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which gas

Vulcan

Vulcan

Full Member
Joined
Sep 24, 2003
Messages
82
Location
oakland
i got a 02 5.3 av and i ALWAYS put 76 gas in it as what my friends say is made for heavy duty stuff? (call me silly) but i personaly use it because they used to use it in nascar so if they use it there it must be good. better than chevron. wanted to know if this is the right way to go? EVERYONE i talk to about this say one this, DO NOT MIX gas up, so like chevron with 76 or some cheap stuff with 7 as it will do damage. any input helps!

PS. I use fuel injector cleaner every other tank(stp advanced formula i think it was.)hope thsi is good also :B:
 
Silly.

(well, you asked me to call you that :p ;))

There are some folks here that have expressed specific reasons for using (or avoiding) specific companies' gasoline. I have never had an issue with any vehicle that I can point to fuel as the cause of the trouble, but I don't know much about the arguements and the science (good or bad) behind them.

I will say that I would not make it a point to seek out the same brand every time out of fear of "mixing" brands...that is just way too inconvenient to me, and sounds kind of like a superstitious myth.

JMO
 
Nascar 76 fuel and consumer gasolines are in no way related at all.

Actually Chevron and Amoco/BP based on posts I've read here appear to be 2 of the better fuels to use, but like anything it is very subjective to the user and their choice.
I agree with RichUF that I've never heard that mixing brands of gas was bad ???
 
Gasoline is gasoline.....

difference is OCTANE....easy enough to see on pump

Dirt levels based on transportation, storage and pumping...you will never know this.....but try not to get gas when a truck is filling storage tanks as this will loosen sediment in storage tanks........

Water levels based on transportation, storage and pumping....nothing will give a hint at this...


other than that most fuels are about the same...they have same properties for enginer performance etcetc etc

only slight difference might be detergents and cleaners.......which.....is well negligibal since they all have them......that is like saying what is better dial, irish spring, or coast bar soap?


Buy your gas and enjoy
 
I agree with YGMN on this one.... a few months back when the gas pipeline burst here in AZ... ALL gas stations were out of fuel..... but if 1 pipe broke and they were all out... woundn't that mean that they actually had the same fuel? In all reality folks the gas itself goes through the same pipeline, sits in the same storage tanks, but is delivered to different stations... the only thing that might seperate chevron from 76, from Shell... is the additive packets that are usually added to the fuel when the tanker trucks are getting filled.... every company gets a slightly different additive packet.
 
Just like ygmn has said, gas is gas as long as you are buying it from a major oil company. Some of the no name "cheapo" gas stations that sell gas cheaper than everyone else, are guying the bottom of the barrel gas from other major oil companies. This bottom of the barrel gas traditionally has a higher content of water and impurities, hince they get it at a better price since the major oil companies don't want this stuff. Most of this is filtered out by the filters on the pumps, but not all.

What you are doing with the fuel injector cleaner will also help with precluding any fuel system problems also. Clogged injectors = bad karma for avy.
 
I'm sure this is controversial, too, but are fuel injector cleaners recommended every so often, or is this just one of those "can't hurt" kind of things?
 
Like you said there is much discussion here about the fuel injector cleaner thing. I my mind it is one of those "can't hurt" things. I put in a couple of bottles at every oil change.

Beats having to pay someone to clean your injectors for you. :E:
 
RichUF said:
I'm sure this is controversial, too, but are fuel injector cleaners recommended every so often, or is this just one of those "can't hurt" kind of things?
Click to expand...

I have not done it yet.....I have over 37K miles......Change the fuel filter is more important then a cleaner kit IMO

 
ygmn said:
I have not done it yet.....I have over 37K miles......Change the fuel filter is more important then a cleaner kit IMO
Click to expand...

This is bery bery true. ;D ;D

A clean quality fuel filter will keep much crap out of the fuel system and keep the injectors clean.
 
ygmn said:
RichUF said:
I'm sure this is controversial, too, but are fuel injector cleaners recommended every so often, or is this just one of those "can't hurt" kind of things?
Click to expand...

I have not done it yet.....I have over 37K miles......Change the fuel filter is more important then a cleaner kit IMO
Click to expand...

which you did at 30k, right? ;)
 
Wanna push a couple mpg more out of your vehicle? USE fuel injector cleaner. The camaro I had before my AV was getting about 22-25 driving the same road to work everyday. I put some cleaner in there, Techron Brand if I recall, and then took off and got around 29-30. After a tank or two the mileage dropped back down to 22-25 but it was nice to see an extra 50 miles or so out of a tank :)


Far as doing it with AV's I haven't done it. However, I did put some of the ultra highest octane you can get at the pump + Octane Booster in an 88 K5 Blazer I had before...my friend still talks about the flame that shot out the tailpipes :p
 
There is one other issue that different brands of gasoline may or may not encompass. If you read your manual, it expressly says not to use gas that has methanol in it as it can damage seals and stuff. Here is SoCal, every once in a while you will see a notice on the gas pump that indicates the gas is mixed with Methanol. Just something to keep an eye out for.

Gunslinger
 
I used a bottle of the Techron Fuel Injector Cleaner in my old Taurus, the milage jumped up considerably also (it has an MPG computer). Maybe there's something about the Stoddard solvent or just cleaner injectors?

The Av runs too well, so maybe I'll add it a full tank instead of a low tank, and do some comparisons with using the DIC.
 
If you are not utilizing the fuel injector cleaner on a regular basis, I would change the fuel filter first.

I always use Lucas Injection cleaner and upper cylinder lubricant (Lucas products are incredible) I used this in a 70k mile Ford Ranger and ruined the injectors. The fuel filter hadn't been changed and the Lucas lossened up all the crap in the fuel filter and tried to push it through the injectors! :E:

My .02
 
I was concerned about that at first but not so much about debris but more towards rot, falling-apart seals and other similar trauma to the old fuel system.
I was crossing my fingers, fortunately so far, so good in this case.

The case of four bottles were under $10 at Costco, so I braved it and tested it on the old klunker phord. (Mechanical lab rat.)

 
Here's my .02 cents.....

This is what I do for every vehicle I've owned. My dad is also a mechanic and service station owner. He checks his gas tanks everyday for water. He doesn't have any. Customers always come in and complain about "so-and-so's" gasoline. I'd say if you can stick with a specific station your better off...if not only for the consistency of the product (unless your on a trip or frequent traveler). My father owns a Citgo station. When we go on trips, we try to stay with "popular" name brands (Citgo, Mobile, Sunoco, Texaco, etc...).

As for the Fuel injector cleaner, I dump one in about twice a year. One at the beginning of winter and one in the summer. I also put in a "Double-Dry" (isopropyl alcohol) which is the best stuff around. If you are unfamiliar with this, it adheres to the water in your tank (which can build up from condensation...that's why you also shouldn't run your tank way down...) and burns the water through your system, thus getting rid of it.

I hope this helps.
 
fireeater said:
Where is the fuel filter located?
Click to expand...
Fireeater, I see that you have an '02. Fuel filter should be on the frame rail under the drivers seat. There's a thread about the change of loaction on '04 models here.

--OldVMer
 
I burn Shell 93 octane in my new Av and here's why:

I owned 2 Silverado's with the 5.3 and 3.73 gears prior to this Av. The second Silverado was a 2001 that I put 32,000 miles on. I did some serious octane testing with it because of knocking and pinging when throttled hard through the rpm range. I spent a lot of time with 87 octane Shell, 89 octane shell, and 93 octane Shell over thousands of miles and many months.
What I found with my Silverado 5.3 was repeatable with co-workers Silverado's, so I know it's an engine tune thing not an individual finding.
After the 5.3 engine is well broken in (20,000+ miles) and running 87 octane, if you have everything turned off in the truck so it's nice and quiet, you can hear the 5.3 engine ping ever so slightly at straight and level cruise. Floor the throttle, and it'll knock and ping so loud you think it's gonna explode at rpms above 3500 to the WOT shift point.

Switching to 89 octane, the slight pinging goes away at straight/level cruise. Floor it, and the engine will still knock and ping above 3500 rpms up to 5500.

Switching to 93 octane, and the 5.3 in my 5,000 pound Silverado would not knock or ping at any throttle setting at any rpm.

Now I've got the Av with the 5.3, in a vehicle that weighs 800 pounds MORE, and has more horsepower than my '01. So I always burn the Shell 93, and I get it on Tuesdays when Shell sells the 93 octane for 6 cents off. So I'm getting 93 octane for a couple pennies more than what 89 octane costs.

End of story. That's why I burn 93 Shell in case anyone really cared....................
 
Well,

I don't pretend to know the ends and outs of octane, however, I can tell you that on the last road trip I used 93 up and back and the mpg on the AV went up by 2mpg. :eek:

Now maybe that was because of the way I drive, which ain't easy cause I don't want the "granny tranny" to slip back into its old ways (check out the 0-60 mod in the modifications forum) and maybe it was because of topping it off. ???

IMHO I just think the AV likes the stuff and gets a little more umpha with less effort. ;D

Either way, I am gonna intermix regularly.

RLT
 
asked my co worker and said that if u use the injector cleaner then what is the point of changing the filter? if u use the injector alot(every other tank) that will keep ur fuel clean and thus will prolong the filter life :cautious:. this makes sense to me but im not sure since i got my avy like 3 months ago
 
Question... Does fuel injector cleaner clean the fuel or is it designed to dissolve the deposits left on the injectors?
IMO if you are using it regularly then the reason you have better performance is because there is no build up of deposits on the injectors. A good thing!

As to the gas manufacturers, except for the states where Sinclair has refineries and gas stations, all gas is refined and sold as "like product" by the refineries. This gas is piped to several storage depots throughout the country where it is then sold to stations (The largest line runs from texas to Illinois). As the gas is loaded into tankers the additives for a given company are added (Chevron, Exxon, BP etc...) There are a few exceptions to this as local refineries supply directly to stations but most refineries are not set up to handle this type of distribution.
As to the octane rating the higher the number the greater the combustibility. So if your engine knocks move up a grade. For most applications 87 is ok but the more you work your motor the more you may need higher octane. When I was in Qatar in 2002 they only had 2 grades 93 and 98. 93 was .58 and 98 was .63 per gallon. Anyone for a cruise???
 
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