Symptoms of adulterated fuel
Symptoms of adulterated fuel – During consumer week, the Instituto Combustível Legal (ICL) brings up an important subject to help drivers detect if they have been victims of some kind of scam when filling up: what are the symptoms of adulterated fuel in the vehicle?
Just as eating spoiled food or food of dubious origin can cause serious damage to your health, filling up with poor quality or adulterated fuel puts not only the smooth running of the vehicle at risk, but also the safety of the driver and passengers. Depending on the type of adulteration you have suffered,
it is difficult to detect certain symptoms in a short period of time, as we will show below.
Therefore, when you fill up, always ask for the invoice, as this is your guarantee of your rights when it comes to filing a complaint (check out five good reasons to ask for the invoice when filling up), and look for stations with well-known and credible brands.
1) Excessive fuel consumption
Some frauds are more difficult to detect if the consumer doesn’t know the size of their vehicle’s tank and isn’t attentive to the filling process. This is the case of a fraudulent pump, when you receive less fuel than you paid for, or adulteration of gasoline by excess ethanol. By law, type C gasoline sold to consumers must contain 27% ethanol in the mixture (25% for premium gasoline). There are situations in which inspectors find gas stations selling gasoline with more than 80% ethanol in the blend.
ethanol in the blend.
Whether the pump has been defrauded or the gasoline has been baptized or mixed with excess ethanol, the vehicle will consume more fuel. With this in mind, ICL has created a dynamic refueling spreadsheet, which helps you observe not only your vehicle’s autonomy, but also whether you are filling up with a quality product and in the right quantity.
And if you are suspicious when you fill up, you have the right to request a flow test at the gas station, which uses a standard measure of 20 liters measured by Inmetro. The maximum difference allowed by law is 100 ml more or 60 ml less.
2) Difficulty starting the car cold
If your vehicle’s spark plugs are in good condition and you suddenly find it difficult to start it from cold, especially in winter, one of the reasons could be adulterated gasoline. There are a few explanations for this. In the case of adulterated petrol, an excess of ethanol, a fuel with low thermal power, makes it difficult to start the engine in flex-fuel cars. There are other situations in which some substance added to the fuel may prevent the formation of light vapors, which will also make it difficult for the cold engine to start.
3) Injection light on the dashboard
When the electronic fuel injection light comes on, it can be a warning sign of various problems. But if you’ve just filled up and the light has come on, be careful, as it could be a strong indication of adulterated or baptized fuel. In this case, go to a trusted service station and refuel to see if the dashboard light goes out. If not, go to a specialist garage and investigate the problem.
4) Fuel with a strong odor
If, after filling up, you notice a strong smell of fuel in the room and irritation in the eyes or headaches, watch out! These signs indicate that the ethanol or gasoline in your car may be adulterated with methanol. This chemical substance, which is restricted to industrial use, is extremely dangerous to health and is being targeted by the police. Another risk related to the use of methanol is its high potential to burn and even cause explosions. And a curious fact is that its flame is invisible.
5) Contaminated engine oil
It should be borne in mind that baptized fuel can contain different types of contaminants, from water to methanol and rubber solvent. The substrates of the chemical reactions from burning this adulterated fuel react and affect the additives in the engine oil, thus reducing its lubricating capacity.
The additives that are part of the original formulation of lubricants are extremely important for the proper functioning of the engine, preserving essential parts and components. From then on, it starts to malfunction and wear out more, and may even break down.
6) Sludge formation and engine carbonization
In addition to contaminated oil, the use of adulterated fuel leads to the formation of sludge and the carbonization of sensitive engine parts such as cylinder heads, camshafts and valves. Injection nozzles also suffer in this process and can become clogged. In other words, the whole assembly, which should be working in complete harmony, ends up out of tune.
