phil@sagan.UUCP (Phil Glatz) (02/07/86)
Does anyone know the real lowdown on gasoline quality? Are the gasolines sold
by the major oil companies pretty much alike? Where do the budget independents
get their gas? Is it surplus from the majors or old and contaminated? Why
is some gas pink, some yellow, and some clear? I've heard all sorts of stories
from retailers, but they seem to contradisct each other.
I drive an '82 Yamaha Vision about 500 miles a week (and love it). I usually
get Texaco Regular or Union 76 premium - both work well. I got some gas at a
cheapo place that was contaminated & it took a bit of work to get my carb and
fuel tank clean (I have been told some stations mix alchohol with the gas and
that it tends to collect water). My Yamaha dealer told me to avoid Shell gas.
My question is - are there any sure bets on good/bad gas sources? There was
an article in the March 86 Popular Science explaining gas quality, but I
would like to know more about it. They spoke of the compromise between
getting a higher octane and volatility, which can make engines hard to start
when warm. I get that problem a lot.
--
phil
... Phil Glatz, MicroPro Product Development
{dual,hplabs,glacier,lll-crq}!well!micropro!sagan!philkehoe@reed.UUCP (Dave Kehoe) (02/08/86)
As I understand, on January 1st the lead in leaded gas was lowered from 0.5 grams per gallon to 0.1 grams per gallon. The EPA tests showed that even the oldest cars, with soft valve seats, suffered no damage from the low-lead gas at rpm's under 3000rpm. Apparently, all Japanese bikes from about 1975 on have hard valve seats, and run fine with the new gas at all rpm's. But what should I do with my '72 CB450 (please -- no replies like "Push it off a bridge" :-))? At 60mph, the engine turns over at 5000rpm (yes, 5th gear on a CB450 is higher than 6th on a GPz550). Someone said there's a lead additive I can put in the gas -- I haven't seen this. Seriously, though, all these years I've owned the bike, I've been saying to myself that I won't buy a new bike until the "Lead Sled" finally dies. Deep down I'm hoping this low-lead gas will kill it; I suspect that the new gas will just make it sound even worse, and it'll keep on living. If you call that living (remember the old Jewish marriage broker joke -- the marriage broker assures the groom that the bride's father is no longer living, and a year later the husband learns that his wife's father is alive and in prison, and he goes to the Jewish marriage broker, saying "You said her father isn't living!" And the marriage broker replies, "Surely you don't call that living.") By the way, the reason your Yamaha dealer told you not to buy Shell gas is that Shell sells fuel to the South African army, and so is being boycotted here. -- "Why my thoughts are my own, when they are in, but when they are out they are another's." -- Susanna Martin, executed for witchcraft. Dave Kehoe tektronix!reed!kehoe (503) 230-9454 (h) 684-3314 (w)
kevin@sun.uucp (Kevin Sheehan) (02/10/86)
<bug reserve> Hmmm, the yamaha (on shell) story might be right about south africa, but I have a better reason. It appears that shell (and others) add methanol (a form of alcohol) to the unleaded premium (and occasionally the Uregular) to boost the octane. Of course I trust them implicitly to have thought out and tested the effects of this on engines :-) Anyway, when I took my bike in (82 yamaha virago) for the break-in service, it happened to take a while. It appears that both natural and synthetic rubbers just love methanol and swell up when left sitting in the stuff (like fuel lines...) and that it varnishes even worse than normal gas when left sitting. Is it also true that the methanol exacerbates water retention? This might explain the popping when I use shell (ONLY 20 miles into the reserve) l & h, kev PS gas stations are NOT required to label the unleaded premium as containing methanol - so if it matters, ASK!
dob@ihmax.UUCP (dan o'brien) (02/10/86)
> I usually > get Texaco Regular or Union 76 premium - both work well. ^^^^^^ ... > (I have been told some stations mix alchohol with the gas and ^^^^^^^^ > that it tends to collect water). I thought ALL Texaco's add alchohol to their gas. The one closest to my house has every pump clearly labeled so! I avoid Texaco's gas like the plague. (My van runs like it has the plague whenever I use it :-) -- Daniel M. O'Brien (ihnp4!ihmax!dob) AT&T Bell Laboratories IH 4A-257, x 4782 Naperville-Wheaton Road Naperville, IL 60566