Car question

So my car was running fine this morning. purrrrring like a she beast kitten........ meow...

Then I had to go to north port, just north of port charolette. So I filled up with gas. premium, 3.99 a gal...

drove 60 miles there, fine, drove about 45 miles back then got off to freakin soon, cause I still don't know my way around here good. and as I am stuck in GD&*^%^&*(()_)+__+(^&%%^%# traffic, my car starts to idle very ruff. And slow to take off, but its fine once it gets going. It also seems to shift into gear harder, or I could just be paranoid at this point.

Its not running hot. Its doesn't leak any oil. I take very good care of her. my little jewel. I'm worried.

Any ideas?

Help!

Does your car REQUIRE premium fuel?

Mine does, because it has high compression. Most cars require a lower octane.

If your car requires 87 and you put 92 or 94 octane, your engine won't burn the fuel efficiently and MIGHT have fouled a plug. That's a SWAG.

The shifting... I dunno.

it requires high octane

Maybe you got some shitty gas... or maybe it had some water in it... or maybe it was lower octane fuel when it was supposed to be high octane (wouldn't be the first time people got screwed)

All service station tanks have some water in them, but the pipe that pulls the gas from the tank is supposed to be 6" or more above the bottom of the tanks. Most modern service stations have Automatic Tank Gauging systems that measure the amount of water in the tank, to make sure it doesn't get too high.

I would let the service station know you were having problems with the fuel. Maybe other folks have already done that. Also, there is a Florida Consumer Agency that regulates fuel quality as well. I think it is the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

Of course, this is ASSUMING that the fuel is the problem. Is there any "check engine" lights on?

Eric wrote:

Maybe you got some shitty gas... or maybe it had some water in it... or maybe it was lower octane fuel when it was supposed to be high octane (wouldn't be the first time people got screwed)

All service station tanks have some water in them, but the pipe that pulls the gas from the tank is supposed to be 6" or more above the bottom of the tanks.  Most modern service stations have Automatic Tank Gauging systems that measure the amount of water in the tank, to make sure it doesn't get too high.

I would let the service station know you were having problems with the fuel.  Maybe other folks have already done that.  Also, there is a Florida Consumer Agency that regulates fuel quality as well.  I think it is the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services.

Of course, this is ASSUMING that the fuel is the problem.  Is there any "check engine" lights on?

That was my first hope. and I say hope that it was the gas. I even deducted in my mind why it waited 90 miles. Here's that deduction. I had some gas which was near the gas line and some in the gas line and it took a bit of gas for whatever debris be it water or what not to build up.

I suppose I could call the store.

But do you recommend trying to put something in my tank?

Im having it taken to the mechanic to be looked at tomorrow. I have to drive the van to work now

Id like for some more ideas of what could happen all of a sudden like that because I am a very good record of getting screwed by mechanics.

You may have picked up some bad fuel. Other than draining it out, you might try to fill it up again and try to dilute the bad fuel. Just an idea..

If you suspect water, try to add a bottle of "Heet" or something similar.  Parts store, Auto Zone or such could advise..

Any lights ? Check engine ? Parking brake on .... ; )

You can take it to an autozone and they can read the computer codes for free... it could be something like the mass airflow sensor... but it's hard to tell with newer cars.

Gentlemen, I thank you.

I will go fill it back up again at my normal place I get gas and send it over to autozone before the mechanic just in case.

Hugs

What kind of gasoline did you put in your tank? That it is top tier (aka tier 1) is far more important than the octane unless you drive a Lambo or something crazy like that. I never put anything but top tier in my Tacoma unless I absolutely have no other choice, like when was driving to Alaska and there was only one fuel station every 400 miles.

Top Tier Gasoline: http://www.toptiergas.com/
Top Tier Retailers: http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html

The first thing I would do is pour a bottle of HEET into the tank just like HG said. Make sure it's the red bottle made for gasoline motors and not the yellow bottle for diesels (unless you drive a diesel, of course). Lucas makes a much better additive that you can find at most truck stops and better parts stores, but if you cannot find it HEET will do just fine.

If you do not have an OBD II sensor I would do just as the Dude suggested and go to your nearest AutoZone, NAPA, PepBoys, O'Rilley's etc. and ask the guy at the counter for help. All major parts stores should have one.

Do ^ this before you take it to a mechanic. Then you will know if he is trying to screw you if he tells you "the computer" said something different. My ODB II sensor says the same thing the SnapOn computer says every time. Without fail. So if the mechanic tells you something different from what the kid at the counter in the parts store, I'd probably say the mechanic is FOS. Be sure to write down the error codes the kid gives you and make him tell you what they mean. Like, P0405 is the EGR Valve Sensor code.

The Dude wrote:

You can take it to an autozone and they can read the computer codes for free... it could be something like the mass airflow sensor... but it's hard to tell with newer cars.

My mass airflow sensor threw a code just last weekend. A rag had gotten sucked up into my air filter housing and was completely blocking the flow of oxygen to my motor.

I'm leaning towards motor mount this point.

I didn't get it in yesterday, may be tomorrow. Everyone wants a freaking $100 just to look at it and they wont include that into the fix fee if they d the work. grrrrrrrrrr so I am thinking to take it back to where I bought it. In port Charlotte.

In an alcohol-fueled attempt to change anchorages in a storm, my boat sucked anchor lines and a water mat into it's propellers and ripped both engines off their mounts.

That was a $10,000 faux pas. Ouch!

Of course, those engines were huge and each of 'em probably weighed as much as a small car.

Chrissy* wrote:

I'm leaning towards motor mount this point.

I didn't get it in yesterday, may be tomorrow. Everyone wants a freaking $100 just to look at it and they wont include that into the fix fee if they d the work. grrrrrrrrrr so I am thinking to take it back to where I bought it. In port Charlotte.

Trust me, you would know it if it was a motor mount. There would have been a very loud noise and your car would have bucked like a bull in a rodeo.

I had one of the motor mounts go out on the van last year and it made the engine shake

It has all the symptoms

Engine shake all of a sudden and a hard transmission shift but runs smooth as a baby's butt once it's going down the road

I didn't have time to do anything with it thus week I'm so freaking busy with work now and have to pick son up from bus stop with one car now

I have to do something with it tomorow I muss the old gal

I do hope it's something easy and not the motor mount though because I think that would be expensive to me , I'm just a poor girl

Get someone to help you..   Open the hood, have helper (Driver) lock the brakes.  Look at engine  Have helper(driver) give it a little gas..If the engines moves more than a inch or so you have a motor mount issue.

well verdict is in.

valve cover gasket leaked onto coil and then shorted out spark plugs.

so I must replace valve cover gasket, coil, wires and plugs

$900

And then I get my little baby back in mommy's arms..

Valve cover gasket is a shade tree job if you know anyone mechanically inclined. Even removing the fuel injection isn't complicated.

That's kinda high.  I'd get another quote.

I might could do all that stuff for $100, if it was mine.  Maybe prices have gone up on parts, but, dangit, they shouldn't have gone that high.

A mechanic could replace all that stuff in less than an hour.

Just clean it off with degreaser...... wash it.... blow it dry and tighten the valve cover bolts....

ripped off again dammit

Do you have any tools? It is not that difficult... there are even YouTubes out there that will walk you through it.

http://www.wikihow.com/Change-Valve-Cover-Gaskets

riceme wrote:

Do you have any tools? It is not that difficult... there are even YouTubes out there that will walk you through it.

http://www.wikihow.com/Change-Valve-Cover-Gaskets

Riceme, I am not you. I admire you of all the things you can do. You're very independent.

I simply am too afraid I will mess it up worse and odds are, I will.

Basically its going to get a complete tune up, wires, plugs coil and a valve cover gasket. I looked up the parts and they are little over $300 of that so yes, he is taking me for a ride. That upsets me because I had trusted this place as they were the ones who helped me when my van got messed up at the dealer, when the dealer broke a bolt off in my crank shaft and tried to screw me over.

its a done deal. I wish I could find a honest mechanic here.

Sorry, Chrissy :'(

Up here labor runs about $100/hr for a mechanic at a shop so I can't see this costing over $400 or $500 at most.

That sucks.