My car has been sitting for 4 months. It was exposed to cold weather and the sun causing dew.

I just bought an Optima Red top battery for $180 cdn and put it in to crank the car and run it. I decided to fill up the gas too and when i started to drive, the car started to boggle...

does this mean that there is water in the gas tank? Do you think i caused too much damage? I drove for about 4 blocks and decided to hit home before i cause anymore damage... i need to buy the water removal in a gas tank bottle.. hope that helps....


anyone have any experiences or suggestions to share?

Thanks!


IM from Canada and it snowed hard a few times. So the sun came out, so i got tons of condensation inside my car


Modified by G2-Rex at 5:58 PM 1/23/2004


Modified by G2-Rex at 11:13 PM 1/23/2004

 

I dont think leaving your car exposed for 4 months would cause water to go in your tank...unless it's parked underwater....Try tuning it up, replace cap & rotor, check spark plugs, fuel filter (replace if needed)...but if you're sure about water in your tank...simply drain and refill.

 

well the inside of my car was starting to mould, and the interior was wet. meaning that there must be some water in there...


If it isnt the water, what would cause the car to boggle when i gas it? It was fine 2 months ago!

 

the gas system is sealed.. if water got into it.. then most likely all ur gas would have evaporated.. first.. i'd drain the tank.. simple to do there is a drain bolt on it.. gas tends to go bad quick and i know when i was running on old gas the car would ping really really bad. i'd replace the fuel filter.. try and get some known good injectors.. and then run a bunch of fuel injector cleaner.. cuz the car was sitting so long its likely the injectors got clogged up..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by G2-Rex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well the inside of my car was starting to mould, and the interior was wet. meaning that there must be some water in there...
If it isnt the water, what would cause the car to boggle when i gas it? It was fine 2 months ago!</TD></TR></TABLE>
You don't need to be "underwater" to get water in your fuel tank.
IF there is any and that's big IF, it probably comes from condensation.
Not usually any problem, as it most likely sits in the bottom of the fuel tank and doesn't bother anything. As fuel and water CAN"T be mixed and since gasoline is lighter than water it will sit on top of any. No need to worry UNLESS somehow water gets into a fuel line and then freezes due to sub-zero temps that could cause a blockage. But again very unlikely. If you are so concerned about water in the fuel. Buy a couple of cans of Dri-gas at AutoZone. (basically de-natured alcohol). Add to fuel at next fill-up. Done.
If your bogging continues it is more than likely "stale gasoline" from having sat so long. Fill the tank all the way with some new premium fuel and add some fuel conditioner of injector cleaner. if THAT doesn't WORK, try replacing the fuel filter,
HTH

 

What 4crx4me said,

Just cause your gas tank is sealed and capped off, that does not mean water will not end up in the tank. When leaving your car in storage for long periods of time you want to completely top off the fuel tank so that condensation does not accumulate on the exposed inside of the tank.

There is some sort of additive you can pour into your tank to keep the gas from going 'bad'. But I cant remember what it is called...maybe it is the stuff crx4me is talking about.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BlueShadow &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

There is some sort of additive you can pour into your tank to keep the gas from going 'bad'. But I cant remember what it is called...maybe it is the stuff crx4me is talking about.</TD></TR></TABLE>
They are all different additives for different symptoms.
Dri-gas= to remove any accumulated water in fuel system.
Injector or fuel system cleaner or conditioner= to clean up any gunk or gumming in the fuel system.
What you are talking about is "Fuel Stabilizer", you're supposed to put that in BEFORE you leave the car unstarted for a few months, but in this case, at this point it's too late for that. LOL

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 4crx4me &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
What you are talking about is "Fuel Stabilizer", you're supposed to put that in BEFORE you leave the car unstarted for a few months, but in this case, at this point it's too late for that. LOL </TD></TR></TABLE>

Yup, that's the stuff...a little late for that though.

 

ok so i guess some things to look are are:

- fuel filter
- injectors
- getting the bottle of water remover
- gas treatment
- Could it be a fuel pump too?

I filled my car with new gas last night and it was still boggin. i will tried again today and dumped in some extra fuel injector cleaner.... and its still bogging and the car is shaking (idle isnt steady either).... seems like something is clogged..

hopefully its just the fuel filter


Modified by G2-Rex at 11:37 AM 1/22/2004

 

so in my case i should not worry about water causing my car to boggle??

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by G2-Rex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so in my case i should not worry about water causing my car to boggle??

</TD></TR></TABLE>
If you put in some dri-gas and some fuel system cleaner and filled it up recently, and it still bogs. Then your problem is not water in the fuel sytem. It must be something else. Dirty air filter, broken sensor or vacuum line? It could be anything.

 

can it be anything electrical? from the condensation?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by G2-Rex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">can it be anything electrical? from the condensation?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Possibly

 

man this sucks...
well im cleaning my air cleaner..... and ill put in the fuel filter in if that doesnt help

and if its still messed, and other specific suggestions?

 

Drain the tank to get rid of water? lmao Poor in a bottle of alcohol. Water will be all gone.

I'll be in Van this summer if you can wait til then.

 

do a tune up, check the resistance of the wires with a voltmeter.

 

yeah i added some water remover today, i havent started it up yet.

also added some injector cleaner! i want to get this baby on the road in a next 4-8 weeks!

 

chenged the filter, no difference.

When i tried to drive the car, it dies on my when i get the clutch in.


could it be an old fuel filter?

ignition? spark, coils etc?