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Ooops, made a mistake with my prius (water in fuel?)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by mke039, May 31, 2015.

  1. mke039

    mke039 Junior Member

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    I fueled my boat the other day, and then took the boat out.
    I also washed down the deck.....then....

    I took the boat home and took fuel off the boat and filled the 2012 prius.
    I got in the car and got about a mile down the road before the Hybrid Warning light came on and engine began to run very rough.

    Could this be explained by bad fuel?????

    Any help would be appreciated.
     
  2. Beachbummm

    Beachbummm Senior Member

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    #2 Beachbummm, May 31, 2015
    Last edited: May 31, 2015
  3. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Do you know if the fuel on the boat was E0 or E10?
    The E10 tends to dissolve trace water into the fuel I think, but if you have too much water then the water will take the ethanol out of the gasoline. I think it's quite hard to get the fuel out of the tank, can't recall if there is any way to do it (some prior threads).
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Siphon out the fuel, as much as possible, fill with fresh, and monitor?


    Here's a thread on siphoning:

    How to Siphon Gas? | PriusChat

    For some stress relief, read post #16.
     

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    #4 Mendel Leisk, May 31, 2015
    Last edited: May 31, 2015
  5. mke039

    mke039 Junior Member

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    I tried that. I could not get the hose to go down into the tank. Does anyone know how to drain the tank?
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Added attachment to post #4, might help.
     
  7. mke039

    mke039 Junior Member

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    Yes, thank you! How do you get to the fitting in the picture?
     
  8. myPriusAcct

    myPriusAcct Junior Member

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  9. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Ignore the reply on flushing the lines and replacing the fuel pump. If you get the bad fuel out soon, the system will be fine. I would handle this by removing the cowl, disconnecting the fuel line at the engine, and running the fuel pump until the tank is empty. While not a five minute procedure, I'm sure its a lot easier to do in my shop than in a driveway. Still you should be able to pull it off should you choose to do so.

    Avi
     
  10. mke039

    mke039 Junior Member

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    Thanks for the reply. The car was towed to the dealer (I had to go out of town) and they have a reputation for ripping people off.
    I think I would try removing the back seat and getting into the tank via the pump/filter port.
    I am going to call the dealer and tell them to start there.
     
  11. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    this is a good guess. if this is an old boat and it was fueled with E10, the new gas basically cleaned all the old crud. what was the color of the gas from the boat?
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't understand how water got in the fuel on the boat when you washed down the deck.
     
  13. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

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    They do make a product called "dry gas" (basically straight alcohol) that helps with water in the gas. That and a good fuel system cleaner like Seafoam should put things right. Depends on how much water was contaminating the gas you put into the Prius.

    Lesson learned...don't transfer gas into the Prius except in emergencies.
     
  14. mke039

    mke039 Junior Member

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    yes, I learned not to do that!
     
  15. mke039

    mke039 Junior Member

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    My question at this point, is would a rough running engine (due to bad fuel) cause the Hybrid Warning light to come on????
     
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't think so, but what do i know. are you sure water went in the gas?
     
  17. mke039

    mke039 Junior Member

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    I don't believe in coincidences. I put the fuel in and then the engine ran very rough.

    My question (again) is:

    Would a rough running engine trigger the Hybrid Warning light?
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you need to have the trouble codes read.
     
  19. Avi's Advanced Automotive

    Avi's Advanced Automotive Independent hybrid repair shop

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    Yes, If the ICE does not produce an acceptable amount of power, the hybrid system will complain about it by displaying the "check hybrid system" message and setting a code.

    Avi
     
  20. mke039

    mke039 Junior Member

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    Thanks Avi, that is very helpful!