Bit of story on this - so bear with me

Our lux-o-barge (XJS) broke down last week. Yes, ok, its old and British so it's to be expected

Basically had bit of a cough and a splutter, cleared itself then carried on for a half a mile and then cut out completely, refusing to start. After several attempts at cranking without any sign of life from any of the 12 cylinders, fuel pump was running so it wasn't that. I popped the bonnet and got my mate to crank it while I kept my ear out to hear if the injector were being pulsed. Low and behold damn thing fired up straight away

But it's running crap, missfiring etc. When I drive it back I held it in 1st and 2nd gear to keep the revs up so it wouldn't die on me again, and it was surging like crazy. Running hasn't improved, but I haven't had much time to look at it at the moment.

Anyway, I know someone who works on Jags has 25+years of experience and he's certain it's water in the fuel tank!! Me being quite knowledgable am sceptical, I think it's an electrical/earth fault (9 out 10 times on a XJS it is).

Anyway I don't have time - he has so he's got it at the moment to have a play and nick the last 1/4 tank of optimax.

Thing is, if it is water how TF did it get in there in such quantities to stall an engine

Car is not regulary used, sunny dasy etc. But was given quite a run a little over a month ago almost emptying the tank and was filled to the brim. Over the past month it's used the 3/4 tank (about 4 days use ) pretty much without fault, although it has been missfiring slightly at idle, nothing serious I put it down to too much local use and it needed a good blast. It's had new plugs a leads 6 months back and it was perfect til recently.

So, here's the question - any scooby owners/ optimax users ever had problems with water in their optimax?

I have seen through web trawlings that water in fuel is commonplace, and you usually get problems if a petrol station has just been filled and the pumps have been switched on too soon. Also on pumps that aren't used regulary (I'd think optimax would be that catorgory) and also forecourt tanks that are runing low. Could this be true? And what are the chances?

I expect to get the car back no better than before - but I'm just airing a few queries as I don't want to be insulting the blokes 25+ years of knowledge by saying he's wrong!

So if anyone has any ideas or info, experience, stories or whatever feel free to comment

 

Tis very true. My GF used to work at shell and it happens an awful lot. Usually depending how honest the garage is, there some free fuel as compensation or sometimes just straight denial/lying.

 

Cheers!

So the bloke could be right then afterall! Certainly not a thing I've heard of much, but he did say the EFi V12's don't like water a single bit which would explain alot.

 

One Optimax shop in West Yorks had a spate of similar probs with high performance vehicles coughing to a halt within sight of the filling station. Turned out to be water leaking into their tank!!!
My own knocklink probably saved my engine last week when I bought a bad batch (Only a tenner 'til I could get to my regular op shop thank god). Turned out that the particular Shell station in the Bradford area is allegedly notorious for "Watering down" it's fuel by whatever method Won't be going anywhere near there again.

 

I fill up with Optimax in the "Bradford area" - usually Saltaire. I don't suppose you could hint at which station you mean could you...?

Cheers

Steve

 

It's not looking very good is it?
I also read in another thread that optimax goes off quicker than SUL

Perhaps I should fit a water trap off a diesel engine?

I need the octane as the thing was designed for and has the ignition timing set to run on at least 98 RON fuel, and I suspect SUL pumps at other forcourts may have the same problem

Group buy on some Elf Turbomax / Carless CF500 or AG - RF 102 racefuel?

 

Would also like to know about this Service station as would i expect a lot of scooby owners that live in/around Bradford - their isnt many of them (Shell Services) about know you know..!!
PM if you prefer....!
Cheers

 

Not that one (just don't use a credit card there though - allegedly again ).

 

water.......so thats how shell get the octane number up!

 

A customer 2 months ago had some work carried out by ourselves new fuel pump, remap & injectors along with a knocklink. Car left happy with all parts fitted.

Two weeks later customer has serious det, we got him in immediately & naturally you assume the worst, & go over in your mind what had taken place.

We did compression checks, etc & couldn't find anything untoward, everything was how it should have beem - perfect. We got to take the fuel pump & noticed it had rusted in 2 weeks - they shouldn't ever rust.

On removing the fuel pump the cleansing bag was full of silt & sludge & if you shone a torch into the tank usually you can see the bottom as petrol is clear.

Not in this tank, it was like a stagnant green murky pond, needless to say everything was drained, the customer went back to the garage who sold the petrol; & the garage paid up as it had happened to a number of other customers as a reult of the filters not being replaced on the fuel pumps.

Its more common than you think........

 

scary!!!

 

Equally scary! Cheers Steve

 

And you'd think for the price they charge for the stuff they'd fit filters....

It bleedin' 88.9p/litre round here for Optimax, and that's the cheap ones.....

XS - care to name or give approx location of garage in question as I'm sure we all want to stay well aware from there. I personnaly can do without the hassle let alone the potential cost.

 

About a month ago I had problems starting my car for a few days, in fact once it stalled just after starting. It then went away and I was thinking it could have been dodgy fuel. I did have the same problem with starting this evening but that could be down to a hot engine.

I live near Xtreme Scoobies so would also like to know which garage to avoid. It might be one I use regularly.

 

I don't see how they can hope to water down fuel as water sinks to the bottom, so someone will just get water and not fuel. We had to do 7day water sediment checks in the RAF if a plane was on the ground for 7days or more to check for any water settling to the bottom. I never saw more than the odd bead of water tho.
So yes it probably is water, or it could be a bit of muck in the system as I once ran out of petrol in an efi car and it ran like crap for a while after due to sucking rubbish out of the tank.

 

Fuel will settle on top of water as it is less dense, but if you agitate it hard enough like when you pump it into the fuel station tanks you can probably get it to emulsify then you can transfer it to a car and let it settle etc when it will split back up.

 

"Watering down" as in filling it's Optimax pumps with 95Ron!!!!!