Olive oil in the fuel tank . . .

[Bernard Littau]

Hi Pantelis,

What does the bottom of the tank look like on a visual inspection?  My guess
is that by now you have sufficiently diluted out the solvable parts of the
olive oil, so filling and siphoning will not help.  If there is still sludge
in the tank, you will have to go in there an wipe it out.  I assume the RS2
has access to the tank and fuel pump in the tank much like the type 44
Audi's I am familiar with.

I would treat the hot start problem as a hot start problem, and find the
item which is broken.  Then evaluate the broken item and see if it was
caused to be broken by the olive oil.  Don't assume it was the olive oil.
Parts break, and coincidences happen.

By now you have likely done what damage will be done by the olive oil and
particulates.  You have changed your fuel filter, which is hopefully where
most of the junk ended up.  You should consider checking the intake screen
on the fuel pump, these are known to clog up and can be a part of the cause
of your stumble.

If your RS2 is like the type 44, you will also have a fuel accumulator that
keeps up the fuel system pressure when the fuel pump is off to help prevent
vapor lock.  There is also then a check valve (one-way valve), it's usually
on the fuel pump.  You can have someone do a residual pressure test on your
fuel system.  Poor hot starting due to vapor lock because of a bad check
valve might be a possibility.  Yes, a particulate from the olive oil might
be causing the check valve to misbehave.

Parts of the olive oil no doubt dissolved in the gas, and made it past the
fuel filter.  It's possible some of this stuff then also dried and varnished
your injectors if you indeed had a vapor lock situation.  This should not be
a factor in the hot start problem, but might be part of your stumble.  You
may want to have the injectors tested for flow and spray pattern.

Good luck,

Bernard Littau
Woodinville, WA
'88 5ktq

>
> Scott, Mike and fellow listers,
>
> I have already filled up and emptied the fuel tank around 7 times by now.
> Also added about 5 bottles of fuel system cleaner and octane booster along
> using Shell V-Power gasoline (which is supposed to be cleaning the fuel
> system from deposits of any kind and giving better performance
> even than the
> 98 octane, which when the RS2 works well seems true)
>
> The problem with the sludge is that it also contained rather
> large particles
> so I guess the best way is to fill up the tank and then empty it by
> syphoning it out, then doing the same once or twice or three times more.
>
> Take care
> Pantelis
>
>
>
>