Stuck rings MAYBE?

[markpenn1]

Just a thought; observation? I had a converation with a friend the other day and he was commenting on a truck he has that kept burning out #3 cylinder plug and using oil. It was a mystery for a long time and a lot of plugs/oil. Anyway LONG story short, a mechanic friend of a friend; etc.. ask him if he was using ARCO gas; out here in AZ. my car mechanic calls it Russian crude. He can even tell what kind of gas one uses by the fuel filter sludge. Arco the worst and he makes a lot of $doe by dirty fuel filters. Anyway again; my friend who used ARCO was told to install new plug; stop using ARCO gas; use Chevron or top fuels; run few tanks of with Chevron Techron[?]. Ok he did this and no more plug or oil consumption issues. My friend amazed and very happy! Mechanic claims the crude fuel doesn't burn good causing the oil wiper rings; etc.. to stick[ not function properly] bypassing oil and burning oil/gas in combuster chamber taking out plug and using oil. Now why only happening in #3 cylinder? Maybe that particuliar cyl. runs hotter in that particuliar truck; don't know. Maybe the rest of the cylinders were getting close; but not burning out plugs yet; don't know. SOOooo I got to thinking with all the oil comsumption forum threads, I wonder if cheap gas along with lean settings may contribute to the oil useage issue in some of the folks out there? Just food for thought and don't want to start a " best gas" thread war either.

[cactusjack]

I would push any vehicle past an ARCO station to buy gas at a Chevron or Shell. I wouldn't use that garbage in my lawn mower (if I had a lawn mower, of for that matter, grass to mow).

[Loafer]

Doesn't the oil / gas industry have to meet certain requirements? Why would there be a big difference as to what you are referring to?

[Cajunrider]

I wonder what refinery is putting out this bad gasoline. The attorney generals of the states where it is sold could take action and shut the pumps down if it can be proven that the fuel is not up to API and EPA standards. There are no ARCO stations or stores in Louisiana that I've ever seen.

[cactusjack]

I wonder what refinery is putting out this bad gasoline. The attorney generals of the states where it is sold could take action and shut the pumps down if it can be proven that the fuel is not up to API and EPA standards. There are no ARCO stations or stores in Louisiana that I've ever seen.

They have a real bad reputation around here. I can't prove anything, but whatever I use their gas in runs differently. All our gas comes through pipelines from either El Paso or Los Angeles. There are no refineries in AZ.

[ringadingh]

I can see that happening with an engine, some motors seem to like a specific fuel and you can tell the difference when you use it. On a slightly different note I had a car with a 327 chev that would eat any spark plug except AC Delco's, with them it would run well for thousands of miles.

[Dave]

Gas is Gas. It's all the same through the pipeline. Only when it gets to the other end does the individual companies add their additives. Is he running Champion spark plugs? And watch out if he's using Fram filters.

[Cajunrider]

You are correct Dave if several refineries are transporting their gasoline in the same PL. It's more than likely what what the ARCO jobber isn't adding or the length of time it is being stored before being dispensed at the pumps. A local refinery here mistakenly put out high sulfur content gasoline for a short period of time because of faulty instrumentation at their site. It cost them millions in fuel gauge replacements on hundreds of thousands of vehicles. My vehicles run best on Shell and Conoco gasoline, including the Nomad. MPG are also better on those two. Around here, Conoco gasoline contains zero ethanol.

[macmac]

For a real opinion year, make and model help, also miles and what bloomin engine it is.

i suspect a vac leack on cly 3, but have no idea what engine we are tawkin'.

Bad gas is just weak. It may carbon up real bad, bt how long would you run weak bad gas? 1 tank at most i would think.

After my little USA tour was over after 10 months I reurned to my car and truck parked under trees in a field. That gas was stale and while these 2 engines started and ran sort of there was no power. I got on level ground, and syphoned the gas into jugs, and put in some new gas and they both returned to be fine.

The new gas mixed with some old stale gas, There are no drains and i wasn't that fussy since I knew more fresh gas was forth coming.

If this particular truck is a V-8 a lot of that type engines have EGR valves on cly 3 and or like cly 3... or vac lines due to the nature of the intake manifold having things to run off engine vacuum.

I never heard of arco gas.