By K. NANCOO-RUSSELL
Freeport News Reporter
Several motorists across the island have recently been experiencing problems with their vehicles that may have stemmed from what they are calling "bad gas."
During an investigation into the matter, The Freeport News learned that Freeport Oil Company Limited (FO-COL), the main provider of oil to the island, has introduced a new kind of gas, which is suspected of being the cause of the problems many vehicles are having.
Larry Albury, general manager at Freeport Jetwash, said his company has been seeing an increase in the number of persons with problems related to their gas filters and gas tanks. Within the last two weeks, they have repaired over two dozen vehicles with this problem.
"There is a fuel problem," he acknowledged, adding that though it may affect some vehicles and not others, it is not limited to any particular type or age of vehicle.
"It could be three months old or 12 years old... Some people might be affected and some people might not," he said.
According to Albury, the new type of fuel that has been introduced to the island is "picking up moisture, water and dirt differently than the other fuel that we used to get."
The fuel previously used, he explained, allowed water and dirt to sink to the bottom of the tank. This new type, however, is "holding" it.
"So therefore it is being pushed through your fuel filter and put into your tank so the tank needs to be dropped and the fuel filter needs to be cleaned. If you have fuel injectors, they need to be properly flushed with the correct machine," he explained. "Just putting an additive in your gas tank most of the time will not work. Your fuel pump, with this problem where it picks up the water and the dirt, as with a pump of any sort, if it cannot pump it will burn out."
Albury added that if motorists need to change their fuel pump or clean their injector, it should be done only after cleaning the tank.
"If you do not drop your tank and if you do not change your gas filter and you change your fuel pump, change your fuel injector or just put an additive in it, it will not take care of the problem," he said.
The Jetwash general manager said that no one gas station is to blame since all of the gas stations on the island receive their gas from the same wholesaler.
Mototrists, he said, should make themselves aware of the problem so that they can know what steps to take if they encounter similar problems.
Signs to look out for, he said, include "the car not running at all or not getting enough power."
Several persons have called into the newsroom within the last few days complaining of problems with their vehicles. When they took them to be repaired, they said they were told that the problem stemmed from contaminated fuel that was destroying their gas pumps or filters.
One such caller, a taxi driver, said she has had to take her vehicle to be repaired three times in the last two weeks for similar problems.
"It's very bad because you have to stay home form work and cannot make any money. The damage that I have found that has been done to the car's engine is just terible," she said.
She said she spent a total of $602 so far on repairs and her vehicle is presently back at the mechanic again. This time, she said, she was told that to replace her fuel pump it will cost her over $600.
Another caller said she knew something was amiss since she just recently had her car serviced, yet it kept turning off.
"It's so weird because we just got the car serviced so you would not think it would do that so quick," she said.
When she was informed by The Freeport News about what may potentially be the reason for the problem, she said she was glad to get confirmation that there was indeed a problem with the gas and to find out that there were ways to have it corrected.
"It is expensive for gas alone and to be fixing these cars every couple of weeks every month, that don't make no sense."
Another complainant said he just couldn't get his car started, and had to have a mechanic pick it up from the bank's parking lot where it had stalled.
"It's just losing all the power. It sounds like it has missing spark plugs," he said, adding that he had encountered a number of other persons with similar complaints.
"They say it is cleaning all the rust out of your gas tank and out of your gas system but it's putting it all into the fuel pump and the injectors. What this is doing is causing the car to run like it doesn't have any power," he speculated.
Following several unanswered calls to management of the Freeport Oil Company Ltd. for comment during office hours, officials of that company released a statement late yesterday, explaining the reason behind the fuel change.
The release noted that as of June 30, 2008, the company's main suppliers in Florida were mandated by the U.S. government to sell environmentally-friendly ethanol-blended gasolines, which contain 10 percent ethanol.
It further explained that FOCOL introduced the ethanol-blended gasoline to the Grand Bahama market in May 2008.
"It has come to our attention that the cleaning properties of ethanol in the ethanol-blended gasoline has caused some fuel pumps and filters to clog, due to the ethanol content in the gasoline shipped to several gas stations on the island containing slightly higher than 10 percent ethanol," the statement read.
"Freeport Oil Company had completed a fuel analysis of the gasoline at the gas stations we supply and is satisfied that the fuel supply in stock is on specification. We are analyzing and processing claims for auto repairs that are as a result of high ethanol content in our gasoline."
