ST. PETER (TEC News) – A local auto service shop says motorists who filled up with bad fuel being sold at some area gas stations over the weekend have a couple options.
Arvin VanderPlas is the owner of Autotronics of St. Peter.
If you look out his office window you can see people fueling up their cars at a Kwik Trip, one of several gas stations across the Mankato area who received bad gasoline from the Magellan Pipeline terminal in Mankato.
VanderPlas winced when he was told the ethanol blend was too high.
So what’s a car owner to do if you filled up with the gasoline with too high of an ethanol blend?
There are two options, according to VanderPlas.
One, have the gas drained and fill up with fresh gasoline.
VanderPlas said his shop did that several years ago with a St. Peter gas station received a delivery of fuel tainted with water.
VanderPlas said his shop did that several years ago with a St. Peter gas station received a delivery of fuel tainted with water.
The other option, the one VanderPlas said he’d do if it was his car, would be to just constantly top off the bad gas with good gas to dilute the mix.
VanderPlas says, however, even with just one tank of fuel with too much ethanol could cause the check engine light to come one. It could damage “O-rings and injectors.”
“The ethanol will make the engine run leaner,” according to VanderPlas. “Cars run on an air/fuel ratio. Ethanol is oxygenated, so the car will demand more gasoline.”
VanderPlas says if you get a check engine light and take it to the shop to let the shop know about the possible fuel issue.
“It will save diagnostic time,” says VanderPlas.
He says flex fuel vehicle owners will be ok as their cars are designed to accept any blend of ethanol up to 85% (E85).
He says flex fuel vehicle owners will be ok as their cars are designed to accept any blend of ethanol up to 85% (E85).