Mixing gas ok ?

[Generic]

I think this was black market gas. This was a small station right off the
highway and I suspect they ran it on a very thin margin. I should have known
better than to buy gas there. In Valencia where we live, I buy Shell,
Chevron or Exon and have had no trouble to date. The turbo at 17 lbs boost
is really cramming the air in that dinky little 4 banger. Add some heat and
if the octane isn't really 91 or better you get detonation.

It doesn't need to be that complicated. If the pump fills the tank slowly
the storage tanks are generally nearly empty and putting out some sludge.

Also, several years ago Chevron let out an incorrect blend of gas in my area
and *all* the cars that got it wouldn't run and had to get their tanks
pumped. It was a fluke.

-John

 

[CompUser]

..

From my experience if you get gas from outside the state of California,
your engine will run much better. I fill up in Nevada when I am up
there and it makes a big difference in how the engine performs.

Over on Cobb's forum, there's MUCH from
California users of Cobb's products that suggests
the Cal formulated fuel is more likely to
detonate...Cobb eventually produced maps
specifically for California fuel users, to
address the issue.

 

[Bonehenge]

I think this was black market gas. This was a small station right off the
highway and I suspect they ran it on a very thin margin.

The station may simply have had very old gas, rusty tanks, water in
the gas, sludge, etc...

There's not always a plot involved in buying bad gas. <G>

Barry

 

[Rick Courtright]

I think this was black market gas. This was a small station right off the
highway and I suspect they ran it on a very thin margin. I should have known

Was this the Union station at Lovekin Blvd, next to Denny's? If so, I'd
suspect they might have just gotten a bad load before suggesting
anything sinister--I've bought gas there for close to 30 years and never
had a problem. Even though the station's not that big, they move a lot
of gas, and may have been running low, getting you into the "gunk" at
the bottom of the tanks, as others suggested. Another possibility is
their tanks were JUST filled from a rather low state, which I've been
told will also stir up a lot of nasties. It can happen anywhere--one of
our party bought fuel at a Chevron station in Lone Pine, coming down
from Mammoth (another small but high volume station) and about five
miles later his vehicle almost wouldn't run at all. So it's not a brand
thing.

If there's a "next" time, plan to buy fuel on the AZ side if you
can--IME even the lower priced Flying J across the river's better than
most CA formulated stuff... and major brands will be two bits a gallon
less most of the time!

Rick

 

[Mickey]

The station may simply have had very old gas, rusty tanks, water in
the gas, sludge, etc...

There's not always a plot involved in buying bad gas. <G>

Barry

Storage tanks at gas stations do NOT pick up the fuel from the bottom
of the tank. Pickup tube is close to a foot off the bottom to avoid
picking up contamination.

Many, many yrs ago when I ran a station, in addition to sticking the
tank for qty in the tank, I would occasionally put a compound on the
stick and it would turn color if water was present. Don't think
things have changed that much since then.

Mickey

 

[jabario]

RXP gas kicker rocks. Will help most cars pass emissions and clean
everything out

 

[Rick Courtright]

RXP gas kicker rocks. Will help most cars pass emissions and clean
everything out

Don't know about emissions testing, but the stuff does a great job of
"decarbonizing" as advertised. My '90 Loyale, like many early Subies,
has a bit of carbon (after only 356k miles--geez!) and pings going up
the hills during the summer. Higher grade fuel does nothing to quiet it,
but bottle of this "juice" really helps.

Rick

 

[Bonehenge]

Storage tanks at gas stations do NOT pick up the fuel from the bottom
of the tank. Pickup tube is close to a foot off the bottom to avoid
picking up contamination.

Many, many yrs ago when I ran a station, in addition to sticking the
tank for qty in the tank, I would occasionally put a compound on the
stick and it would turn color if water was present. Don't think
things have changed that much since then.

Mickey

Where does OLD gas fit in?

Barry

 

[Michael]

I had issues with chevron gas before in a Probe GT here in GA awhile back.
Had to change my fuel filter twice to fix the problem, i havent used chevron
since. That station is a used car lot now.

 

[Jakey]

I ran my WRX on midgrade for many mile and never had a problem. The computer
adjusts for the octane. This was a stock vehicle. Modifications to the
engine may make a difference.

Gasoline has a "shelf life" and old gas can lose some of its volatility.
Many of the problems with bad gasoline can originate with the tanker truck
that hauls it. That's why the majors tightly control their truck fleet
whether they own it or contract it out. Independent stations may use
independent haulers who may have hauled other petroleum products in their
tanker. They are supposed to get a tank wash if they are going to haul a non
compatible commodity. Some truckers cut corners to save the several hundred
dollar cost of the wash. BTW, a "truck tank wash" includes drying the
interior so there is not excess moisture.

 

[Reece Talley]

What started my response has been lost I think. The car, a 2004 STI ran OK
on this gas from just outside of Blythe, CA (Union 76) but on the dyno, it
simply would not make better than 250 HP and was extremely knock sensitive.
After refueling with higher octane gas the dyno tuning was able to get 275
HP several times in a row without the knock problem. No doubt, the gas we
had was either not truly 91 octane or it was old or it was contaminated or
some combination of both. The computer does indeed adjust for knock but in
doing so, it retards the timing and HP drops off correspondingly. Even so,
it can't completely eliminate the preignition knock from low octane fuel.
This will eventually damage the engine.