Griff Posted 11, April 2022 Report Share Posted 11, April 2022 I have just bought an MK3 RS250 and it was starting fine on a cold start up, however, all of a sudden I have to start it a minimum of three times for it to not stall. The first start I get under 1000 RPM then it stalls. Second start around 1500 RPM then stalls. Third start around 1500 RPM and all is fine. Once I have started it for the day it will start first time every time. The only thing that I could think of was that I put a tank of 98 fuel in from Shell just before this issue started happening but could it really be that the Shell fuel would cause this issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted 11, April 2022 Report Share Posted 11, April 2022 22 minutes ago, Griff said: I have just bought an MK3 RS250 and it was starting fine on a cold start up, however, all of a sudden I have to start it a minimum of three times for it to not stall. The first start I get under 1000 RPM then it stalls. Second start around 1500 RPM then stalls. Third start around 1500 RPM and all is fine. Once I have started it for the day it will start first time every time. The only thing that I could think of was that I put a tank of 98 fuel in from Shell just before this issue started happening but could it really be that the Shell fuel would cause this issue? Many moons ago, Shell higher octane fuels used to be very dense - which made engines run rich. So - perhaps on start-up, with the ECU enrichening the mixture anyway + dense fuel - it is too rich. So - to me it would be worth trying another fuel - such as Mobil 98 - to see if that cures the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene Posted 11, April 2022 Report Share Posted 11, April 2022 To my knowledge all 98 in Brisbane is imported and the cargo split across the companies. This means the only difference is the additive injected at the time of loading into the truck for delivery. If you purchased from a large Viva/Shell site then you can be assured of the quality of the fuel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave200 Posted 11, April 2022 Report Share Posted 11, April 2022 Run a tank of 95 and see if it improves. If it is still bad, it might not be fuel related. There was a service bulletin for the mk3 2.0T to improve cold start performance. This fixed my issue years ago. It is understood that the cold start problems on the mk3 Clio RS (which were even worse) is mainly due to a specific additive in 98 fuel that prevents vapour lock for motorbikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted 11, April 2022 Author Report Share Posted 11, April 2022 On start up the petrol fumes are quite rich although this could be that I am in a basement garage also. I got the fuel from Shell Miami on the Gold Coast. I will be sure to try out both a different 98 and 95 to see if that helps. Thank you for the insight everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt205 Posted 11, April 2022 Report Share Posted 11, April 2022 Could be bad fuel, bit of water in the servo tank or some other contamination. I had exactly the same issue a while back when I tried out a tank of BP 95. Was interested to see what effect 95 had on exhaust snap, crackle and pop. They are sensitive to fuel quality, so not necessarily bad fuel from manufacture, but possibly contaminated somewhere along the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted 11, April 2022 Author Report Share Posted 11, April 2022 If I use 95 will that be detrimental to the engine or performance? I know the engine has a RON rating of 95 or 98 but everywhere I have read everyone says use 98. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave200 Posted 11, April 2022 Report Share Posted 11, April 2022 You are fine to use 95, it is within the RON requirements for the engine. just an FYI, aussie fuel is mostly imported stock, usually Singapore for the east coast. Almost all servos use the same fuel with the exception of additives that are added at the distribution point. whats more, 98RON fuel doesnt even have to be 98! There are no national fuel standards for 98, only 91, E10 and 95. 98 can actually be anywhere from 95 to 98 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted 11, April 2022 Author Report Share Posted 11, April 2022 Thank you for the advice. I will run this tank until almost empty and trial a tank of 95 to see how it goes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoto Posted 15, April 2022 Report Share Posted 15, April 2022 I had similar problem just after I purchased an RS250, last year. I figured the problem was the other way - cheap ass dealer put in 95, so filled with 98 AND changed plugs. Fixed my cold start problems. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted 8, May 2022 Author Report Share Posted 8, May 2022 UPDATE: the issue has been resolved with 98 from 7/11. I tried a tank of Ampol 98 which slightly assisted the issue (started on the 2nd go) but ultimately the 7/11 fuel has the car starting first go with no near stall experience. Bonus to this too is I can use the 7/11 app to lock in fuel prices when it is cheap. I appreciate everyone’s assistance with this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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