What to Do When You Get Contaminated Fuel Out in the Country

When you’re travelling out in the country, it’s not uncommon to come across poor quality fuel. Diesel fuel is particularly at risk when it comes to quality degradation with its hydroscopic properties making it highly susceptible to contamination. In this article, we look at what to do if you get contaminated fuel out on your travels.

If your 4WD isn’t fitted with a Fuel Water Separator, you’ll usually know if you’ve gotten a bad batch of fuel once you start experiencing symptoms such as poor running, loss of power, and increased fuel consumption.

In this case, the best thing to do is stop driving before the contaminated fuel can damage your injectors, fuel pump or, even worse, your engine.

Then, send your 4WD to the nearest mechanic to have the fuel drained and the fuel system checked. While it’s there, it’s also a good idea to have a Ryco Fuel Water Separator fitted to help prevent any further issues.

If your 4WD does have a Ryco Fuel Water Separator fitted, and you have been to some questionable fuel stops, you can check if you’ve come across any contaminated fuel by inspecting the bowl at the bottom of the unit for water or sediments.

If there’s anything in the bowl, simply drain it, replace the Fuel Water Separator’s fuel filter, and replace the affected fuel as soon as possible.

This service can be done on the side of the road if needed so be sure to bring some spare filters along with you on your travels.

To make things even easier, fit the universal Ryco S102XK Fuel Water Separator Sensor Kit. This does away with physical inspection all together by warning you if there’s contaminants in your fuel via the Ryco Connect App or an in-cabin audio and visual alert if you option in the Bluetooth Sensor Indicator. That way, you can deal with the issue straight away.