. Unfortunately, MTBE has been linked to groundwater pollution and to cancer, leading to a ban on its use in about half of U.S. states. Ethanol is commonly used as a substitute. But boat owners in those areas - especially in New York, Connecticut and California - are reporting major engine problems associated with their use of ethanol-gas mixtures.
There are three problems, two that can affect all boats and one specific to older boats with fiberglass fuel tanks.
Everyone can be affected by the first problem, which is water dissolved in the mixture. Water is practically insoluble in gasoline. Even if the gas you get from your marina is completely dry when pumped into your boat, water will get into your fuel. There's likely a buildup of water
Oops, cut off the end of the article.... here it is.
Everyone can be affected by the first problem, which is water dissolved in the mixture. Water is practically insoluble in gasoline. Even if the gas you get from your marina is completely dry when pumped into your boat, water will get into your fuel. There's likely a buildup of water at the bottom of your fuel tanks right now. That water comes from condensation that forms on the inside surfaces of the tanks with the normal fluctuations of humidity and temperature. Since the water can't dissolve into the gas and is heavier than the gas, it sinks to the bottom of your tank and sits there. As long as the level of water remains below your fuel pickup tube, it never affects your engine.
However, water is soluble in ethanol. This means that the water in your tank will dissolve into an ethanol-gas mixture and be carried along to your engine where it will degrade performance, corrode engine surfaces and can prevent your engine from running at all.
Adding fuel-water separating filters, like the Racor 10-micron separators, will trap dissolved water. Because ethanol-gas mixtures are likely to contain much more water than standard gas, you'll need to check the filters much more frequently - every time you go boating - and keep plenty of spare filter elements on hand.
Ethanol is much more dangerous in boats with fiberglass fuel tanks. Boats with fiberglass tanks built before the mid 1980s (which includes some Bertram, Hatteras and Viking models along with others) may be at risk as ethanol dissolves some of the resins in the walls of the tanks. The resins work their way through the filters, then separate out when the engines cool down and the gas flashes(evaporates) off internal engine parts. The resins stick to the engine parts and harden. The most common problem seems to be that the vales stick, resulting in bent or broken pushrods.
There have also been reports of ethanol causing problems in newer outboard engines. This is related to the third problem. Ethanol is a wonderful solvent. It's so good that when you put it in a fuel system that's not new, it dissolves the varnish and other gunk that has collected in there over the years. The newly dissolved gunk travels with the ethanol into the engine where it clogs fuel filters, carburetor jets and injectors. This isn't fatal to your engine, but can lead to engine failure while running (which can be fatal to your boat) and at the very least to costly repairs.
Check engine light/bad gas?
Re: Check engine light/bad gas?
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