Does anyone know if they sell anything that would test the fuel quality at the pump (i.e., water content, suspended matter, etc.) It would sure be nice if a simple fuel test kit was available.

There was this one time when my 91' Ford Thunderbird (equipped with the 5.0L V8 engine) and was driving back home from Gardena to San Diego. I filled my tank at the Mobil station that was close to my parents' place before I left. The car drove fine that day, but the next day, my whole car just died. Couldn't keep it idling and stepping on the gas didn't do nothing. I put bottles upon bottles of STP Gas Treatment and Heet, but to no avail. Catalytic converter was screwed and my fuel injectors were totally hosed. My T-bird at that time had only 10,000 miles on it and it had a major tune-up done prior to that incident.

To this day, I refuse to ever get gas at that station. And there are certain others where I'll never buy gas again because of questionable fuel quality.

Does anyone know if these people who run these gas stations ever monitor the fuel quality in their storage tanks or even check the quality coming from the tanker trucks?

Does your typical gas station have some kind of purification or filtering process built into their storage tanks? I've often wondered about this.

I personally feel they ought to give out inspection grading cards for fuel quality conditions like they do in the restaurants for their type of conditions. And if they fail, they ought to be shut down until they can demonstrate they can bring their fuel quality up to standards.

If I'm shelling out $3.50+/gal for fuel, I as well as every other consumer should have the peace of mind knowing they aren't at risk of putting contaminated fuel in their tanks.

How does everyone else feel about this?

Hi MysterHK, hello everyone,


Not much to work with. Please, tell us the rest of the story.

Did you tell the Station Owner about it?


Several thoughts. Waiting for more input.

Regards, Norm

I work for a petroleum service company. We see a lot of problems at gas stations. The most popular problem is water in the fuel, although I have seen many others.

Most all of the recent gas stations have a sophisticated tank probe system that will alarm if there is above a certain water content in the tanks. It is not uncommon for a station to have a small amount of water in thier tanks, as water will always sit on the bottom of fuel, and will not be picked up by the pumps.

Most all stations have either a particulate filter, or a water filter, or both on thier pumps to strain any debris. For gas, they filter down to 10 microns, and diesel is 30 microns. The station itself is rarely responsible for problems with the fuel, the truck carrier either contaminates the fuel in transport (sticking gas in a compartment that was last used to haul diesel or methanol, or something else), or the refinery puts out a "bad batch". There is NO way of acurately telling how much octane is in your fuel without gravimetric guaging equipment.

However, if you had a clear vile, you could take a fuel sample and test for water, or particulate quite easily. After sitting for 10 minutes, water will settle out to the bottom of the vile and look like oil/water on top of each other. Particulate and discoloring can be seen.

The other problem OLDER stations get is crud in the tanks after many years of use. Always go to the newest gas station you can find, one that may have been overhauled not long ago, or built within 7 years. The tanks will most likely never be cleaned throughout the life of the gas station. Newer tanks means less shit in the tank.

Just some info on the subject. I'd love to answer any other questions you may have about gas stations and bulk stations... If I dont know, I have the means to find out

Just something related:

I had to respond to a call a few weeks ago, where a truck carrier (no longer hauling for this company ) contaminated a 90,000 litre load of gas to a cardlock site. The analysis of the fuel showed UNREFINED CRUDE in the gas.

The fuel had 12 hours in the cardlock before someone filled a gerry can and noticed the fuel to be PITCH BLACK! Shortly after, the station started to get calls from customers left right and center that thier vehicle quit running. 45 vehicles had to be repaired and paid for. Tanks had to be steamed and all the lines and pumps had to be cleaned also. Total cost so far, and bills still tallying up was $250,000. Not all vehicles had shown up yet...

You'd be surprised what you dont know about your fuel, and wouldnt even find out about unless you had a major problem with your vehicle. And at this price, you'd expect nothing less than the BEST fuel!

Norm:

I don't know what else to tell you other than from the time I finally reached home until the next day, I still had a 1/2 tank of gas and didn't add any new gas. When my car was having problems maintaining idle, the engine would start overheating at the same time. The mechanic found water contamination everywhere in my fuel system and my catalytic converter beads. I didn't tell the gas station because I was living in San Diego at that time and the station was in Gardena. Even if I did tell the manager of the station, I seriously doubt that he would've done anything about it.

Aaron:

That is some fabulous information you just posted! Awesome! I wish more people like me could have access to that type of information. You rock!

That would be part of what I was looking for. What were the repairs, how much was the total bill, and did you submit it to the Station Owner?


OK. If someone ahead of you, who lived close, had advised the Owner/Manager of the problem, do you actually think the station would still be selling gas when you got there? In this litigious society?

Norm

To answer your first question Norm, I would say it was somewhere around $800. And I didn't pursue it. Back then, there was never really a lot of time to take care of personal business. I was in the Navy and on a ship that went to sea alot.

To answer your second question, "Who knows?" Many possibilities with many associated outcomes.

Hi 88delta88, all,


Same as in an automotive fuel tank.


Regulations and enforcement a little loose in Canada? ........ Bad batch? QC not what it should be?


So, that’s what that machine is called.


Can't speak for the other 49 states.

All Systems in California get periodic updates as mandated by our own EPA. Several years ago, it was updated tanks, and steel was replaced by "composite". There are no tanks over 10 years old in CA, most are less than 6.

Don’t remember the State Agency that checks fuel quality and octane ratings for accuracy. In this area, LA County Dept of Weights and Measures makes sure the meters on the pump are accurate. Samples are taken randomly by both State and County, and much more often than most people know.

Regards, Norm

Hi All,

Sometimes, I ask questions only to get people to think for themselves. Doesn't always get the desired results. Above is an example.


That was a lot of money when I was in the Navy. More than enough to justify the pursuit. Even now, it will buy a lot of beer.


I understand the circumstances. I would have collected the money, if the gas from that station actually caused the problem. The Owner/Manager would have told me if it did, or did not.

If I was beginning a WesPac cruise, my Parents could have easily collected it for me.


I do.

You would have gone to another station, because that one would not have been pumping any gas until proper repairs were made. Oh, and the person that did notify the station? Saved you, and many others (including the Station owner) a lot of time and money.

As far as returning to that particular station? When it opened back up, it would have had the cleanest system in town, if not the world.

Wait, I couldn't have been in the Navy. I'm not old enough.

Regards, Norm

Norm,

Regulations in canada and the states are much different, I am not sure in what ways.

Most carriers use common sense, and train employees properly with safety and the nessesary education as far as handling fuel goes. There are not rules to stop a carrier from hauling a different product in a containment unit that has previously been used for a different product, as proper drainage and flushing is implied.

Compartment changes are done all the time, and done properly, will not cause any problems. But, as demonstrated by Mantei's in Northern Alberta, major mistakes still happen, and really shouldnt. There SHOULD be rules to state that compartments hauling CRUDE and other unrefined oils should not be used to also carry refined, consumer products. Or at least be subject to a thourogh inspection prior.

As far as bad batches go, I havent been directly involved with a bad batch situation, but have heard stories from some of the "vetrans" around the shop. Shell Waterton refinery complex is a little under 2 hours from our shop, and we do a lot of work out there. They've had a few times where a massive recall has instigated a complete overhaul of equipment, and our guys were shifting around the clock until the job was done. So, bad batches (or more realistically, weak batches) are possible, although quite rare. I can say for certain I've purchased weak fuel before, and the car ran like crap, and as soon as fuel from another station was purchased, the car ran normally again.

When building a station in canada, now, you need to comply with the regulations. Double wall, fibreglass tanks are absolutely nessesary. No more steel tanks. Steel was found to build static charge underground and accelerate electrolysis, and too many tanks would leak and cause major ground contamination.

BUT, there is nothing to say that what is already buried at a station cant remain there if no significant leak is present (or known of). We have stations in southern alberta that were built in the late 70's, still using most of thier original equipment. Tanks, lines, and ancient bennett pumps, with mechanical pump computers... NO filters.... There is nothing stopping them.

Yes, Norm. And that's why we all love you.

I also recently had a bad tank, although it wasn't as bad. All it ended up doing was making alot of smoke when you gave it a shot. All clean now after some STP cleaner. Maybe just a little too much water latley. Who knows?

Hi all,



How long before the problem showed itself?

Norm

Pffft, 250k aint nutin for gas companies, they making 80,000 a MINUTE!!

Interesting number. Where did you get it?