Chevron Gas Problems

[Kiven422]

Hi, is it just me or does everyone experience problems with Chevron fuel in their Q45?

I have problems with BOTH of my Q's when running on Chevron gas. My 93 completely cuts out for 3-5 seconds and you hear and feel a few clicks from the engine. My 94 doesn't do that but when I floor (or even step on it lightly) it you can see 2-3 deadspots as the RPM's climb (and it was like that for a whole week after even with different gases)... the first would be around 2500RPM, second would be just past 4000RPM.

Most people say you can't tell the difference between brands but I completely disagree-- with Chevron mileage is normal but it gives me the least power in both of my Qs and both of my hondas. I usually fill up at Shell or Safeway.

[elwesso]

Thats pretty odd, maybe you have a bad station or something, because chevron is supposed to be some of the more top tier gas available, especially in Taxifornia.

I might suspect something else? have you replaced a fuel pump on your Q?

[maxnix]

Try running a few bottles of ISO-HEET (not HEET) through it.

Is it a new staion with high volume and new tanks? Try a different station that makes those criteria if you have any doubts.

[Skibane]

I switched from Chevron to Shell about a year ago, due to some light pinging for about half a second after applying heavy throttle. The Shell isn't perfect in this regard, but seems to be quite a bit better. Haven't noticed any difference in fuel economy or throttle response.

[Kiven422]

It happens whenever I fill at a Chevron, any Chevron. It doesn't do it with any other gas brand at all and I only fill premium.For the 93 Q I guess "pinging" would be a more accurate word for it. It Pings like 3-4 times. For the 94 the deadspots at certain RPMs are definately noticable (even 2 of my friends were like WTF!)

I have no idea what ISO-HEET is... If its a type of injector cleaner I've already used that with awesome results.

Both cars had fuel pumps/FPCU replaced and are running strong So what could be the issue? Shell gasoline seems to give more power with the same mileage (I calculate mileage every time I fill up).

[Haitian_King]

I use Wawa as my primary filling station. Their 92 is cheaper than most because the Wawa brand is a huge chain of convenience stores in NJ, DE, PA, and parts of VA. They don't have to depend on gas sales, so they can afford to undercut the other stations sometimes by a good 10 cents.

[maxnix]

I have no idea what ISO-HEET is... If its a type of injector cleaner I've already used that with awesome results.

So what could be the issue?

Nope, isopropyl alcohol to control condensation. If "that" yielded "awesome results," what were presumably both your cars running like before?

Probably CA crapgas. Known killer of early G50 injectors.

[Haitian_King]

Idk. After owning my Q and being on the board, I've come to the conclusion that, when it comes to fluids and cleaners, don't skimp on the good stuff and use PepBoys and Autozone stuff. Yeah it might quite well on a regular car, but Q's are just too cool for it. when it comes to fluids, I've learned to go top dollar. It's really best to just baby this thing. She'll get pissy if you don't.

Diamonds and pearls for my Q.

I've learned that while you think you're getting away with being thrifty, your Q is plotting to throw a huge tantrum in retaliation. It was an expensive car when it hit the market and it still is costly to maintain. It's not the average car.

I feel that Q owners are the elite (at least in my delusions). People look at me like I'm crazy when they hear how much I put into a 15 year old car. They just don't understand.

[Skibane]

I have no idea what ISO-HEET is...

Water tends to accumulate in the gas tank, which can cause drivability problems. Adding a bottle of Iso-HEET every once in a while (during a fuel-up) helps take the water out. It only costs about a dollar a bottle at Wal-Mart.

Make sure you get the RED bottle version (which is isopropyl alchol), NOT the YELLOW bottle version (which is methyl alcohol).

[Kiven422]

I'll give ISO-HEET a shot for the heck of it but I don't have any problems since I don't fill at chevron anymore.

Both cars always ran smooth, the 94 used to have a really rough idle but after using injector cleaner twice its smooth as a rock at idle.

Thanks for the help guys.

[mxr662]

I switch between Shell and Chevron and have no problems. I just tried Safeway and it seems ok.

[c_anderson117]

I use Wawa as my primary filling station. Their 92 is cheaper than most because the Wawa brand is a huge chain of convenience stores in NJ, DE, PA, and parts of VA. They don't have to depend on gas sales, so they can afford to undercut the other stations sometimes by a good 10 cents.

Wawa gas is cheap because they water it down, I get 50 less miles/tank when I use Wawa gas.

[qship96]

Wawa gas is cheap because they water it down, I get 50 less miles/tank when I use Wawa gas.

Water it down? complete B/S......where did you hear this rumor?

[c_anderson117]

My sister worked at Wawa corporate for 5 years in the call center. She would get reports from customers that they got "bad gas" all the time. The stations would be low on fuel and never turn the pumps off in time, or sometimes wouldn't realize it at all and the customers would be pumping in the sludge/water mixture at the bottom of the tank. Obviously if this happened too much the customers wouldn't come back, but it's just enough that I wouldn't think about going there anymore. Yeah it's 5 or 10 cents cheaper, but my engine is worth more than $2.00 savings per fillup. Also the gas can be close to the expiration, so if you don't drive frequently, that's another problem.

[Haitian_King]

Um,

Whenever I fill up at Wawa, I feel an noticeable increase in performance and throttle response. I feel like I could race the world. I don't know about West Chester, but across the bridge in South NJ, I've had no qualms about the quality of Wawa's 92 octane. I frequent two different stations and I've been nothing less than satisfied with the gas. My main problem is the lack of attendants and the closed pumps. Sometimes the entire station will have about 3-4 pumps on and 2 attendants. It's a Super Wawa with a ton of pumps. Pisses me off, especially when I'm late for something.

I don't think my Wawas "water" the gas down. My engine would have shat itself if the fuel quality was that bad.

[BadQ45t]

what I have found is that it is not the name on the sign but the station that serves it. In the little town I live in we have a place called More for Less. God knows what gas they have but is always "more for less". So I never put the gas into my Q or 300ZX but they rebuilt the station about 3 years ago and I fuel up there all the time!!

I fill my wifes Sentra there and a cheaper Shell and no diff at all in performance or gas mileage.....the Q also shows no differences. Funny that Chevron is begin dissed here since I have a friend with a Boxster that will pay .30 per gallon more for Chevron even when he borrows my X-Terra and I see now big deal with Chevron. I am convinced that the stations condition is more important than the brand. BTW, Costco I think very much controls their stations and dispenses very good gas and I use it whenever I can.

[maxnix]

Water it down? complete B/S......where did you hear this rumor?

Well documented at some C-stores run by recent third world immigrants.

[Haitian_King]

Costco runs Chevron? Did not know that.

I stay away from no name cheap stations. You know the ones with the handwritten signs and things. There's a station here called Jersey Gas (Formerly an Amoco). I'm a little leery of it.

[RAP]

Well documented at some C-stores run by recent third world immigrants.

Why dontcha become more forthcoming and tell us more, like WHO, WHAT & WHERE ?

Very important information for us abused consumers. BTW some of those thirdworlders are adept at scamming the FOOD STAMP system. Along of course with their FIRST world fellow store owners. I know that for a fact and some have faced THE LAW for their transgressions. But this is a story about BAD GAS so...

Firstly I do accept that there may be some mechanical failure of station equipment that may well allow foreign matter to enter the fuel tanks. There has even been a failure at a Shell refinery near where I live that did produce some bad gas which caused some damage to the fuel gauge equipment in the tank on certain cars. Cost Shell a bundle, and, made a bundle for the lawyers to the chagrin of the car damaged car owner. But that's life with LAWYERS. The car owners did receive fair compensation for their damages though. And of course there was some abuse. The fault at the Shell refinery was quickly found and corrected and I am not aware of any other problems since. Seems like Shell gas was sold to a variety of independents also. My oh my. Shell gas at the "GAS N GO" ? ? ? I wonder IF Chevron does dirty like Shell hmmmm...

However I have been buying gas for a loooong time. In different parts of the country at different times. BASED ON PRICE ONLY. THE CHEAPER THE BETTER!!! I have never had any problems with my cars that I could attribute to bad gas. Isn't that what FILTERS are for BTW? I also have never bought or used any type of additives for the fuel or oil in my cars.

Quote: INFINITI does not recommend the use of any additives (i.e. FUEL injector cleaner, octane boosters, intake deposit removers, etc) which are sold commercially. MANY of these additives intended for gum, varnish or depositsremoval may contain ACTIVE solvents or similar ingredients that can be harmful to the fuel system and ENGINE". From the owners manual and there are also warnings about oil additives.

Nissan is a worldwide car company. Employs, I am sure, a large quantity of automotive ENGINEERS who have, as a mission, the production of trouble free automobiles that will return a profit to said company which is PUBLICLY owned in large part and also owned (at 35%?) by Renault of France. THEM investors want a return on their investments as normal.

There are no TUNE-UPS from a can. I would be also leery about introducing some substance into my car engine that "will peel paint from the walls" when the wall is exposed to the car exhaust flow. Where I live we have a state employee that works as a sorta of consumer protector and his job is to check weight and measures. He regularly checks gas dispensing stations for exactly that; That the pumps deliver exactly what you are paying for and for diluted, dirty fuel. He is empowered with the authority to shut down the gas station immediately if there is a problem. I know the guy and he lives nearby. I regularly see him, in his state furnished pick-up with the testing equipment visible in the bed, at stores and stations doing his thing at the pumps. I regularly ask him if he is encountering any problems with quantity or quality. Rarely he says. In fact he has encountered situations where the pumps were delivering more than the measure to the detriment of the seller, however that too, rarely. I don't know about programs for consumer protections in other states.

I have been hearing and reading about these "bad gas" stories for about as long as I have been reading about UFO's and GODS of various sorts, and that's a pretty long time. Oh, I almost forgot the gas saving CARBURETOR of old, that have all been bought up by the OIL COMPANIES to prevent their collapse into bankruptcy. Well the CARBS are gone and that's a good thing. The BIG OIL companies can finally breath a sigh of relief. But then the TORNADO fuel saver has taken it's place ? ? ? Will IT prevail? Who knows. In the meantime all of us older and wiser fools shake our heads and wonder about it all... Makes for good debates that in the end achieve nada but...

I well know that this is a useless post but I have time on my hands and well... Makes for good practice and improves, hopefully, my writing skills.

Ya'll take care and Happy New year. Jack

[bullittandy]

Well documented at some C-stores run by recent third world immigrants.

I'd also like to have some documentation.

Also, this strikes me as a little bit racist/xenophobic-but maybe I'm just sensitive.

[RAP]

[QUOTE=bullittandy]

I'd also like to have some documentation.

Also, this strikes me as a little bit racist/xenophobic-but maybe I'm just sensitive. [/QUOTE

There is some truth in what he says.

Racism rules the world ! ! ! Who cares? Makes for good wars and live training for warriors. And of course secures a ready supply of fairly expensive, at present, OIL to be converted into good and bad gas, which I am sure that you need and buy.

If you are bothered by maxnix's comments then by all means refrain from turning to "Comedy Central" and "the Redneck comedy hour".

Jack

[Haitian_King]

Also, this strikes me as a little bit racist/xenophobic.

Perhaps, but in this national climate, who isn't just a little bit xenophobic?

@ RAP,

I won't even begin to quote your post, but some of the statements in the aforementioned post appear to be quite contradictory to things that Q45Tech and other board members have contributed. Nissan recommends NOT using cleaning agents like BG 44K? If that's the case, we've been going about this thing all wrong. But, then again IIRC, Dennis' Q has 300k+ miles on it, and he's quite meticulous about his BG usage and other fluids.

Trying to wrap my head around the concept of Fuel Injector Cleaner and it's potential to fubar an engine. Nissan would rather us have dirty injectors and not use BG to clean them? I guess to wear the injectors out and replace them through Nissan/Infiniti eh? Sounds like a conspiracy.

But, what about dealer maintenance? What do they use to clean and service injectors and engine components since the products available at the average consumer's level are apparently quite detrimental to our vehicle's well-being? I thought BG 44K and the BG family of products was "industry standard", seeing how it isn't available through a retailer like Pepboys or AutoZone.

So NICO members who claim to have smoother idles and better performance in their Q's after an application of BG 44K or even Chevron Techron are liars? Or have they "damaged" their engines and are unknowingly driving a time bomb? (Metaphorically speaking.)

I'm not calling you a liar. I'm sure that much thought went into that there diatribe. I'm just not totally convinced that I should abstain from BG products in the pursuit of a well running automobile.

As I'm typing this, I'm getting ready to go fill up on some Wawa 92 octane. Nothing's better than "watered-down" Premium in the morning.

[maxnix]

Why dontcha become more forthcoming and tell us more, like WHO, WHAT & WHERE ?

We have an electronic medium in some parts of the country called television upon which alleged news programming is presented. Real easy to run the hose over and ad 20 or 50 gallons of water to a 2,000 gallon tank as was alleged by former employees.

Take it for what you will. I stick with new Costco or Tier 1 suppliers. Never a C-store.

Nissan has its own fuel injector cleaner.

[Haitian_King]

Would the Wawa chain be among the ranks of the inferior C-Stores? It's not a national chain, but it is present in a about 3 or 4 states here on the East Coast.

I hope not. I do enjoy their reasonable prices and delectable coffee.

[Haitian_King]

We have an electronic medium in some parts of the country called television upon which alleged news programming is presented. Real easy to run the hose over and ad 20 or 50 gallons of water to a 2,000 gallon tank as was alleged by former employees.

Take it for what you will. I stick with new Costco or Tier 1 suppliers. Never a C-store.

Nissan has its own fuel injector cleaner.

The "Water In The Gas Tank" bit is dreadful. The culprits should be drawn and quartered. You don't mess with a man's land, car, woman, children, or gasoline. It just isn't American.

*I've been awake for two days running and I'm feeling a litle silly. Pardon me if I'm being a bother.*

[Kiven422]

@People that use Costco gas. I consider that great gasoline for my Honda Accord and my friends Accord. He tops up to 385 miles on Costco gas where as Shell/Chevron will top him 350miles if hes lucky. The disadvantage is that it gives him and me the least power out of any gases (although power does NOT matter, mileage is the main concern). Though he and I get the best mileage in our accords with Costco, I also get the absolute WORST mileage on my Q45. Guess its not good for V8's or what? I count mileage nearly EVERY fill up.

I'm sure most of you will disagree with me but my theory is this: AM/PM gives me the most power out of any gas (thats where I fill before I race). Shell and Safeway is the optimum fuel for me. Chevron is a NONO for all of my vehicles mainly because the gas pedal just has a lag... I'm very sensitive to these things because I always have the urge to feel the horsepower.

Someone told me yesterday that Costco runs on 76 gas... I highly doubt that, 76 is one of my favorite places to fill and its the only place in my area that has 92 octane gas. (everywhere else its 91 octane).

[Haitian_King]

I looked through one of the Costco warehouse computers today and saw facts and figures and tallies regarding gas stations. I did not know that they also dabbled in gasoline.

They don't have any filling stations around my area do they? I can't believe I've never heard of it.

[RAP]

From maxix above: "Nissan has its own fuel injector cleaner"

May well be. The owners manual does not say so. Nissan does recommend using their house brand engine oil, trans fluid, etc. So does Honda etc etc

Injectors? ? ? What I have done about them if I suspected they weren't delivering as expected, is test them for "clicking" or being activated and the ohm test for resistance and continuity. Additionally I have removed them and carried same to a shop that does "fuel injector and fuel pump service" and have them tested. The shop does diesel engine injectors and pumps mostly, but can and does do gasoline engine electronic injectors also. They clean them as needed, check the electronic function, and do a pressure and spray pattern test. If they are good, they are good. Nothing can be done to gasoline engine injectors past that as far as I know.

You can't really take the gasoline engine injectors apart without destroying them as far as I know.

Humans are fallible. Even Gurus, Car gods and Goddesses. The world is replete with experts in all fields. WHAT THEY KNOW YOU CAN KNOW. Education and knowledge is available to everyone IF they make the effort to obtain it.

It's early and I'm fired up



Jack

[drftard]

so i use costco gas cause over here in NORCAL sanJo costco is the cheapest! but my gas mpg is pretty bad around 15-18 mpg average with barely over 300 sometimes on the regular... what wheels would be bettter swapped to improve gas mpg? i currently run 7 spoke 350z rims & do you guys know of any fluids that can be added to improve the gas mpg? i saw that red iso-heet stufff but i wanna try something that for sure is proven & works (im a college student) thanks!

[mxr662]

I used to live in Des Moines, Ia and there were two gas terminals there. The Amoco terminal which is now BP and the Williams Pipeline terminal that most all the other gas came from. So the gas at the stations that were not Amoco all came from the same place. Same gas with a few different additives. It would be nice to know the quality of gas from different stations.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories...shtml