87 vs 92 Octane Gasoline

[wayliff]

well I appreciate everyone's input and suggestions.

Thanks much!!!

 

[mdcrab]

GM calls it top engine cleaner and it works, for a while until the carbon deposits build up again.

Interesting last line,

For obvious reasons do not do this in the garage!

mdcrab

 

[OutHouse]

come to colorado where 87 octane doesnt exist. your choices are 85,90 and 92 octane.

 

[wayliff]

Where can I get the bg 44k for purcahse???...it is like quite a mistery to find it in any place other than ebay...

 

[StageLeft]

Second time they told me I should use 92 octane gasoline for two full tanks in order to remove the carbon buildup in my engine, then I could go back to 87 octanes.

For frig's sake, whoever told you that and actually works as a professional mechanic should have their knees beaten in.

Also i feel bad that you had your AC compressor replaced, since there is no way it could be related to enging pinging.

Higher octane fuel is unlikely to cause you any problems, but similarly not going to give you any benefits. You could try an injector cleaner, or you could simply start using a slightly higher octane fuel--in some cases an engine with buildup will creating pinging on a gas that it shouldn't (built for 87 but now starts to ping), and a higher octane will stop the pinging (only while you use it - it won't clean it out like the buffoon mech told you). The engine is still not in prime shape, but I know somebody who did this long term.

There are of course other reasons for pinging, like bad ignition coils.

 

[wayliff]

crap...that was the idea that the chrysler technicians came up with...

1. Replace AC compressor and sure enough I complained and told them why did you change that? I still have my ping...their answer...the AC compressor was in bad shape anyhow.
2. The stupid idea about the higher octane gasoline (i think that the car is behaving weird since then, the ignition process is now taking a bit longer than usual...also one time it made this weird elephant-like noise).

I have sent an email to Chrysler headquarters complaining...we'll see if I ever get a response.

Still looking for websites to buy the bg 44k, anyone knows?

 

[StageLeft]

BG44k is good, but costs about 3X the price of techron concentrate. It is harder to find, but when I bought mine I just called up some dealerships and eventually found one that sold it at a Jaguar dealership. I think my local nissan was also in the habit of using it, but had none in stock.

I have to really recommend not going back to that dealership. Telling you to replace the AC compressor, then saying "it needed it anyhow" when that doesn't fix the problem is despicable. Also that idea about the octane really was stupid!

 

[wayliff]

and also...no more chrylser.

 

[Toastedlightly]

Another vote for seafoam... but use sparingly. I ran a bottle through my tank and my engine stopped pinging (3.1L v6). Just make sure you don't use too much, as it may clean away deposits that are stopping leaking.

 

[wayliff]

I will look into seafoam. Thanks!

 

[OrganizedChaos]

you got scammed, if engine has a knock sensor test it.

more than likely: built of carbon deposits raised the compression ratio of your engine just enough for it to ping, all you need is a can of seafoam or some of that amsoil power foaming stuff. some say a glass of water will do the trick but i personally think this is half-assed.

1. remove vacuum line
2. suck up liquid of your choice
3. don't stall engine.
4. don't hydrlock engine.
5. shut down for 5 min
6. start engine
7. enkoy smoke show
8. enjoy your now perky engine

optional : beat the fvck out of the guys that replced your A/C compressor in winter.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: OrganizedChaos
you got scammed, if engine has a knock sensor test it.

more than likely: built of carbon deposits raised the compression ratio of your engine just enough for it to ping, all you need is a can of seafoam or some of that amsoil power foaming stuff. some say a glass of water will do the trick but i personally think this is half-assed.

1. remove vacuum line
2. suck up liquid of your choice
3. don't stall engine.
4. don't hydrlock engine.
5. shut down for 5 min
6. start engine
7. enkoy smoke show
8. enjoy your now perky engine

optional : beat the fvck out of the guys that replced your A/C compressor in winter.

The same thing can be done with diesel. Make sure NOT TO STALL.

 

[wayliff]

Thanks to everyone for their help!

 

[wayliff]

would a techron bottle work as well? I am buying two cans of seafoam already.

 

[rhino56]

Originally posted by: wayliff
I brought my 2001 Chrysler Town & Country to the dealer because the engine had a pretty loud ping.

First time they replaced the AC compressor and told me the problem would go away.
Well...the problem was still there.

Second time they told me I should use 92 octane gasoline for two full tanks in order to remove the carbon buildup in my engine, then I could go back to 87 octanes.

The manual says that the recommended gasoline for this engine should be 87 octanes.

While researching on the internet I found that using 92 octane gasoline could actually harm my engine.
Premium Gasoline
Certain high performance engines benefit from use of high octane fuel. For other engines, using a fuel with a higher octane rating than the vehicle requires sends unburned fuel into the emissions system and catalytic converter. This puts unecessary stress on the emissions system. For some vehicles, a rotten egg smell coming from the tailpipe signals use of too-high octane gas.

Also found that all gasolines should have the same detergents and cleaning agents to clean your engine, so one should not have to switch to clean the engine.
Regular Unleaded Gasoline
The recommended gasoline for most cars is regular 87 octane. One common misconception is that higher octane gasoline contains more cleaning additives than lower octane gas. All octane grades of all brands of gasoline contain engine cleaning detergent additives to protect against engine deposit build-up. In fact, using a gasoline with too high of an octane rating may cause damage to the emissions system.


Would anyone have a clue on the following?

1. Why would the dealer tell me to do this?
2. Why are considered high quality 87 octane gasoline distributors?

Thanks for your help.

In the meantime the van has the first tank of 92 octane gasoline and it is going quite faster than the regular one. No ping heard though.

if the pinging went away with the higher octane gas then the gas is the problem.

make sure your getting a quality gas that doesnt contain ethanol
mobil and amoco are usually pretty good but look for the sign on the pump.

higher octane means it has additives to make it less flammable so it ignites at a higher temp.

ping occurs from premature ignition, this can be caused by several things.
its when the gas in the chamber explodes before the piston has reached top dead center, so it can also cause quite a bit of damage including broken pistons in extreme cases.

timing could be slightly off, may need a tune up.

your car has several sensors that tell it when to fire, if one of these is getting bad reading then it could also cause it.

take it to a professional mechanic. dont go to the stealership

runner hotter then you should be can cause it.

 

[wayliff]

yeah the dealership ripped me off....I complained to Chrysler HQ...

Hopefully my mechanic can do something.

 

[rhino56]

the carbon buildup is from the pollution control. it send burnt exhaust down thru the intake manifold.
basically makes your engine filthy. you can install a catch can for it pretty easily to filter the burnt stuff before it goes in. some people will use a air compressor filter

 

[Pepsi90919]

Originally posted by: rhino56

Originally posted by: wayliff
I brought my 2001 Chrysler Town & Country to the dealer because the engine had a pretty loud ping.

First time they replaced the AC compressor and told me the problem would go away.
Well...the problem was still there.

Second time they told me I should use 92 octane gasoline for two full tanks in order to remove the carbon buildup in my engine, then I could go back to 87 octanes.

The manual says that the recommended gasoline for this engine should be 87 octanes.

While researching on the internet I found that using 92 octane gasoline could actually harm my engine.
Premium Gasoline
Certain high performance engines benefit from use of high octane fuel. For other engines, using a fuel with a higher octane rating than the vehicle requires sends unburned fuel into the emissions system and catalytic converter. This puts unecessary stress on the emissions system. For some vehicles, a rotten egg smell coming from the tailpipe signals use of too-high octane gas.

Also found that all gasolines should have the same detergents and cleaning agents to clean your engine, so one should not have to switch to clean the engine.
Regular Unleaded Gasoline
The recommended gasoline for most cars is regular 87 octane. One common misconception is that higher octane gasoline contains more cleaning additives than lower octane gas. All octane grades of all brands of gasoline contain engine cleaning detergent additives to protect against engine deposit build-up. In fact, using a gasoline with too high of an octane rating may cause damage to the emissions system.


Would anyone have a clue on the following?

1. Why would the dealer tell me to do this?
2. Why are considered high quality 87 octane gasoline distributors?

Thanks for your help.

In the meantime the van has the first tank of 92 octane gasoline and it is going quite faster than the regular one. No ping heard though.

if the pinging went away with the higher octane gas then the gas is the problem.

make sure your getting a quality gas that doesnt contain ethanol
mobil and amoco are usually pretty good but look for the sign on the pump.

higher octane means it has additives to make it less flammable so it ignites at a higher temp.

ping occurs from premature ignition, this can be caused by several things.
its when the gas in the chamber explodes before the piston has reached top dead center, so it can also cause quite a bit of damage including broken pistons in extreme cases.

timing could be slightly off, may need a tune up.

your car has several sensors that tell it when to fire, if one of these is getting bad reading then it could also cause it.

take it to a professional mechanic. dont go to the stealership

runner hotter then you should be can cause it.

ethanol gasolines are not bad gasolines. ethanol actually raises the octane value.

ping is usually caused by detonation and not preignition.

 

[wayliff]

Originally posted by: Toastedlightly
Another vote for seafoam... but use sparingly. I ran a bottle through my tank and my engine stopped pinging (3.1L v6). Just make sure you don't use too much, as it may clean away deposits that are stopping leaking.

Did you use it through the gas tank or actually used the vacuum line method?

1. remove vacuum line
2. suck up liquid of your choice
3. don't stall engine.
4. don't hydrlock engine.
5. shut down for 5 min
6. start engine
7. enkoy smoke show
8. enjoy your now perky engine

 

[wayliff]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
BG44k is good, but costs about 3X the price of techron concentrate. It is harder to find, but when I bought mine I just called up some dealerships and eventually found one that sold it at a Jaguar dealership. I think my local nissan was also in the habit of using it, but had none in stock.

I have to really recommend not going back to that dealership. Telling you to replace the AC compressor, then saying "it needed it anyhow" when that doesn't fix the problem is despicable. Also that idea about the octane really was stupid!

I was lucky enough to find seafoam. some people recommend it here.
I will go for it.

How do you compare the BG product vs seafoam?

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: smithdj
Running 92 or even 93 (where available) will not fix the problem. The only "quick" okay not too expensive possible fix is to have the intake manifold clean which will clean the carbon deposits off of the valves and the tops of the pistons. The dealer should not be a cheap a$$ and do it for you. They hook a bottle full of cleaner stuff (cant remember the brand) to the intake via a vacuum line and let it burn through the engine, it takes about 20 minutes. The bad side, where do you think all of that crap goes? Right down the sides of the pistons Seriously, have them do this, if not for free, it should cost $40

Seafoam or GM top Engine Cleaner. It's like fumagating the whole neighborhood though. I had a blast smoking out my ex-neighbors.lol

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: wayliff

Originally posted by: Toastedlightly
Another vote for seafoam... but use sparingly. I ran a bottle through my tank and my engine stopped pinging (3.1L v6). Just make sure you don't use too much, as it may clean away deposits that are stopping leaking.

Did you use it through the gas tank or actually used the vacuum line method?

1. remove vacuum line
2. suck up liquid of your choice
3. don't stall engine.
4. don't hydrlock engine.
5. shut down for 5 min
6. start engine
7. enkoy smoke show
8. enjoy your now perky engine

You can run seafoam through the gas tank but it wont be nearly as effective as sucking it through the manifold.

 

[Vic]

GM Top Engine Cleaner works. Make sure you use it properly.

As for the rest, your Chrysler certified technician gave you good advice. There is nothing wrong with running a couple of tanks of premium to see if that would solve the problem. Because what he was really telling you is that your problem is normal light pinging, typical to a higher mileage engine, and that it probably won't go away no matter what you do (short of spending a lot of money). I would have told you to turn up the stereo (but some auto-hypochondriacs take offense to that).

 

[zugzoog]

Reading this, I do not understand while your petrol is rated to such low octane ratings, I use 98 octane fuel BP Ultimate myself, but the standard ULPin Australia is rated at 93 octane.

 

[randal]

Originally posted by: Citrix
come to colorado where 87 octane doesnt exist. your choices are 85,90 and 92 octane.

I live in Colorado Springs and we have 85/87/91. Nothing higher, and nothing between 87 and 91.