[shop hermit]

I drive an 08 that I bought new and have just experienced a new problem that others might profit from reading about. Went to start the car early yesterday morning, temperature in the garage about 25 degrees. Didn't start. Tried it again and it tried to start and sounded like there was no compression on at least l cylinder and maybe two. After multiple attempts, it finally started, ran on 1 cylinder for awhile and eventually another cylinder kicked in. Shut it off and took the truck for the errand I needed to do, while going through the possibilities of what might be wrong. Remembered that it was last driven by my grandaughter, so immediately feared the worst....did it overheat and she didn't notice??? Got home and checked coolant level....right on the mark, so that was one big worry gone. Back to reviewing possibilities. Happened to think that this was the coldest morning we've had this year. Checed the temperature in the garage and it was now 38 degrees. Tried starting and it started, sputtered once, then ran normally. Clonclusion....some water in my last tank of gas and it froze at the injectors, or the individual lines leading to them.. Put in some Heet and took a test drive and everytrhing was normal.

 

[jimvw57]

With most fuel having Ethanol in it, I wouldn't think water in the gas would be a problem as the main ingredient in HEET is ethanol (alcohol)

 

[OliverB]

Correct, the need for “water absorbers” is dramatically less today with the addition of alcohol - unless you are using alcohol-free gas or got a bad tank of gas with more water than the 10% alcohol could handle.

 

[wowee1]

I was thinking more of a tank of bad fuel. Never had problems in my other cars that used Regular, but now I always wonder how old the gas is I'm getting, now that I use Premium in the Smart. I'm sure they don't sell as much as regular. I try to go to a station that has high volume if possible. I also need Premium for my Harley, as it has 11:1 pistons. For the Harley I like to go to stations that have a separate pump for Premium, as you likely get a bunch of regular from the lines in a shared pump before it pumps Premium. Not as important in a Smart, but it is on a bike that only holds 2.1 gallons.

 

[OliverB]

The general consensus from the Petroleum Institute is that there will be up to 1/3 of a gallon left in the hose/pump system from the previous person’s selection. That could be premium, regular, mid grade or, as with Sunoco, some other grade. Some assume that most cars use regular grade. Not necessarily so. Some manufacturers specify mid grade as well as premium. There is more premium used than many realize so it is very unlikely the premium gas will “go stale” in its tank as some think. That 1/3 of a gallon left in the system is insignificant to all but those vehicles with very small tanks. Yes, much smaller than the smart 451 or 453 tanks.

 

[twcom]

The general consensus from the Petroleum Institute is that there will be up to 1/3 of a gallon left in the hose/pump system from the previous person’s selection. That could be premium, regular, mid grade or, as with Sunoco, some other grade. Some assume that most cars use regular grade. Not necessarily so. Some manufacturers specify mid grade as well as premium. There is more premium used than many realize so it is very unlikely the premium gas will “go stale” in its tank as some think. That 1/3 of a gallon left in the system is insignificant to all but those vehicles with very small tanks. Yes, much smaller than the smart 451 or 453 tanks.

OK good to know as I tend to top off the tank, at times adding 3gallons or less. Doing this could potentially build up that 1/3 gallon left in the line of less then premium gas. Something to think about.

 

[jwight]

Just my .02 but as long as you're using a Top Tier brand there's no need for any fuel additives.

 

[mattwithcats]

Half a bottle of Techron, the black bottle, every 5-10 fill-ups, keeps the injectors clean.


Also, half an ounce of Sta-Bil, either the blue Marine, o the yellow 360, also helps, same schedule...

 

[OliverB]

I don’t use Techron that often. Usually once per year in each vehicle - including my fuel injected Suzuki Burgman.

 

[shop hermit]

A tankfull later, everything still normal with several more cold mornings. It obviously was ice blockage somewere. What really had me worried was the way it sounded when I was trying to start it.....like there waa no compression on the two cylinders between the one that was firing. After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that the extra kick from the firing cylinder was taking the load off the starter and causing it to speed up between the cycles where it was firing.