Contaminated Fuel

[Steve Canyon]

I refueled last Monday and within a mile of the station the car started to "buck". Pulled over and found the engine check and TRAC lights lit and a "Check AWD System" message on the display. Turned the engine off and back on and it ran OK albeit with the indicators still on. Drove car home and picked up my 92 GMC pickup. Refueled the truck at the same pump and it ran fine.At Lexus service advisors suggestion had the car towed to their shop. They found what looks like water in the gasoline and said that there have been a number of instances of contaminated fuel causing this kind of problem. Has anybody else heard of this happening?

[LEXIRX330]

It sure sounds like there was bad gas...just wondering why would you have filled another car up at the same pump right after having problems like that?

[pj8708]

I refueled last Monday and within a mile of the station the car started to "buck". Pulled over and found the engine check and TRAC lights lit and a "Check AWD System" message on the display. Turned the engine off and back on and it ran OK albeit with the indicators still on. Drove car home and picked up my 92 GMC pickup. Refueled the truck at the same pump and it ran fine.At Lexus service advisors suggestion had the car towed to their shop. They found what looks like water in the gasoline and said that there have been a number of instances of contaminated fuel causing this kind of problem. Has anybody else heard of this happening?

When I was growing up, my father owned a gas station and one of the underground storage tanks corroded through in a very small spot. The consequence was that when we would get a substantial rain, the ground water would seep into that tank and contaminate the gasoline. Since water is heavier than gasoline, the waster would always stay on the bottom. This was alright as long as the tank was kept full and we pumped from the top, and the amount of fuel to water level was checked every day.

Obviously the tank was replaced. Then years later, fiberglass tanks came along and solved the corrosion problem. However, one thing that still exist is the factor of condensation. Cool fuel against hot, humid days and other atmosphere conditions. No storage system is fool proof and no delivery system is fool proof. IF there was water in your gas, that is pretty easy to check with with a dip stick and a smear of a light chemical that turns color when it hits water in the gasoline. Surely your dealer would know this.

There should be a record in your cars computer of this event. Have you, or did your dealer read the codes for diagnostic clues?

Paul

[Steve Canyon]

It sure sounds like there was bad gas...just wondering why would you have filled another car up at the same pump right after having problems like that?

A reasonable question in retrospect. At the time I figured I had a problem with the AWD system since that was the error message which was staring me in the face. I have since talked to the owner of the company which pumps the fuel. They have not received any other complaints. They have a electronic sensor which looks for water in the tank every day between one and three in the morning.

[LEXIRX330]

No big deal was just curious...so Lexus has fixed your car? Did you tell them that the gas was fine and you ran it in another car?

[pj8708]

It sure sounds like there was bad gas...just wondering why would you have filled another car up at the same pump right after having problems like that?

A reasonable question in retrospect. At the time I figured I had a problem with the AWD system since that was the error message which was staring me in the face. I have since talked to the owner of the company which pumps the fuel. They have not received any other complaints. They have a electronic sensor which looks for water in the tank every day between one and three in the morning.

Those lights can be confusing. When just one comes on it is a good bet that it is that particular system that is acting up.However Lexus uses a combination of light warnings to signal different conditions. In your situation, just because the AWD light was on didn't necessarily mean the AWD was having a problem. The combination of the TRAC and AWD light obviously meant something else, and as far as I know, reading the codes is the only way to determine the problem.

"Lexirx330" may know more about this than I do. (It's highly doubtful)LOL!!

[LEXIRX330]

lol... Paul!

Actually a girl in my office had hers do the same thing and I think it is a emissions code when that happens. But if I remember correctly the same thing can happen (lights coming on) by leaving the gas cap off or loose. Now I am not 100% sure on this at all and it could possibly have been a different combo of lights too.

I just would like to know what the dealer did...did they drain the fuel and if so did that resolve the problem...