Dodgy diesel?

DubVelo

Filled up at a certain station a little while ago and into the next week or so the car started to seem really sluggish, way down on power. I could hear the turbo spinning, spinning, spinning way up, but it was like there was no torque, no oomph.
A couple of weeks on and the horses are back under the bonnet pulling strong.

Does this sound like the symptoms of dodgy washed diesel?

Bandara

DubVelo wrote: »

Filled up at a certain station a little while ago and into the next week or so the car started to seem really sluggish, way down on power. I could hear the turbo spinning, spinning, spinning way up, but it was like there was no torque, no oomph.
A couple of weeks on and the horses are back under the bonnet pulling strong.

Does this sound like the symptoms of dodgy washed diesel?

In my opinion no.

keithclancy

Sounds more like a dodgy mass airflow meter.

mullingar

Or a faulty turbo actuator solenoid (if its a variable geometry turbo)

@op, what engine is it?

derry

Yes dodgy fuel can do exactly that
But so can all the other mentioned issues
Dodgy fuel if it the cause will often leave some evidence behind
Open up the diesel fuel filter and check it If there is water or sludge as it could have come form the faulty fuel.
Also the modern ROI diesel fuel contains 7% bio fuel in it .This bio fuel is unstable and will if heated up change into a not so good fuel
If the weeks preceding the fill up you were doing a lot of stop start town driving it is not impossible that you could have turned enough good fuel into bad fuel from the common rail heating up the diesel fuel .Basically the common rail when the car goes slowly most of the fuel is not used and the common rail sends most of the fuel it gets back to the tank .This fuel has been heated up as it passed the engine .The repeated heating of the bio fuel can mean gradually the fuel in the tank becomes corrupted .If you do a large fill up and then go for a burn the symptoms of the bad fuel can disappear as new good fuel enters the system .
If your always on motor way or good nation roads doing high speeds there is less likely to be any fuel issues from the common rail as most of the fuel is used up .

Also if the garage had a issue with the fuel such as excess petrol contaminated the fuel the symptoms would sound like this or did you by any chance buy mistake put some petrol in the tank .

There are many issues with washed fuel often it has higher kerosene and petrol content than normal garage diesel fuel that can lead to these symptoms Diesel fuel as we know it should really be called diesel light as it has a much higher content of kerosene in it .Kerosene is basically 8 part paraffin one part petrol . In winter time the diesel fuel we buy from the garages has more kerosene put into it to stop the diesel fuel from freezing up . The modern car and vans are made to run on kerosene fuels add to diesel fuels as the rest of the world often adds even more kerosene to the diesel fuels for all sorts of reasons .

The green diesel or the diesel for heating is nearly all diesel and should really be called heavy diesel as there is much less of the lighter fuels like kerosene in it .
The washed fuel has to resemble the diesel light so they must add in kerosene as well.
When they wash the green diesel they also add in kerosene and petrol and often the more kerosene they can add in the the better for them ,but the worse for the cars and vans as this often reduces the power and the MPG.
Also the higher the water content the better for the washed fuel merchants so the risk from water damage issues are very high from washed fuels
Also the acid used to wash the fuel can damage the whole fuel system in cars and vans .Also they probably add in some bio fuel and bio fuel if it hasn't been treated to increase Cetane levels will also help reduce power and add more acidity to the fuel,
Washed fuel for modern common rail is to be avoided at all costs it has potential to wreck a engine in hours .
The washed fuel often uses the green diesel to be washed and this diesel fuel has high sulfur content .The DPF are not made to run with high sulfur fuels and the washed fuels can wreck them
The best rule is any time a modern diesel car or van loses lots of power stop driving it and take it to a suitable garage ASAP to see if its a fuel issue and possibly save destroying engine and DPF .If you got AA or breakdown assistance use it thats what its for .

Modern common rail diesels are precision machines that don't tend to act the mick unless something is really wrong . Other faults like flow meters ,fuel and turbo controls also can be important in that they often return with a vengeance and dump you in the dung often when you need the car or vans power the most like on overtaking or just getting to your destination on time .


Derry

Bandara

* makes large tinfoil hat

JohnBoy26

Must be the longest post i've seen yet!:P

DubVelo

mullingar wrote: »

Or a faulty turbo actuator solenoid (if its a variable geometry turbo)

@op, what engine is it?

It's a Renault 1.5DCi, only a couple of years old not high miles or anything.

DubVelo

Hammertime wrote: »

* makes large tinfoil hat

Does this protect the injectors from cosmic rays?

DubVelo

derry wrote: »

Yes dodgy fuel can do exactly that
But so can all the other mentioned issues
Dodgy fuel if it the cause will often leave some evidence behind
Open up the diesel fuel filter and check it If there is water or sludge as it could have come form the faulty fuel.
Also the modern ROI diesel fuel contains 7% bio fuel in it .This bio fuel is unstable and will if heated up change into a not so good fuel
If the weeks preceding the fill up you were doing a lot of stop start town driving it is not impossible that you could have turned enough good fuel into bad fuel from the common rail heating up the diesel fuel .Basically the common rail when the car goes slowly most of the fuel is not used and the common rail sends most of the fuel it gets back to the tank .This fuel has been heated up as it passed the engine .The repeated heating of the bio fuel can mean gradually the fuel in the tank becomes corrupted .If you do a large fill up and then go for a burn the symptoms of the bad fuel can disappear as new good fuel enters the system .
If your always on motor way or good nation roads doing high speeds there is less likely to be any fuel issues from the common rail as most of the fuel is used up .

Also if the garage had a issue with the fuel such as excess petrol contaminated the fuel the symptoms would sound like this or did you by any chance buy mistake put some petrol in the tank .

Eh, no. Not from the wrong pump anyway. Wouldn't have got far on a full tank of that! It was pretty much filled up from having the empty warning light come on.

Actually the car was having a chance to stretch it's legs more than usual, though it'd usually be used for short runs.

derry

Actually the car was having a chance to stretch it's legs more than usual, though it'd usually be used for short runs.

Short runs can lead to crap fuel and then long run blows it all out

It's a Renault 1.5DCi, only a couple of years old not high miles or anything.

great engine, pity about the french electronics which are well known on many Renault's forums to give this type of problem even without any dodgy fuel thrown into the mix.

Sell it while it still runs good and SEP it (somebody else s problem )

Derry

dr.fuzzenstein

Hammertime wrote: »

* makes large tinfoil hat

Will there be more Wuthering Heights or may I suggest switching to Treasure Island or perhaps even some Dickens? :cool:
Theoretically the best way of avoiding laundered diesel is to go green. That way you get to it before the scumbags.
Of course just in theory, because that would not be legal. And not worth it.

derry

dr.fuzzenstein wrote:

Theoretically the best way of avoiding laundered diesel is to go green. That way you get to it before the scumbags.
Of course just in theory, because that would not be legal. And not worth it.

yep diesel fuel in Ireland sucks even the good stuff they sell in the garage non green type .

All the car sales and mechanics don't want to admit that short runs with modern common rail diesels with the new fuel formulas ****s up the common rail diesel cars.
If that get known diesel car sales will fall off a cliff

Hark Yonder Do mine ears hear a splat sound at the end of yonder cliff

If you do short runs Buy an electric car that solves that problem and rent a car for the occasional long runs

Derry

Bandara

JohnBoy26

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Will there be more Wuthering Heights or may I suggest switching to Treasure Island or perhaps even some Dickens? :cool:
Theoretically the best way of avoiding laundered diesel is to go green. That way you get to it before the scumbags.
Of course just in theory, because that would not be legal. And not worth it.

but sure green diesel is far more dirty than regular diesel and could cause similar damage to a modern diesel as laundered fuel would.

dgt

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Must be the longest post i've seen yet!:P

Oh no, that's quite tame by contrast! :rolleyes:

So much nonsense, so little time to read it all....

As for the OP it sounds like the wishy washy stuff was washed out by good diesel again. To be sure to be sure get it in a can and see what you bought

mathepac

derry wrote: »

yep diesel fuel in Ireland sucks even the good stuff they sell in the garage non green type ...

Hmmm, no. Some diesel may, but in general, no.

derry wrote: »

... Hark Yonder Do mine ears hear a splat sound at the end of yonder cliff ...

Some hombre's being sucking mucho diesel Homes.

derry wrote: »

... If you do short runs Buy an electric car that solves that problem and rent a car for the occasional long runs ...

Do you live in Monaco head?

ba_barabus

dgt wrote: »

Oh no, that's quite tame by contrast! :rolleyes:

So much nonsense, so little time to read it all....

I'm starting to think something's not right there so I'm steering clear.....

derry

ba_barabus wrote:

I'm starting to think something's not right there so I'm steering clear...

well there doesn't seem to be many suggestions as to what the problem might be there was some flat out well IMHO its not dodgy fuel and reference to turbo and after that it became a shoot the messenger thread and drop cyber bombs from great height onto the messenger
No real attempt to even suggest maybe the DPF was regenerated and that might have sorted the problem.
Cant say there is much real mechanical thoughts in this forum so far

so maybe your right not to get in the pit and run for the hills there is no mechanical ability in ROI

derry

Bandara

* looks at floor and shuffles nervously

Renegade Mechanic

*opens door, peeks in.*
Nope....
*runs*