Bad gas...

[ATex7239]

Not me, the car... Gased up at a RaceTrac on the way to a lunch meeting. And I think I got some bad or old gas. My work car (Fusion) has developed a pulsation at idle it never had before. Not too worried about, I'm sure it will go away once I run through this tank. Any of y'all ever end up with some bad gas?

 

[Jimzz]

The probability of getting bad gas is almost impossible today. Tanks have to have senors/readings to show they are not losing gas or taking on water. All pumps have to have filters built into them now. etc... I doubt you have bad gas. Could be a seasonal change in formula, temperature change and the car is adjusting, etc... You are in Texas so with several refineries going offlinne you might be getting gas from a different refinery.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: ATex7239

Not me, the car... Gased up at a RaceTrac on the way to a lunch meeting. And I think I got some bad or old gas. My work car (Fusion) has developed a pulsation at idle it never had before. Not too worried about, I'm sure it will go away once I run through this tank. Any of y'all ever end up with some bad gas?

This is one subject I've never understood. I've been driving for over 40 years now and I have never, ever had any automobile issue I've been able to trace to "bad gas". The one and only time I've ever had what I thought was a fuel issue turned out to be a pushed-back pin in a fuel injector connector on my BMW. That was the only time I've used a fuel system cleaner to try and correct the problem, but it did nothing of course.

 

[Merkava_4]

I get gasoline from Costco and nowhere else. If anything happens to the fuel system, I know who to blame.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Please.. Bad fuel is what you usually get here and good gas is the exception. You Got E10 in Tay Hoss, ATex? Add .2% water and you got black and tan of the bad kind - 83-85 octane gasoline floating and watery alcohol under it. You didn't Over pump and saturate your EVAP system? Even simple filling UP is treacherous these days with all this smog junk ready to barrf.

 

[4WD]

Google RD Mercer bad gas

 

[Whipcitywrencher]

True Story...Years ago I pulled into a full serve station with my 68 pinto and told the guy to put in 2 bucks...He put in about a bucks worth and his pump ran dry, ( I said to myself oh no) sure enough about 5 miles or so going down the road that pinto was running like the biggest piece of [censored], It ran like a piece of [censored] anyway but that day it was soooo much worse...I musta got a bucks worth of water...Took a few tank fulls for it started to run like itself... I highly doubt something like this would happen these days...

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: rollinpete

True Story...Years ago I pulled into a full serve station with my 68 pinto

Not a true story. Ford NEVER built a Pinto in 1968.

 

[Whipcitywrencher]

Originally Posted By: Linctex

Originally Posted By: rollinpete

True Story...Years ago I pulled into a full serve station with my 68 pinto

Not a true story. Ford NEVER built a Pinto in 1968.

Your right it was a 72 I got the years mixed up...

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: ATex7239

Any of y'all ever end up with some bad gas?

I had a situation much like the one you mentioned, back when I had the old Audi. It wouldn't idle without my foot on the gas, even. As soon as I burned it off to almost fumes, then refilled elsewhere, all was in order. It also happened with one of the taxis, but someone was filling the thing with the cheapest independent gas they could get their hands on, and it started to ping like crazy.

 

[Kuato]

Happened to me in '94. Filled up, car started, ran normal a few seconds, ran rougher as I drove off then stuttered and shut off and would not restart. Got 2 cans of Drigas or HEET and let it sit for two days; it started up but ran rough that entire tank. Two weeks later they were digging up the tanks at that station. Have not had anything THAT bad, but have had a bit of rough running from a questionable station now and then while traveling.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Jimzz

The probability of getting bad gas is almost impossible today. Tanks have to have senors/readings to show they are not losing gas or taking on water. All pumps have to have filters built into them now. etc...

Of course, some stations are archaic, and others don't follow maintenance procedures. My anecdote about the bad gas in the Audi was location specific, not even brand specific. I never had any problems with that brand before or after, just that one location.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I've bought gas that plugged up fuel filters. I probably should have dropped the tank on my Taurus for that one.

 

[bbhero]

Well I have certainly without question have gotten bad gasoline. During a snowstorm in January 2002 I got gasoline at a 7-11. My car developed a very noticeable miss or stumble it had not ever had before. I figured out that I had gotten the bottom of the barrel gas from that station. The pump was unusually slow which I noticed when I was using it. Of course, with a possibility of 8-12 inches of snow everyone had filled up their gas tanks. I was very late in doing so. It had just started snowing when I went to that station. It took about 2 tank full of better gas and the car ran like it should run again without the very noticeable stumbling. My lady got gasoline from a WaWa in which her Camry ran poorly. It had a very obvious tick at cruising speed that it never had exhibited before. This car is dead silent when cruising down the road. I went to Exxon and got good gas in it and it stopped. I wouldn't buy gasoline from Wawa, Sheetz or some hoopty Doo station. There is a difference between Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Valero, BP, and Shell vs the rest. Yes I know some stations get their gasoline from major refineries as well. My step father worked at the BP-Amoco refinery in Yorktown VA. They did have contracts with several unbranded stations in the area. But... It was not the EXACT same gasoline that was made for BP-Amoco stations.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite

You didn't Over pump and saturate your EVAP system?

I have personally done this and it really chugs until it works itself out!

 

[ArcticDriver]

Originally Posted By: Jimzz

The probability of getting bad gas is almost impossible today. Tanks have to have senors/readings to show they are not losing gas or taking on water. All pumps have to have filters built into them now. etc... I doubt you have bad gas. Could be a seasonal change in formula, temperature change and the car is adjusting, etc... You are in Texas so with several refineries going offlinne you might be getting gas from a different refinery.

I think the two of you have different definitions of "Bad" Gas. The OP has bad gas according to "his & my" definition...which is not limited to water or particulates present. Bad gas also includes a poor blend or quite possibly having insufficient additives. I had a tank of "bad" diesel in Tampa within a week of IRMA from the same pump I have been using for 8 months. I filled up a small glass container at the same time and the fuel had a good appearance--no foreign matter and no water; however, it did lack almost any additive since it took 3 times the recommended dosage of Stanadyne Performance before it even started to offer any improvement. No doubt, it was what you described--the retailer settled for a product from a different refinery or wholesaler--and they failed to mix in the proper additives prior to delivery.

 

[kschachn]

Interesting, out of all the additives added to gasoline which ones (if missing) would show up as a driveability issue? I'm not an expert on gasoline additives but I thought they were mostly things like detergents, stabilizers and stuff like that.

 

[PimTac]

It has happened to me as well. On a driving vacation I stopped in Payette ID to fill up. We were headed for Salt Lake City. The Montero Sport ran fine until we started to gain elevation. Then it hesitated quite a bit. Stayed overnight in SLC and then down to Vegas. Coming out of Vegas on that long grade headed into California it hesitated again and was real bad until we got down into Barstow. Stopped at a Mitsubishi dealership in Selma CA. and they discovered the fuel filter was plugged. Back on our way in no time.

 

[Kira]

1) During ownership of a 1976 Chevrolet Nova (250 I6-1 bbl.) which ran like a watch I found the gas in Canada (Nova Scotia) to be lacking in punch. I used premium and suffered through like a hero. Home (US) gas restored the performance. "Bad gas?", you be the judge 2) Near me is a no-name gas station I call "CGT" for Cheapest Gas in Town. It made my 2002 Volvo 2.4l - I5 ping with every press of the accelerator. Good gas eliminated the pinging. I repeated the phenomenon 2 or 3 times to "prove it" to myself. "Bad gas"?, you be the judge

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: kschachn

Interesting, out of all the additives added to gasoline which ones (if missing) would show up as a driveability issue? I'm not an expert on gasoline additives but I thought they were mostly things like detergents, stabilizers and stuff like that.

My experience with the Audi was probably just a bunch of water in E10 in an ancient station that wasn't set up to detect it like most others. With the taxi, it was probably below 85 octane regular, when 87 was advertised.