PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

Every area has a fuel depot. The same tanker semi can/will get filled up at the depot and deliver gas to the local stations weather they are a Top Tier station. or not. It's only when the tanker gets filled at the local depot that the "additives" are added in. The tanker is supposed to deliver the Top Tier gas to the Top Tier licensed stations, just like they are supposed to deliver "high octane" fuel to the proper tank at the station (no guarantees on either). There is nothing that says that the tanker "can't" deliver Top Tier gas to a non-Top Tier station, if that is what they have in their left in their tanker. In fact, it is a common situation.

 

McLeach’s radio (NOT installed in the Bushwhacker), which appears to have been made from an old car stereo...

 

My wife and I own a store, we have unbranded gas which means we get whatever is cheapest delivered to us. It could be any brand. We run it in the Toyota and also in our 2019 Suburban. Never had a problem with gas or check engine light or seen a difference in mileage.

 

There are also quite a few pages of this thread dedicated to vehicles seen in Nickelodeon shows (Nicktoons), specifically Hey Arnold! and As Told By Ginger. There’s actually a lot in here about As Told By Ginger; In my opinion it was one of the best cartoons to come out of the early 21st century!

 

We had a 2008 GMC Yukon and if you turned the gas cap more than one click after refueling the CEL would come on every time but go out after a few days. If you only clicked it once the CEL wouldn't come on.

 

That’s weird...

The one time at the cheap gas station in Washington is the only time the CEL ever came on in the Safari...

That van had air-conditioning that leaked refrigerant yearly, and electrical problems out the ass, the catalytic converter had to be replaced under warranty, but it was very reliable and never left us stranded.

 

Good thing I didn’t get a Chevy S10 like I originally had my eye on back in 2009. That ethanol shit kills GM fuel pumps! In ten years and almost 108K miles, my truck has had ZERO engine problems!

 

Holding tanks have a lifespan on them, 20 years I think, which isn't that long at all. (How often have you seen a station break up the concrete to dig out and replace tanks?) If you ever pull gas from a station running an old tank you can get rust and or sediment mixed in. Surprisingly often you get small amounts of water.

I'm betting that the CEL came on because a small amount of water or other contaminant was detected. Once it burned through the CEL went away. Has nothing to do with the grade of fuel delivered, and everything to do with the state of the holding tanks at that vendor.

 

That actually makes perfect sense!

They must be really good about replacing holding tanks around here. I’ve only had a CEL come on in my Tacoma one time, and it was because I disconnected a malfunctioning horn.

 

Quite often the "Cheap gas" stations will purchase gas on the spot market from any refiner, so you might be getting Amoco one week, Shell the next, and so on. Most Smaller chains and independents do not have refining facilities of their own, so they get it where they can. It's not unusual to see multiple Tanker trucks from both smaller companies and contract haulers like Florida Rock and Tank Lines in line to load at the same facilities at a refinery or tank farm.

 

Our tanks have been in since 1988. We have a testing system that detects leaks and water. We also can't pump off the bottom of the tank. Our pumps cut off when there's 100 gallons left in the tank (they are 2,000 gallon tanks) and we also have filters on each pump hose. All pumps have filters, they are behind the sheet metal you can't see them.

 

A lot of the new tanks are fiberglass or similar to eliminate the rust problem, if I'm not mistaken... wasn't there some sort of regulation prohibiting new stations to install metal tanks any longer? I'm not 100% sure of that...

 

I'm not sure on the current standards either. Our tanks are metal with a fiberglass outer shell to prevent leakage.

 

Thats pretty much standard. Some places have been known to squeeze 50 years or more out of a tank. A lot of it really depends on the station owners efforts to adhere to regs. Some try to get away with not maintaining their monitoring equipment, others try to monitor slightly better than regs. Every once in a while you get a total shithead who has known about a leak for years and hasn't done a single thing to remediate until the state enviro board cracked down on his ass.

 

Do septic tanks have the same concept? I’ve been told they are good for life as long as you take care of them...

My Grandma’s lake house in Maine was built in like 1975 and I’m pretty sure it has the original septic tank.

 

I don't know the definition of "cheap" that you are using. Gasoline is a government regulated formula. Most likely Brand A, B, C ... all come from the same refinery and have the exact formulation - including some detergents. What is different is what the different brands ADD to the standard gasoline when it enters the tankers. Chevron will add Techron. Shell will add V-Power, etc. The top-tier fuels have more detergents than standard fuel. PEA is a common nitrogen based additive in top-tier fuels. Now if your definition of "cheap" is low vs. higher octane then it's all about the compression ratio and altitude. Octane reduces the flash point of fuel so the air/fuel mixture doesn't ignite before it's suppose to due to heat on the compression stroke. If it isn't knocking or pinging then high octane is a waste of money. Sometimes engine computers can advance the timing when higher octane is used. This may give you 1MPG better economy but cost of the high test fuel gives you worse cost per mile. In higher altitudes regular gas has 85 octane where sea level its 87. The lower oxygen in the air already reduces pre ignition and so you can get away with 85 octane.

Just put in what the manual says and let the engine computer do the rest.

 

The window sticker on my truck said 19 City and 25 highway; My Tacoma is the lightest 2nd Gen you can get, a 5-lug RC...

I observed close to 30 MPG on the highway once. Since then, the highest I’ve seen on the highway is 20-22. Around town, I’m lucky if I crack 18 MPG. I’ve seen figures as low as 14-15 MPG.

The truck is a 2.7L/auto with almost 108K on the clock. My truck is very lovingly maintained, and the only factors I can see contributing to the poor MPGs are idling in parking lots from time to time, and prolific A/C use during the summer.

The engine runs great and shows no signs of being the slightest bit out of tune. The oil is changed every 7,500 miles and I use Mobil 1 full synthetic 0W-20. All major fluids were changed in 2018. My aunt’s ex-girlfriend said I should run premium no matter what the owner’s manual says (my truck takes 87, obviously), but I think it’s a waste of money.

 

Are you heavy on the pedal and are your tires the exact size it came with?

 

Septic tanks don't usually go bad or give trouble, they are concrete. Keep them pumped like they should and all is good.

 

Back then, my definition of cheap (as well as my parents’) was a privately owned gas station and/or a brand we’d never heard of.

In 2000, we fueled up the aforementioned GMC Safari at a Sinclair station in Wyoming. Sinclair’s dinosaur logo resembles the Dinoco logo from Pixar movies like Toy Story and Cars.