I took my TA in today to get my waterpump replaced.
They told me I need a fuel flush really bad & said my fuel whatever is full of gunk. They said it w/ be $200 so I said I w/ have to look into it.


Is there any way I can fix this myself like a certain product of some sort?
What can I do to fix this problem w/ out having to pay $200?
And how do I know its that bad?
Please help!

 

Just curious why they decided to look into your fuel system if they were replacing a water pump? How many miles are on your car? You might just need a fuel filter. The 99-02 cars have a plastic tank so they are pretty good about not having too much gunk in the tank unless something gets dumped into it.

 

Just like stated above, dont know where they got that information from. Your best bet is to have someone else look at the car. With this economy going town the toilet, everyone is looking for some extra money. BY LIEING

 

What is a fuel flush and how would they go about it? Sounds like they were trying to sell you blinker fluid. You might need a fuel filter (it's on the driver's side, underneath, near the rear wheel, it's not that hard to do) and perhaps some injector cleaner (just pour a bottle in the tank). Cost probably around $20.

 

I have 60,000 miles.
About a month & a half ago I had my 60,000 mile service done which now Im not even sure they replaced the fuel filter. This was before they closed down, today I brought my car to a chevy dealership to replace the water pump.

 

So it was the dealer that told you that you needed a fuel system flush? Did they give you any specific reason or say why they messed with anything to do with the fuel system? It sucks to say that the dealer might be this way but it sounds like they are just trying to make some more money from you. Your car does not have that many miles on it really so I can't think of any reason why you would need a fuel system flush. I would try to find out what exactly they found that makes them think you need this and also find out why they messed with anything other than the waterpump. That pisses me off when dealers are paid to do one thing and then end up finding 4 other things wrong that they are not even suppose to be touching. Just be somewhat cautious that they are not trying to take you for some more cash.

 

Check if the filter was replaced and if it runs good then tell dealer to forget it.

 

Some systems can be very good they run a special cleaning agent through your injectors and intake to get build up out of the system. You know all the oil most of you guys complain about in your intake it can remove that clean junk out of the inj. and even remove some carbon build up off intake runners and valves. mostly for high milage cars. Most of us replace these parts long before it is needed.

Nate

 

I try to sell them every chance i get at the dealership i work at, only because it pays well.
But if it is not running bad i wouldent get it done.
The service was designed to get rid of carbon buildup in the intake, and on the valves, and clean out the injectors to help with spray pattern.

 

i wanna know where and what they looked at to determain your fuel system needs a flushing?

 

According to the dealer he said I had alot of gunk built up in my fuel injectors? You know he talked so fast I hardly even remember where he said the gunk was. Needless to say I wont be taking it back to van chevrolet anymore.
I think Im gonna take it to my local club (AZFBA) sponsor & have them look at it before I do anything.
If all he says is I need a basic flush & I decide to do it myself whats a good product to use? A friend of mine in my local car club(AZFBA)mentioned seafoam.

 

I had to go back to the dealer today to pick up some other paperwork. I mentioned that to him.
He said "we usually just like to check everything".

 

^^^ Good call that dealership is full of shenanigans. Get some seafoam, good stuff.

 

just seafoam it and be done with it

 

You need a fuel flush like I need to beat my dick with a rock. If you must Seafoam it with two bottles and change the oil and be done.

 

chances are at 60,000 miles your water pump was just fine too.

about a year ago I had a leak from my water pump. it would only do it if I was giving it gas pretty good. I happened to be going to auto tech school and I decided to check things. I checked my radiator cap and long story short it went bad. It was supposed to pop of at a certain pressure but did it a bit late. It made the gaskets between my water pump and engine leak. I decided to flush my coolant system, bought a new radiator cap and I swapped the gaskets. problem solved

I only needed a radiator cap and gaskets.

I suggest you take your cap to the dealership and have it pressure tested(should be free, since its kinda like testing tire pressure) and see if it is to spec.

you also will want to find all the do it yourself web sites you can possibly find. They will save you a boat load of cash.

last summer Ford dealership told my wife she needed brake pads pretty bad(when she went in for a coolant flush)(I'm not too familiar with stangs) I checked her brake pads and they were fine. They told us this last summer and it is almost summer again There were and are many many more miles to put on the pads. It pays to know your ****. good luck.

 

Well, luckily when I bought my TA, I also bought an extended warranty as well so no cash came out of my pocket this time.
Well, I am going to look into some seafoam after I get our club sponsor to take a quick look at it.

 

unless they took off your fuel rail and pulled your injectors, then flowtested each one, theres no way they would know that. There might have been debris sitting on top of the injector ports on the intake manifold, but thats external and has no effect on flow. big time scammer. Listen to the earlier posts. Bottle of fuel sys cleaner isnt a bad idea, your fuel filter is like $6 and can be changed in 20 min with pliers and some rags. Keep a extinguisher nearby (not to deter you, just safety). I seafoamed my last TA and it was def better on gas afterwards. We used to do that at a shop i worked at. Make sure you do it right when you need an oil change so you can just dump if afterwards. Good luck!

 

I also work for a dealer and if its running fine then you dont need it. It does work very well though. I did it on my car and it really helped to restore some lost hp. If I were you though, I would not pay that kind of money for it though unless they allow you to watch them perform it. I have caught a few techs that have us sell the job and dont do it because it throws the check engine light on every time. Not like its a big deal you just need to beat the **** out of it and clear the code. As stated before you can clean it all up your self. I reccomend 3M throttle body cleaner and the Lucas fuel injector cleaner. Just remove your intake and open the throttle body and spray it down then start the car and rev it a couple times. You can then poor the injector cleaner into your tank and fill it with some good gas. The only reason I had my techs do it to my car is cause it was free and it does work.

 

fuel system flush = wallet flush