Adulterated Gasoline Damages Dozens of Guadalajara Cars

[Alpha1]

Guadalajara motorists stuck with poor quality gasoline until 2025

The excessive levels of aromatics, which make air pollution worse and can cause engine problems, are present in both regular and premium gasoline sold in the Jalisco capital.

Seems ironic that Jalisco is implementing emission testing with these fuels.

 

[cedros]

Damn. That is all we need. Thanks for posting that.

[sunshineydays]

$$$?

[CHILLIN]

After living on a farm with one lawn tractor, one ride on lawn mower, two push lawnmowers, two chainsaws, one gas powered air compressor, one gas leaf blower, three vehicles- I really had to know about gasoline. One thing I learned is that todays gas pump gasoline has a lot of additives to save money. It would go "bad" after six weeks. The octane and aromatics evaporated. Engines were hard to start and weaker. Your choice was to buy an expensive octane booster liquid, or buy gas from a particular station. This gas was higher in aromatics and lasted in tanks much longer. This claim had been tested and proven correct by a well known chainsaw company.

Most modern vehicles have computers and sensors which can adjust the fuel mixture. On the other hand, my 1991 diesel truck could run on cooking oil or home heating oil. My 1972, 22 foot motorhome, didn' t even have a gas tank air filter. The motorhome was not fussy about octane, but after getting the engine rebuilt by a professional race car company, and a new Holley four barrel carburator, I think it got only 8 miles per gallon. That is why I did not bring it down. Now I wish I had because it would have made, or sold as, an ideal food truck conversion. Over 300 hp and a high torque cam used for tow trucks, it could have easily tackled any mountain that Mexico offered. I probably could have used Amtrack's new auto and train service to travel through from Seattle to San Diego. Surprisingly affordable, if you don't mind travelling coach. You travel by train, your vehicle is stored in a seperate rail car.

[ea93105]

And up north the ethanol content can damage your car.

If it ain't one thing......

 

[rafterbr]

The problem in the United States is the use of ethanol in the gasoline. By law the petroleum companies must use so much unless they can get a waver.  In the states the ethanol is usually made from corn.  At the time of the law, corn was a very low price and oil was getting scarce so they decided the adding ethanol usually 10% would be a good thing . Chillin is correct the problem is the carburetor.  New cars have carburetor's that are designed to accommodate the ethanol. Your one cycle engines like for weed eaters, lawn mowers, chain saws, etc do not have carburetor that will accommodate the ethanol.  The ethanol forms a varnish in the carburetor and they will soon cease to run. You can still buy gasoline in some station's without ethanol and I buy it for all my equipment and old tractors.  My new truck I use the ethanol gasoline and so far no problems.  Corn is at record prices now and there is sufficient oil so there is an effort to do away with the ethanol law.  Once a law is on the book sometimes its hard to change it but there is a world wide shortage of corn and it is needed for food and feed.

[MtnMama]

Electric cars are looking better and better...

[lakeside7]

12 hours ago, rafterbr said:

The problem in the United States is the use of ethanol in the gasoline. By law the petroleum companies must use so much unless they can get a waver.  In the states the ethanol is usually made from corn.  At the time of the law, corn was a very low price and oil was getting scarce so they decided the adding ethanol usually 10% would be a good thing . Chillin is correct the problem is the carburetor.  New cars have carburetor's that are designed to accommodate the ethanol. Your one cycle engines like for weed eaters, lawn mowers, chain saws, etc do not have carburetor that will accommodate the ethanol.  The ethanol forms a varnish in the carburetor and they will soon cease to run. You can still buy gasoline in some station's without ethanol and I buy it for all my equipment and old tractors.  My new truck I use the ethanol gasoline and so far no problems.  Corn is at record prices now and there is sufficient oil so there is an effort to do away with the ethanol law.  Once a law is on the book sometimes its hard to change it but there is a world wide shortage of corn and it is needed for food and feed.

New gasoline cars do not have carburetor, they were dropped years ago. Coming back to the question of gasoline quality remember that many station dealers adulterated gas by adding water to the storage tanks.

Assuming we at Lakeside have the same gasoline distributor, I wonder why Guadalajara has the problem and not Lakeside? Yes There are a lot more Independent station in Guadalajara,  is the problem only with Pemex or the Independents?

[Mostlylost]

58 minutes ago, lakeside7 said:

New gasoline cars do not have carburetor, they were dropped years ago. Coming back to the question of gasoline quality remember that many station dealers adulterated gas by adding water to the storage tanks.

Assuming we at Lakeside have the same gasoline distributor, I wonder why Guadalajara has the problem and not Lakeside? Yes There are a lot more Independent station in Guadalajara,  is the problem only with Pemex or the Independents?

The independents receive their gas from the Pemex distribution center for the GDL area including Chapala.  If it is a brand name there will be additives added to the gas that that brand furnishes..

[lakeside7]

2 hours ago, Mostlylost said:

The independents receive their gas from the Pemex distribution center for the GDL area including Chapala.  If it is a brand name there will be additives added to the gas that that brand furnishes..

I guess that was not my question.  IS THE PROBLEM ONLY WITH PEMEX AND OR THE INDEPENDENTS?

[lakeside7]

15 hours ago, MtnMama said:

Electric cars are looking better and better...

Good luck with maintaining low running cost using electric  vehicles in Mexico. In the future we may have stabilized climate change,  but the eccomy will be decimated 

[Mostlylost]

30 minutes ago, lakeside7 said:

I guess that was not my question.  IS THE PROBLEM ONLY WITH PEMEX AND OR THE INDEPENDENTS?

As I posted.....The independents buy their gas from PEMEX ...So logically if there is a problem it is with both.

The majority of cars & light trucks manufactured for the last 20 years or more have direct fuel injection and the gas should not cause a problem. The computer automatically adjusts the timing, and fuel air ratio for the best performance. 

[lakeside7]

39 minutes ago, Mostlylost said:

As I posted.....The independents buy their gas from PEMEX ...So logically if there is a problem it is with both.

The majority of cars & light trucks manufactured for the last 20 years or more have direct fuel injection and the gas should not cause a problem. The computer automatically adjusts the timing, and fuel air ratio for the best performance. 

But logic in Mexico is not a valid word or function, are they? 

Question is the alleged contamination intentional or accidental,  with all this rainfall have the stations storage tanks leaked?

[RVGRINGO]

Water does not mix with gasoline, or other oil products, all of which will  float upon the water. So, any water in a gasoline tank will remain at the very bottom. If there is too much water in the tank, it may rise to the point where the suction occurs, and cause some to be delivered to vehicles. That would cause a similar situation in the vehicle's fuel tank, where it would be unlikely to reach the engine until the amount of water became really excessive.

[Mostlylost]

 It is not alleged.... It is not "contamination"  it is a higher level of aromatics such as benzene, toluene and xylene. Normally 25% it has been at 35% for the last few years from the refinery in Salamanca.

Take a minute and read the info in the link on the original post. 

 

[lakeside7]

2 hours ago, Mostlylost said:

 It is not alleged.... It is not "contamination"  it is a higher level of aromatics such as benzene, toluene and xylene. Normally 25% it has been at 35% for the last few years from the refinery in Salamanca.

Take a minute and read the info in the link on the original post. 

 

Thank you for the suggestion that I  read the article.  I am not sure that only Guadalajara is affected, rather where the distribution trucks go... a non story

[Go Solar]

9 hours ago, Mostlylost said:

The majority of cars & light trucks manufactured for the last 20 years or more have direct fuel injection and the gas should not cause a problem. The computer automatically adjusts the timing, and fuel air ratio for the best performance. 

Not sure that is correct......A good friend in Guad had his 2020 GMC truck into the dealer recently for injector damage.....

[Mostlylost]

Since we get the same gas lakeside, and have for years, if injector damage was a problem we would all be having the problem for a long time.  There are no reports in the media of this happening.

The Mexico News Daily story was more about the higher pollution caused by the higher level of aromatics and that Pemex is behind on lowering  the level from 35% to 25% . Like many news outlets they published an incomplete story using the language "can cause engine problems" with no information of what kind of problems, to what engines and no statistical information of actual damage. 

The OP sensationalized the story by using  "Adulterated Gasoline Damages Dozens of Guadalajara Cars" which is nowhere in the story presented in the link.

[lakeside7]

This week I read in a UK paper of similar experiences by drivers using blended  fuels, it seem this fuel is less tolerant to being stored  for "long period". Another  example of government's knee jerk response to a fuel shortage that no longer exists, but the legislation  does. This " the sky is falling in" must been carbon netraul by "x" year will kill the developed world economy 

[CHILLIN]

If I remember correctly, which is not always a sure thing these days, BP gas uses additional additives to improve performance, clean injectors, etc. That is why BP gas is a little more expensive than other brands.