I put in some cheapo gas -not brand name- couple days ago as I had been running on the "gas pump" light for about ten miles. I know I still have 1.5 gal still in reserve, but I get paranoid about this, so I said what the hell, and put 2.0 gallons of the highest octane cheapo gas. It was the closest station off the x-way.

.....Well, today Im tooling around, and the car feels like its on 5 cyl. Im like wtf ??!! My mpg was down too for some reason to 19.xx mpg. I usually am at 21+ mpg city driving. The ride is choppy, feels like the engine is drunk -best way to describe it. I manually reset the avg mpg, and the digital display goes bonkers, I get a horizontal line " - - - " that scrolls from left to right. I pull over and shut off the car...

I have to get going, so two minutes later, I start her back up, and continue. The avg mpg is now registering 14.6 mpg. Im really worried, drop off my brother, and jump right on the x-way. Car still feels like its about to puke, so I get into right lane and slow to 60 mph. MPG slowly starts to climb, 20, 22, 25, 28. Registers a 29.3 mph hwy !! At least that's ok. Get off, go to my destination.

About an hour ago, I leave the relatives house to drive home, and the car is running strong again. Engine is not running as choppy. My avg mpg is now 27, will probably go down to 22 with my city driving. I DID NOT GET A SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT.

I called three of my buddies, they told me the engine is doing the best it can with the fuel I gave it. Man was I freaking out though.

This ever happen to you guys ??? Will the rough drive last until the last of the fuel is burned up in combustion chamber ??

P.S. Never straying from BP again. Promise.

 

Our Toyota Highlander took a bad load of gas once. It wasn't running choppy or anything - it just didn't have much power at all. It was some ghetto Mobil station that had "really cheap" prices for some reason. Go figure.

I'd just fill it up with a tank of good stuff ASAP and dilute the shia out of it. Hopefully it'll run better.

 

Ferbs02SMMax,

man, I was laughing hard when I read your post. When you reset your display, it showed "- - -" because it still hasn't figured out how many miles you can get per gallon. I think Nissan engineers chose to calculate the number per 0.5 gallon and then multiply the number by 2 to get the actual mpg.

What's wrong with BP? My dad fills his tank with BP and it's just like any other brand. And who is there to blame when you decide to fill up with some low quality gas? Nissan? I never wait until the "gas pump" light comes on, I usually fill up near the 1/4 mark. Stupid people.


~limsandy

 

gosh you would killed your engine in the middle of the x-way. I did that once which i was trying to get to the nearest gas station. I learned a valuable lesson that when I see the gas light on, GET GAS NOW! Cuz I was so stupid to think that I have enough for 22 miles but NO I miscalulated it. That's strange about the ----. I think it's the gas you put in kind of goof the ECU which didn't know the octane rating.

 

I love BP, I chose to fill up at the nearest fill station, which unfortunately wasnt a BP station. My bad. Nissan has nothing to do with it, the poor quality of fuels at the cheapo station was to blame.

Yeah, well a lesson learned I guess, chalk it up to experience. I have since filled her up this morning with BP, lets hope she has gotten over her hangover.

 

Most gas is the same, regardless of station.

 

not true..

 

No, it has never happened to me. I only use name brand gas like BP/Amoco, Exxon/Mobil, Cheveron, Shell and Texaco. I have never used any low grade gas in any of my Maximas.

 

If you believe that, why not go to the cheapest gas station in your area and fill her up. I'm sure that you will regret it. There are at least four different additive packages that are used in the Pensacola, FL area where I live. I know this from an employee of the filling terminal for gas and diesel tanker trucks. Some stations use detergents that other stations don't use. That's why some sell cheaper gas than others. In this case, you usually get what you pay for.

 

There's a guy on the Corral whose family owns a gas distribution business. They provide gas to the stations. You should talk to him - you might be surprised. I'll see if I can find him.

 

I usually shell out (pun intended) for name brand gas. That said, I've personally watched a fueling truck fill tanks at two different gas stations on opposite corners. They were different "brand" stations.

I avoid gas with high ethanol content, but beyond that - it is what it is. Just my experience and opinion.

 

Ferbs02SMMax,

Good to know that we learn something new everyday, isn't it?

Also, gas is gas. IMO, the 89 octane gas at Chevron isn't much different than the 89 octane gas at Shell/Texaco or any other brands. What makes them different is the octane rating. That's to say the 92 octane gas at Chevron is different/performs better than 89 octane gas from the same station.


~limsandy

 

According to my Petroleum Engineering friends, you're right, it's pretty much the same.

 

[QUOTE=Craig2kGLE]I usually shell out (pun intended) for name brand gas. That said, I've personally watched a fueling truck fill tanks at two different gas stations on opposite corners. They were different "brand" stations.

The tanker truck has several different compartments in it. It could have been the same gas and it could have been different gas. The gas is filled at a computerized terminal in Pensacola, Florida. A tanker can carry all three octanes in one trailer at any given time.

 

Yes, Brand Name Station A gas may be "pretty much the same as" Brand Name Station B gas and will give similar performance and mileage. But then there is "Station C" gas. The owner is ghetto and the station is ghetto and for some reason whenever you fill up there your mileage and performance sucks. It may even be a brand name station also.

I think a lot of the Cali guys all pretty much agree that Arco gas SUCKS and to not ever go there. No Arco stations that I've ever seen on the right coast, but if I'm ever in Cali I'll be sure to avoid Arco gas because all gas was not created equally. Just gotta be careful.

 

Actually mostly true. I have worked with the oil companies for many years and suffice to say beyond BP's Ultimate product, gasoline is a commodity and purchased on the open market. The only difference are the company marketing specific additives put in at the terminal blending rack. Otherwise, you have no idea whose oil refinery your local station's products were supplied by.

 

I'm always right. But you all will come to realize that the longer I'm here.

 

Yeah you're right except for one thing!!

Some cheap pump station, they don't sell enough "gold" gas to have them filled their tank often, so water may build up in their undeground tank!! Even Ultramar, were I live have more than usual water in their thank!! So I always go to the most visited pump station possible!!!

 

The trip computer normally starts out w/--- if you reset it. The wild fluctuations are pretty normal for awhile after the reset. I wouldn't worry about it.

The driveability problems though are not.

On the note of gas quality... I wish there were some comprehensive studies on what brands of gas (might need to be done regionally) are "better" than others. I've never found any. Just because something costs more doesn't make it better. It's real easy to open up two different gas stations w/different names (also marketing one as a "premium" brand), sell the same gas at different prices and for people to think that more expensive stuff is better.

FYI, not saying that BP and Arco gas are the same (I have no idea if they are), but if you didn't know BP owns Arco. See http://www.arcogas.com/gas/faqs.html#14:
"How is ARCO affiliated with BP?
Both the ARCO and ampm brands are owned by BP West Coast Products. In recent years, BP has merged with companies such as Atlantic Richfield Company, Amoco and Burmah Castrol, making it the largest U.S. gasoline retailer. As an oil and gas producer, BP has also become one of the largest in the world."

There's also some discussion at http://www.bp.com/faqs/faqs_answer.asp?id=49.

 

On the note of gas quality... I wish there were some comprehensive studies on what brands of gas (might need to be done regionally) are "better" than others. I've never found any. Just because something costs more doesn't make it better. It's real easy to open up two different gas stations w/different names (also marketing one as a "premium" brand), sell the same gas at different prices and for people to think that more expensive stuff is better.

Some years ago, Consumer reports did some testing of different brands and octane ratings. They rated a few 92-93 octane brands as the best. I don't know how they compare nowadays.

 

charliekilo3 I would like to see that too.

Personally I have put 30k miles on my 93 sentra since I've lived in the US and 23k on my Maxima. I ALWAYS get the cheapest gas I can find. 87 for the sentra and 93 for the maxima. If it's a nickel cheaper at ghetto-juice inc. than texaco that's where I'm going. I simply don't buy in to the whole you get what you pay for.

To me it's you pay what you deserve to by not knowing better.

I realize that most buy their gas from the same places and the only difference between brands is some small extra additives. I can see not buying from a place that is rarely visited, because water in the gas is a bad idea, but otherwise I've always bought the cheapest I could find and never had a problem.

 

My experience tells me it is not the name brand of station that matters, it is what kind of gas that station puts in its pumps and sells. Occasionally when you pass a gas station, you may notice that a fuel truck pumping fuel into the underground storage tanks does not bear the station's name. This may tell you that the station is not selling the brand of gas it is supposed to.

A few months ago, I bought high octane gas from a big name station, but only to find that the gas was so bad that I could not even reach 45 mph when going uphill. I could not wait for the shishy gas to go empty so that I could put in better gas.

 

You and Kenny got it right on. My dispute is not with same octane rating being inferior from one station to another, I know that 93 octane from BP, Mobil, Shell, etc is practically the same. My beef is with the fact that I was dumb enough to go into a ghetto gas station, and when in a bind, you may have no choice but to do the same. It DOES pay to stick to the usual brand name, anybody who has had a batch of bad fuel will tell ya...Don't let it get past 1/4 tank, otherwise the same fate may await you.

Thanks for your feedback fellas. Oh, and for limsandy, happy to make you chuckle a bit lol. I just had never really messed or reset the avg mpg screen, so it threw me for a loop.

Fernando.

 

One day I took the GN to the track and tuned it to run best with 93 octane. I fiddled with the fuel pressure and boost so I got the best ET with minimal knock. This was with 93 octane in the tank.

On the way home I stopped to get some gas at a nearby Amoco. Filled it up with 93 octane. Got back on the freeway and put my foot in it and got over 12 degrees of knock retard!

In the past I usually got gas at that station. So evidently, you can get some bad gas at a "good" station at any time.

Now, I get it at Sam's Club whenever possible because it is cheaper there than anywhere else. And I haven't had too many problems. One thing to consider is a cheap gas station will probably sell more, and thus may have "fresher" gas.

Fortunately for me, there's a CITGO about 4-5 miles away from my house that has a pump for Sunoco 100 at $3.359/gal. So if I get some bad gas, I can add some of that Sunoco to correct the situtation.

I just wish there was a scan tool available for the Max that told me when the engine was knocking and how much.

 

My old man is a gas distibutor...... like several threads suggested the gas is generally the same make up but the key is filling up at a station that does large volumes which will reduce the potential for water in the tanks. Personal experience is that even at high volume, cheap price stations there tend to be problems because they sell "old" gas.

 

Don't put cheap gas in your car. I made the mistake of letting my mother put gas in my car and she put in some cheap gas. Everytime I stop at a light the car would start to idle hard like it wanted to cut off. I was like WTF!!! Nothing wrong with your ECU the "-----" is just the computer waiting to get enough info to calculate your avg mpg. It takes a while. Out.

 

There seems to be a contradiction in that last statement. If they are high volume, how can the gas get "old?"

 

Gasoline gets old in storage at the refinery. If their sales do not meet production amounts then there is surplus. Some vendor buy the cheaper older gas from the refinery since it is cheaper.

Does that help?

 

It helps to some extent. The way we Americans use gas would make it hard for any real surplus to last long. We can use it as fast as they refine it in the larger metro areas. I believe that some gas is cheaper because they don't have additive packages in it. I can tell by the cheap gas we buy for our fleet that leaves brown deposits around TBI throttle bodies. Also, it is too low an octane for the V8 Dodge Ram trucks we have in our fleet. I will agree that gas is gas when it leaves the refinery. It is changed to the gas companies specs at the tanker filling terminals with whatever additives they require. Some stations use more ethanol than others. Some use detergents and some don't. This is based on my experience with using different fuels from different stations.

 

[QUOTE=Ferbs02SMMax]I put in some cheapo gas -not brand name- couple days ago as I had been running on the "gas pump" light for about ten miles. I know I still have 1.5 gal still in reserve, but I get paranoid about this, so I said what the hell, and put 2.0 gallons of the highest octane cheapo gas. It was the closest station off the x-way.

.....Well, today Im tooling around, and the car feels like its on 5 cyl. Im like wtf ??!! My mpg was down too for some reason to 19.xx mpg. I usually am at 21+ mpg city driving. The ride is choppy, feels like the engine is drunk -best way to describe it. I manually reset the avg mpg, and the digital display goes bonkers, I get a horizontal line " - - - " that scrolls from left to right. I pull over and shut off the car...

I have to get going, so two minutes later, I start her back up, and continue. The avg mpg is now registering 14.6 mpg. Im really worried, drop off my brother, and jump right on the x-way. Car still feels like its about to puke, so I get into right lane and slow to 60 mph. MPG slowly starts to climb, 20, 22, 25, 28. Registers a 29.3 mph hwy !! At least that's ok. Get off, go to my destination.


This sounds abut right man. If you reset you MPG the digital display will show "----" then it will be low at first since you did city driving. Once u hit the high way it will go up like u said to about 29, in couple of days you computer will calculate an average depending on you driving and will not show 14 or 29 anymore it will be more like 20-21MPG. Don't trip man this is normal.

 

Watch out for pinging in the Dodge Magnum v8's..... that is probably not gas,it's more than likely a bad plenum gasket and will cause additional buildup on the TB. Been there done that on my Dakota. check out www.dodgetrucks.org or PM me if you want more details.

I understand your point on the production v/s usage but again there is a life of gasoline but I do not know what that "shelf life' is. Yes additives are a large part of a brand of gas and we all know those will add cost.

 

From what I've been reading about gas, it starts to break down in about 30 days or so. That's why we need to put in fuel stabilzer if the vehicle or equipment will be sitting around for extended periods or put into storage.

The pinging that we get from our Dodge Rams comes when climbing a slight grade under load. If I put Chevron 92 octane in it, it does not ping a lick. On level ground they do fine under load with the cheap gas we buy.

 

Still could be the gasket... how is fuel economy?

I got what you are saying about breaking down ... that answers my question about "shelf life"

BTW.. I dig your Tungsten blue Max. I would love to have one in the garage next to my wife's satin blue pearl 2k just to have 2 unusual colored cars!

 

The fuel economy is horrible for all of the Dodge Rams with gas burners. The 1 3500 with the 5.9 Cummins does all right. Most of them are 4x4 and the drivers have heavy feet.

Thanks. I have not seen too many Tungsten Blue Maxs since they came out. I've seen less than 5 of them. It looks more green than it does blue.

 

It really sounds like the gaskets are bad on the base of the intake. Any oil consumption? another telltale sign of the bad gasket. Makes the fuel economy go south real quick.

I noticed 2 TB maxes since the color came out. One at a local dealer and antoher at a resturant. One was a GLE and one was an SE.

 

No oil consuption that I am aware of. We have about eight 2K and two 2K1 trucks. None of them consume any oil to my knowledge. I would know because I work in the shop where the driver's would have to come to get oil. The only complaint I hear is how thirsty they are. They have been that way from day one. A couple of them have even run out of gas. One guy thought he had 1/8 tank. The other one was pulled to our shop where we hooked up the scanner and found no problems. Just added 5 gallons of gas and it fired right up.

 

Wow.... I get 14-15 on my Dak driving it real hard. I would expect 12-13 in town. Very interesting.... did they get worse? Obviously you now know why the 4.7 replaced the 5.2 and the new hemi replaced the 5.9.

oil consumption is not the only sign. There is a TSB on the repair process and diagnosis of the problem. T

 

I don't know the exact mpg they are getting. They just say "this thing drinks gas." I will have to do some further checking and see what the average mpg is. Those Hemi commercials are funny.

 

As another FYI.. my brother had a 96 Ext Cab 4x4 Ram 5.2/auto with 160k miles on it and got 14 most of the time.

I like the one with the dragster and the parachute.
T

 

okay with all this said and done...Costco gas is good, right? I read a thread here earlier and I used to use only Exxon 93 but not I use Costco 93 because they said it's okay. I mean I save like 25 cents a gallon

Also, if you are that worried this cheapo gas messed up your car, get a fuel system cleaner.