Alcohol/Contaminants In Fuel Diagnosis: Description

The concentration of alcohol in fuel can be detrimental to fuel system. Higher than recommended alcohol in fuel concentrations may cause driveability problems such as hesitation, lack of power, stall, no-start, etc. High concentrations may also cause corrosion of the fuel system components and subsequent fuel filter plugging as well as deterioration of the rubber and plastic components.

Commercial automotive fuel can contain alcohol in various types and levels of concentration. Some forms of alcohol are more detrimental to the fuel system components than others. If an excessive amount of alcohol in fuel is suspected as the cause of a driveability problem, the following procedure can be used to detect its presence. This procedure uses water to extract the alcohol from the fuel. The specific type of alcohol contamination cannot be determined from this test.