No need, nothing stopping us from continuing our discussion just because one poster has asked for it to stop. So long as discussions remain civil, is the whole point of a forum there so debate can happen?
I think the source of my disdain is that what we debate about now won't change the past. But carry on i'll just ignore the thread for a while
Wondering if anyone can help? Filled my car (Fiesta) up with Shell Unleaded Fuel Save, and I normally fill up at ASDA. All of a sudden the engine loses power at 3rd/4th gear and the engine light comes on. Followed by shuddering and gargling when I rev. Would this be something to do with the change of fuel? Recently it has been wet and roads have been flooded, and I am wondering whether wading through puddles has f**ked up the engine. I really hope it is the former, cheers.
Could be **** fuel, unless you've put diesel in by accident? Don't know what year your fiesta is, but it sounds more electrical under load. Dizzy cap, leads, plugs, air is full of moisture? If more modern the engine and electrics are normally pretty well sealed, so unless you've 007'd it the ecu, air box should be ok regardless.
Just googled about and the common problems are, coil packs, spark plugs, HT leads, loose pipe or valve, or even the fuel filter. Something is misfiring though, feels like i'm running on one less cylinder. On the duel carriageway I could only manage 40mph. Hoping to take it to the garage tomorrow. It's a 2003 Fiesta Zetec 1.4l. Edit: Theres me thinking it was the fuel change. Just hope it doesn't tear a hole in my wallet.
Hopefully, I will get father to take a look at it tomorrow. Thanks for the tips! I will let you know what it is at some point.
Contact the ASDA where you filled up. Receipt might have contact number on. It might be they have a contaminated batch of fuel. I very very much doubt that the problem is due to the brand of fuel. All UK pump fuel must pass the EU test for unleaded, so all have minimum levels of relevant chemicals. In my experience unless you are paying for premium fuels they will be blended just to pass the EU test so all virtually identical. My guess is that the car has gone into limp home mode as either the lambda sensor or mass air flow meter is faulty or you have an air leak in the inlet system. Good luck and let us know how you get on.
If you take it to a garage and think they're trying to put one on you by quoting a fortune, get a second opinion. Doesn't sound like anything too bad as Smithers as already said, so will hopefully be an easy fix. No one wants a big bill at this time of year
MAF meter has come up a few times on google actually, good point. Can't even get sleep over it... I do get an engine warning light so maybe they can plug it in and find an error code?
I don't know how up on cars you are but for less than £5 you can get an ELM327 Bluetooth ODB2 Scanner and a free app called Torque (Lite is Free (Android)). This plugs into your odb port (under steering wheel or centre console (sometimes under ask tray) and connects to smart phone. This then enables you to view live engine data including the Mass Air Flow. So it might help you see if the MAF is faulty, but remember if their is an intake leak MAF readings might look bad!!! Also might give you temperature sensor info which could be faulty. Hope you get it sorted nice and easilly and cheap. Not a great time of year for breakdowns, just had a week without heating while plumber took way too long to get a way overpriced gas valve!!!! I could have bough the valve locally for 30% of his cost and picked it up same day............. Pity I am not allowed to install....... Cars on the other hand mind you I don't have a garage so not nice playing with cars in this weather. Good Luck. Forgot to say ODB2 reader from ebay is £5 but make sure you select one from your country as lots of cheap ones come on "slow boat" from far east.
EMSC: From what you describe, I feel it is almost certainly a problem with the coils and HT leads. It is not an expensive job to get these checked over but it is essential they are dry. If you've been wading (driving in heavy rain can have this effect), I am more than 50% sure this will be the cause of your difficulties, since the most common symptom is that an HT lead (or its coil) gives up when wet, thereby knocking out any contribution from its corresponding cylinder. Most commonly, a four cylinder engine will start running on three and driving it becomes difficult because you need to maintain momentum. Further loss then becomes more likely with the possibility of running VERY badly indeed, if at all on just two of the four! Coil and HT replacement should not cost much. Do not lose sleep over it. However, do not allow a garage to tell you it is something far worse if they cannot demonstrate that they have evidence. If they do, it's possible they are exploiting your relative ignorance and just tell them you are going to get a second opinion from an independent body such as the RAC or AA. The change of fuel is almost certainly a coincidence. Unless you put diesel in when you shouldn't have, or vice versa, there's no way it would suddenly cause the behaviour you've experienced. Best of luck. ©
P.S. to above: If you can't get replacements for a few days but still need to drive the car in what is likely to continue to be cold, damp conditions, try the following – which may also diagnose the problem if it is temporarily solved by this method: You may effect a temporary fix. Get a spray-can of WD-40 (or equivalent). This can help disperse water and prevent short-circuiting. Spray the HT leads. Use plenty and focus on the ends of the leads which hold the spark plugs as well as the other end where each HT lead connects with the coil. If this works, it proves you need to replace HT leads or coil (usually both is the best idea). If you're interested, you can often track down the weak link in the system by removing one spark plug at a time and turning the engine over to check each in turn is sparking. However, even if just one is faulty (the most likely scenario), it's a bit daft not to replace them all at the same time, as well as the coil, since they will be ageing (and potentially dying) at a very similar rate.
Good post, and I second it. For a while I worked at a petrol retailer here in NZ, and each grade of fuel must meet minimum standards before it's approved for sale. Among other things, this ensures cross-compatibility of fuels. It will be the same approach back in Blighty, so you shouldn't get any problems just from mixing fuels from two different sources. Contamination could be a problem if there's muck or moisture in the tank at the Shell garage. Either of these is possible, but unlikely. There could also be a problem if a tanker driver accidentally put the wrong grade of fuel into the Fuelsave tank (they call this a shandy). Shandies can be very expensive and disruptive to fix, so there are strict SOP's to prevent them from happening, and equally strict rules for reporting a shandy if it does happen. Drivers hate shandies, and are almost obsessive about avoiding them. So a shandy is extremely unlikely, but still possible. Summary - no harm in contacting Shell to see if anyone else has had problems. In fact it's probably a smart thing to do. But try not to lose sleep about mixing fuels from two different sources. If they've both been approved for non-specialised petrol engines, they should work together just fine.
On the way home it was Raikkonen in qualifying for this years Belgian GP. Thanks Cosi and Mr. B atleast we have narrowed it down to a handful of options. Truly humbled by all your advice.
