Bad Fuel Pump or bad Fuel

Something similar happened to me day before yesterday. I filled up, and about 3 miles later engine starts to knock and then loses power and wont shift down when pressing gas. Yesterday I went to bring to the dealer, and problem was gone, so I turned around and headed for home.
Then... it starts pinging at low rpms as a load is introduced, a press on the pedal downshifts and all is fine. runs prefectly smooth except for that. I put some fuel stabilizer/water remover in it and some octane boost, but no improvement yet. It runs fine as long as it doesnt go below 1200rpm.
I am blaming the gas, so I will be adding premium as I go along and see if that cures it. fingers crossed.

 

Premium will have no effect if you want to save a few bucks. It's no better, it just delays combustion for high compression motors...which the Taco is not.

 

Surprisingly it is -- 11.8 to 1.

Through the magic of modern electronics they keep it from knocking on 87 octane.
"Not your father's Oldsmobile" I guess.

 

right, but high octane fuel will compensate for small amounts of water. It is reccommended that if you do have water in the fuel to use a high octane gas after getting rid of the bad gas. Also our trucks are higher compression- 11.8:1

 

What does octane have to do with helping with a little water in the gas?

 

High octane fuel appently helps to "remove" water. I have read this on several websites, but I used a stabilizer/water remover as well. My understanding is that It doesn't remove the water but dissolves so it mixes with the gas, so it doesnt separate and go to the bottom of the tank. I may be way wrong, but this is what i have read. They always state to run high octane once it is cleared out.

 

It's not the higher octane rating, but how that higher octane rating is achieved. Ethanol is often used to raise octane. Ethanol both absorbs water and mixes with gasoline, so a fill up of ethanol fuel of any octane rating helps clear water. Heet is basically a bottle of denatured ethanol.