Top Tier Detergent Gasoline

[Pogo]

"Top tier" is a scam. Gas is gas is gas. There's nothing substantially different in a few brands that invent a label for themselves.

If your issue is coming from that Hess station I strongly suspect it's something in that specific station's system.

Not true. Top Tier gas has higher levels of detergents in it. This is fact. Chevron and Exxon are excellent in this aspect.

The cheap stuff burns dirty because of the low levels of deteregents in them. They use the very minimum amount of detergents in them. There's a reason it's cheap/cheaper. It sucks.

I understand that they say that, C_K. I just have yet to see the proof.
I also know that TT was contrived by a coalition of five automakers, one of whom is BMW (which owns MINI). For what it's worth Sallow has (apparently) switched to his TT for his MINI and still has his problem, I haven't discriminated with mine and I don't. That's not a scientific study but it does seem to indicate at least that whether he uses TT or not isn't the source of his troubles.

TT or not TT? That is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler in the tank to suffer
The pings and errors of outrageous misfiring
Or to take brand names against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.

Ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what compression may come
When we have sputtered off this mortal coil,
Not to mention these here mortal fuel injectors
Must give us pause...

 

[KissMy]

You guys should check your fuel pressure regulators, fuel filter, fuel pump pressure & in tank pick-up filter sock, manifold pressure sensor (MAP) or Mass Aif Flow (MAF) sensor, intake manifold gasket leaks, spark plugs, wires & plug gap. Make sure you use the OEM spark plugs brand & number & good wires. Just because the fancy ad slogan says certain plugs are better, they are likely worse.

 

[KissMy]

"Top tier" is a scam. Gas is gas is gas. There's nothing substantially different in a few brands that invent a label for themselves.

If your issue is coming from that Hess station I strongly suspect it's something in that specific station's system.

Not true. Top Tier gas has higher levels of detergents in it. This is fact. Chevron and Exxon are excellent in this aspect.

The cheap stuff burns dirty because of the low levels of deteregents in them. They use the very minimum amount of detergents in them. There's a reason it's cheap/cheaper. It sucks.

I understand that they say that, C_K. I just have yet to see the proof.
I also know that TT was contrived by a coalition of five automakers, one of whom is BMW (which owns MINI). For what it's worth Sallow has (apparently) switched to his TT for his MINI and still has his problem, I haven't discriminated with mine and I don't. That's not a scientific study but it does seem to indicate at least that whether he uses TT or not isn't the source of his troubles.

TT or not TT? That is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler in the tank to suffer
The pings and errors of outrageous misfiring
Or to take brand names against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them.

Ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what compression may come
When we have sputtered off this mortal coil,
Not to mention these here mortal fuel injectors
Must give us pause...

Yup - If your dealer/mechanic blames the gas, it's because they charged you a bunch of money & could not figure out the problem. They also like to sell you an expensive injector cleaning which is just a bottle they pour in the tank. There is a sucker born every minute.

I have used Hess, Hucks & 7-Eleven gas stations that are not on the TT list & had no runability issue on those tanks

I just ran 500 gallons of last years stale reclaimed E70 gas I got from MFA for $2 a gallon. It is TT gas but stale as hell, dirty & 70% ethanol, but it only sputters for 10 seconds when I start it cold in morning. I saved $750 buying that old gas.

 

[Politico]

I try to buy from a BP station where available.
I do AVOID the small quickie marts like Hucks and Casey's.

Years ago I interviewed for a job with a wholesaler. I was shown a list of various "blends" for their gasolines and noticed some odd nomenclature. I said "this looks like some sort of inert "filler". The gal got this real sheepish look on her face and said "well, that's one way to describe it."

BP is Hess derp. If you don't want problems don't buy cars controlled by a computer.

 

[Sunni Man]

You guys should check your fuel pressure regulators, fuel filter, fuel pump pressure & in tank pick-up filter sock, manifold pressure sensor (MAP) or Mass Aif Flow (MAF) sensor, intake manifold gasket leaks, spark plugs, wires & plug gap. Make sure you use the OEM spark plugs brand & number & good wires. Just because the fancy ad slogan says certain plugs are better, they are likely worse.

My son recently bought a 2003 Lincoln that was idling really rough.

We ended up replacing everything you mentioned before it finally smoothed out. ..

 

[Jarlaxle]

"Top tier" is a scam. Gas is gas is gas. There's nothing substantially different in a few brands that invent a label for themselves.

If your issue is coming from that Hess station I strongly suspect it's something in that specific station's system.

Not true. Top Tier gas has higher levels of detergents in it. This is fact. Chevron and Exxon are excellent in this aspect.

The cheap stuff burns dirty because of the low levels of detergents in them. They use the very minimum amount of detergents in them. There's a reason it's cheap/cheaper. It sucks.

Pablum. I watched a FLEET of vehicles wind up enormous mileage (300,000+ was common), fueled with nothing but the cheapest gas the company could buy! 200K on a fuel pump was common. For that matter...my Cherokee had 220K when I sold it; it had the original pump and all six injectors.

Also note: I have WATCHED a tanker go straight from a name brand station (Mobil, Gulf, Sunoco) to a "no name" station and start unloading!

 

[Jarlaxle]

You guys should check your fuel pressure regulators, fuel filter, fuel pump pressure & in tank pick-up filter sock, manifold pressure sensor (MAP) or Mass Aif Flow (MAF) sensor, intake manifold gasket leaks, spark plugs, wires & plug gap. Make sure you use the OEM spark plugs brand & number & good wires. Just because the fancy ad slogan says certain plugs are better, they are likely worse.

Long as you avoid Chinesium, most plugs are fine. I've used Autolite, Bosch, Delco, Champion...honestly, I never noticed much of a difference. My Cherokee got Bosch plugs, mostly because everything else I found for it was from China. IIRC, my Caddy has Champions; my wife's Grand National has NGK iridium plugs.

 

[Jarlaxle]

You guys should check your fuel pressure regulators, fuel filter, fuel pump pressure & in tank pick-up filter sock, manifold pressure sensor (MAP) or Mass Aif Flow (MAF) sensor, intake manifold gasket leaks, spark plugs, wires & plug gap. Make sure you use the OEM spark plugs brand & number & good wires. Just because the fancy ad slogan says certain plugs are better, they are likely worse.

My son recently bought a 2003 Lincoln that was idling really rough.

We ended up replacing everything you mentioned before it finally smoothed out. ..

If it's a Town Car, check for a hairline crack in the front of the (plastic) intake manifold.

 

[Sunni Man]

You guys should check your fuel pressure regulators, fuel filter, fuel pump pressure & in tank pick-up filter sock, manifold pressure sensor (MAP) or Mass Aif Flow (MAF) sensor, intake manifold gasket leaks, spark plugs, wires & plug gap. Make sure you use the OEM spark plugs brand & number & good wires. Just because the fancy ad slogan says certain plugs are better, they are likely worse.

My son recently bought a 2003 Lincoln that was idling really rough.

We ended up replacing everything you mentioned before it finally smoothed out. ..

If it's a Town Car, check for a hairline crack in the front of the (plastic) intake manifold.

Intake manifold was fine......we just had to replace the gasket.....car idles and runs smooth now.


The problem we can't seem to figure out.....and neither have 4 different mechanics.

The Towncar car has a button that you push to operate the car in Overdrive.....which you generally leave engaged all of the time......except if you were towing in hill country.

When in overdrive the car will only go up to 40 mph and them starts losing speed.

When taken out of overdrive the car will drive like normal.....but of course won't go into 4th gear......which is basically locking in the torque converter.

There are no codes showing on the diagnostics......and the chip tests good.

Any ideas?? ..

 

[sameech]

You guys should check your fuel pressure regulators, fuel filter, fuel pump pressure & in tank pick-up filter sock, manifold pressure sensor (MAP) or Mass Aif Flow (MAF) sensor, intake manifold gasket leaks, spark plugs, wires & plug gap. Make sure you use the OEM spark plugs brand & number & good wires. Just because the fancy ad slogan says certain plugs are better, they are likely worse.

The autozone puter says it could be one of the MAPS, the timing, or a vacuum issue--so basically a useless trip other than I bought the plugs and new wires which will take me a week to get in seeing as how it just took me almost an hour just to switch out the wires on the front side of the motor. I swear Buick super glues those things on.

 

[KissMy]

Yeah. I am having issues because I sinned and went from BP to Sheetz two consecutive fill ups because Sheetz was lagging on th gouging and was still 25 cents cheaper than BP. I started having a sputtering problem. Ran a tank of injector cleaner and then a tank of Heet in case I picked up water. Started cutting off on me when idling at stop lights. Changed the fuel filter. That helped some but now the cutting off thing is back. The garage said I may have to run 2 or 3 tanks of lloyd's tune up in a bottle to get it taken care of after the filter change. I am about to fill up and do tank 2.

I am also probably going to change my plugs and wires just in case this weekend as I just crossed 100K miles, but it feels like a fuel system problem because it is like I will lose power for a second and then it will want to accelerate some and it did not start until effing Sheetz.

So your engine is shutting off?

 

[sameech]

Yeah. I am having issues because I sinned and went from BP to Sheetz two consecutive fill ups because Sheetz was lagging on th gouging and was still 25 cents cheaper than BP. I started having a sputtering problem. Ran a tank of injector cleaner and then a tank of Heet in case I picked up water. Started cutting off on me when idling at stop lights. Changed the fuel filter. That helped some but now the cutting off thing is back. The garage said I may have to run 2 or 3 tanks of lloyd's tune up in a bottle to get it taken care of after the filter change. I am about to fill up and do tank 2.

I am also probably going to change my plugs and wires just in case this weekend as I just crossed 100K miles, but it feels like a fuel system problem because it is like I will lose power for a second and then it will want to accelerate some and it did not start until effing Sheetz.

So your engine is shutting off?

sometimes when I am sitting at a red light. It will usually run fine during my first trip of the day. It will then get sputtery/jerky randomly when I am driving. The odd thing is sometimes it feels like I pick up speed when I am rolling to a stop as if it has a burst of extra fuel. I am doing the plugs and wires if for no other reason than I am about 15K over recommended change. If and when that doesn't fix it, I will try cleaning the MAF sensor if I can find the spray locally.

 

[eagle1462010]

I agree with gas is gas. Each company has it's specific additive or detergent.

I go to Exxon for my gas because I like their coffee. LOL

For all of my yard equipment I buy nothing but non Ethanol Gasoline as it destroys the Carbs.

 

[sameech]

I agree with gas is gas. Each company has it's specific additive or detergent.

I go to Exxon for my gas because I like their coffee. LOL

For all of my yard equipment I buy nothing but non Ethanol Gasoline as it destroys the Carbs.

I don't go to Exxon because they consistently charge 15 cents more per gallon than BP in my area. If BP goes up, Exxon goes up; if BP goes down, Exxon goes down--always the same spread. The pakistani guy who runs the knock off gas station/food stamps for cash/head shop next to the BP I think calls the other Pakistani guys who run all the exxon's.

 

[KissMy]

Yeah. I am having issues because I sinned and went from BP to Sheetz two consecutive fill ups because Sheetz was lagging on th gouging and was still 25 cents cheaper than BP. I started having a sputtering problem. Ran a tank of injector cleaner and then a tank of Heet in case I picked up water. Started cutting off on me when idling at stop lights. Changed the fuel filter. That helped some but now the cutting off thing is back. The garage said I may have to run 2 or 3 tanks of lloyd's tune up in a bottle to get it taken care of after the filter change. I am about to fill up and do tank 2.

I am also probably going to change my plugs and wires just in case this weekend as I just crossed 100K miles, but it feels like a fuel system problem because it is like I will lose power for a second and then it will want to accelerate some and it did not start until effing Sheetz.

So your engine is shutting off?

sometimes when I am sitting at a red light. It will usually run fine during my first trip of the day. It will then get sputtery/jerky randomly when I am driving. The odd thing is sometimes it feels like I pick up speed when I am rolling to a stop as if it has a burst of extra fuel. I am doing the plugs and wires if for no other reason than I am about 15K over recommended change. If and when that doesn't fix it, I will try cleaning the MAF sensor if I can find the spray locally.

That timing code is strange, but those timing sensors do go bad often & will kill the engine.

I think your big problem is a vacuum leak or MAP sensor. When you hit your brake the vacuum is used to power them. So as soon as you hit the brake the mix goes lean, then vacuum builds back & mix goes rich as you hold down the brake & the car slows.

If you have a bad vacuum leak it will get the fuel mix far out & cause false O2 sensor codes. Lots of people replace O2 sensors, but only one time have I heard it actually fixed the problem.

 

[sameech]

So your engine is shutting off?

sometimes when I am sitting at a red light. It will usually run fine during my first trip of the day. It will then get sputtery/jerky randomly when I am driving. The odd thing is sometimes it feels like I pick up speed when I am rolling to a stop as if it has a burst of extra fuel. I am doing the plugs and wires if for no other reason than I am about 15K over recommended change. If and when that doesn't fix it, I will try cleaning the MAF sensor if I can find the spray locally.

That timing code is strange, but those timing sensors do go bad often & will kill the engine.

I think your big problem is a vacuum leak or MAP sensor. When you hit your brake the vacuum is used to power them. So as soon as you hit the brake the mix goes lean, then vacuum builds back & mix goes rich as you hold down the brake & the car slows.

If you have a bad vacuum leak it will get the fuel mix far out & cause false O2 sensor codes. Lots of people replace O2 sensors, but only one time have I heard it actually fixed the problem.

Yeah this is probably going to require a garage. Do you know how hard/expensive it is to find a vacuum leak? I only have one car so this could be a PITA so I need to find out if I need to rent one. The odd thing is that I can sputter like crazy and the check engine light never comes on but I can be cruising along smooth as silk and it will randomly come on and then go off.

 

[eagle1462010]

sometimes when I am sitting at a red light. It will usually run fine during my first trip of the day. It will then get sputtery/jerky randomly when I am driving. The odd thing is sometimes it feels like I pick up speed when I am rolling to a stop as if it has a burst of extra fuel. I am doing the plugs and wires if for no other reason than I am about 15K over recommended change. If and when that doesn't fix it, I will try cleaning the MAF sensor if I can find the spray locally.

That timing code is strange, but those timing sensors do go bad often & will kill the engine.

I think your big problem is a vacuum leak or MAP sensor. When you hit your brake the vacuum is used to power them. So as soon as you hit the brake the mix goes lean, then vacuum builds back & mix goes rich as you hold down the brake & the car slows.

If you have a bad vacuum leak it will get the fuel mix far out & cause false O2 sensor codes. Lots of people replace O2 sensors, but only one time have I heard it actually fixed the problem.

Yeah this is probably going to require a garage. Do you know how hard/expensive it is to find a vacuum leak? I only have one car so this could be a PITA so I need to find out if I need to rent one. The odd thing is that I can sputter like crazy and the check engine light never comes on but I can be cruising along smooth as silk and it will randomly come on and then go off.

The computer stores the codes.

 

[sameech]

The computer stores the codes.

The autozone printout says: Troubleshooting P0102/OEM Brand: Domestic (it is a 2000 buick lesabre)

Engine load or the air volume entering the engine measured by these components . The computer has recognized a return signal error. Probable causes vacuum hose off, cracked, or passage blocked, mechanical timing condition, throttle body intake tube loose, off or cracked, BARD/MAP defective, VAF/MAF sensor dirty or defective

 

[eagle1462010]

Part 1 -MAF Sensor Test (P0101, P0102, P0103): GM 3.8L (1996-2005).

 

[Sunni Man]

For all of my yard equipment I buy nothing but non Ethanol Gasoline as it destroys the Carbs.

Who sells non ethanol gas? ..