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davis449
02-10-2005, 08:24 PM
OK, I was sick for three days last week: Wed, Thurs, Fri. The car didn't get driven for at least 2.5 days. I go out to start it up and the car runs like sh!t. Shakes like it has parkinson's disease! I shut the engine off. Let it sit for about 30 sec. and start it up again and it shakes a little (not as bad as the first time, but still pretty bad). I throw it in neutral and and set the park brake and rev the enging a couple times and it smooths out. So me and my friend take off to Best buy aboput 15 miles away. I push it to about 90 and hold it for a little while trying to blow out the injectors. The car has run beautifully since then, no problems starting it and the power is all there. I leave today aroudnd 4:30 for a 5 hour drive home. Car runs fine all the way till I hit the city limits and then it starts to run like it did last Saturday when I started it up. I push the gas to the kick down button to make sure it shifts and see if there's any noise like a grinding or clunking...nothing. But it's still shaking and running like crap and theres no power (acceleration). At this point, I'm thinking "limp mode". I pull into an EXXON station and lift the hood. No gasoline smell, no burning smell, no CEL, no apparent leaks. I start it up to finish the drive to my house and it starts up fine and runs fine to the House. What could this be? Bad gasoline, maybe? The fuel system should be fine. I've had all the regualr maintnenace and the some done to it. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance guys.

jnenad16
02-10-2005, 08:45 PM
it could be a number of things, but I think you might have some water in your gasoline. try using some gasoline drier or any fuel system cleaner.

nenad

stox
02-10-2005, 09:34 PM
First of all, these days water in the gas should be a non-issue. Almost all gas is a mixture with ethanol. The ethanol will suck the water right up. You don't describe the weather, but my first guess would be cracked ignition cables, after that, the coils.

davis449
02-11-2005, 10:06 AM
Went to the dealer and they said bad gas, told me to fill up with 89 octane and then go back to premium. We'll see what hapens over the next week or so.

coolin
02-11-2005, 11:22 AM
That's interesting...did the dealer mention why they recommended a tank of 89 and then returning back to high octane?

jnenad16
02-11-2005, 04:54 PM
was I right, or was I right?

davis449
02-11-2005, 05:38 PM
You were right. You were right.

I don't really know why he reccommended 89 octane. He just said to run a full tank of it and then go back to normal.

jnenad16
02-11-2005, 06:38 PM
the best thing to do would be to completely drain the fuel tank and replace the fuel filter as well.

vbrock1137
02-12-2005, 01:10 PM
My dealer told me to use 89 for awhile too, but not because of problems. Something about 93 having too much of some chemical these days, don't remember what though.

jnenad16
02-12-2005, 05:16 PM
Originally posted by vbrock1137
My dealer told me to use 89 for awhile too, but not because of problems. Something about 93 having too much of some chemical these days, don't remember what though.

oh yeah, I think you guys have too much sulfur in your gas there in the south. watch out, wrong gas might f up your fuel sending units.

nenad

Three Point 6
02-13-2005, 06:50 AM
Ill help validate your gas problem. Ever since I moved to NorCal from Houston,TX I have had starting issues every now and then w/gas around here. Living next to all those refineries in the past was like getting beer straight from the tap!

Well, new load of gas has cleared up my problem twice now in Norcal. Locals here tell me even the gas has always sucked a little. Even last week I had the problem arise when my car sat for 6 days on 'low'. Came back to start it and it didnt want to. 14 gallons of 91...fixed

Benzes are touchy mofos w/spark/fuel.

davis449
02-14-2005, 09:04 AM
These really are some picky ass cars when it comes to gasoline. My car always ran slower when I was in Midland on 91 octane, cause that's all they have there. You would think with a refinery right down the road in Big Spring we'd have good/cheap gas, but NOPE. Here in San Antonio, it's mostly 93 octane and my car seems to run a lot better. Just this one incident with that gas from Chevron. What I'd been doing was getting Techron in Midland for about a year and a half straight. Then I moved here in Aug. 2004 and switched to EXXON shortly there after cause there's a station close to my apartment complex that ALWAYS has low prices. Didn't see any problems with the switch.

Last week I went down to San Pedro ave. on my way to Best Buy and needed gas so I looked at the two competing gas stations that are always in price wars with each other: a Chevron and an EXXON. I went to the Chevron and filled up. Two days later I got sick and when I didn't drive it for about three days it had that shaking problem. I topped it off with EXXON on my way out of town last Thurs. and when I got home to Midland I was at about a .25 tank and that's when it started shaking again. Filled it with 89 at an EXXON in Midland and drove around for two days with it and no problems. Topped it off with 89 and drove back to SA and no problems. Who knows?