Does anyone have comments on whether or not to use a higher octane fuel for their 4.6L Triton? I have a 1998 F150 short box. Manual says only to use regular fuel.

Thanks.

 

DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REG GAS BUT I ALWAYS USE IT BECAUSE THE OCTAINE CRAP AT THE PUMP IS A BUNCH OF BULL. I JUST BOUGHT A NEW 2002 AND IT SAYS TO USE 5W 20 OIL AND THAT IS EVEN TO LIGHT TO PUT IN MY LAWNMOWER. WHADDA YA THINK?

 

Why waste the money on a higher octane fuel? If your truck runs OK on regular, use it, that's what it was designed to use. You won't notice any performance improvement with the higher octane.



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'94 E-150 Conversion Van 4.9 / C-6 -- '89 Mustang LX 5.0

 

Run the 87 octane fuel in your truck and you will keep your engine cleaner inside(valves, etc.)have easier starting on cold mornings and save some bucks at the gas pump. The engine does not need any higher octane to perform properly, it will run worse and get worse gas milage on the high octane stuff. The 5w-20 oil will help save some fuel but you probably won't actually be able to tell. It works fine and Ford would not recommend it if it would increase warrenty repairs.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 04-Mar-02 AT 12:50 PM (EST)]The 4.6 has two oxygen sensors, MAP sensor, and a complicated EGR system that are constantly adjusting the rich and lean mixtures and firing by way of the ECM, this permits the use of the low grade fuel. If you get a pinging condition as a result of using lower grade 87 (brand name) fuel then it is due to a failure in one of the control systems.
That all being said, I have noticed 2.1 to 2.6 more milage per gallon increase when I use the high octane on long trips. I drive from Austin TX to Camden AK twice a year for work and the high octane barely breaks even in price VS milage.
Stick to the cheap name brand stuff.

 

Pinging is certainly a problem with my 97 F150 4.6L with 50,000 miles! I took it the local ford dealer which told me that the pass seat was squeaking rather than pinging. I had a few words with them!

I have had this problem for a while. I have replaced the spark plugs per one suggestion. I have been running mid grade fuel and it still pings! It doesn't come up with any codes and of course without a code, these mechanics these days can fix it.

You mention the O2's the MAP and the EGR. Any idea which is most likely? I'm betting on the EGR. Would appreciate your help.

 

EGR is a common cause of pinging from the Rangers up to the V10. Some dealers will claim to "fix" the problem by a simple reflash of the computer. Unfortunately, all they are really doing is retarding the timing and stealing horsepower. Make sure the EGR is checked by them!

 

I am sure many owners would glady take the min horsepower loss by retarding the timing VS the Ping.

 

The dealer should fix the actual problem, not hide it by retarding the timing. I can't believe someone would support having a dealer do this sort of bandaid cover-up. I had a dealer pull the reflash trick on me and it was a huge loss. The truck went back the next week for the correct fix. You pay for a certain horsepower, you should get it.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 05-Mar-02 AT 01:07 PM (EST)]Sorry, but you are clearly missing the point. If the timing is too advanced that it is causing pinging then you are getting horsepower that you did NOT pay for except that you will pay for it with HOLES IN YOUR PISTONS. Now as I said, I am certian many will take the horsepower loss to stop the pinging and I fully support the actual MFG timing setting if it is not to spec put it there. If there is an additional problem causing the pinging then by all means fix it. There are thousands with some form of pinging and not all of them actually have a mechanical problem.
Huh, maybe their timing is simply too advanced and without the distrubutor the flashing is how we set the timing and not set codes.

 

I am well aware of the issues involved with timing being too advanced. I've built several engines and I'm not an idiot. This is 100% NOT an issue of the timing being too advanced. For the compression ratio of the engine and air/fuel mixture, the stock timing is right on the money....

The problem is that you buy a new truck, it runs fine for a few thousand miles (three thousand in my case) and then starts developing a bad EGR. The EGR causes the pinging because it causes the heads to be too hot. So, rather than spend the money to repair the EGR, the dealer reflashes your computer, which is free and takes about 1 minute. This is the same case with shift valves on some of the diesels, rather than address the problem, they reprogram the computer to make the shifts even mushier in order to mask the problems....

 

In your case the specific dealer you are referring to should be reported to Ford and the BBB. You are referring to cases of FRUAD and I and referring to cases of the best timing setting for a vehicle. The flashing process was not created to deceive customers. We all remember the days of timing lights and distributor wrenches and when you get 75,000 mile on a engine, the book timing will not always be the best for your engine. Hell we all use to advance until we pinged and then backed off a few degrees. Flashing the ECM is no different than flashing your home computers BIOS. The flash can be programmed to update/change what ever it is designed to repair. Key word here is repair, I am not talking about flashing to reduce the cost of performing needed repair to faulty systems.
Just as we did for years, we would fix all known problems and retard the timing if necessary. I have had to reset ECM controlled timing on factory new vehicles from Cadillacs to Escorts and it is supposed to be a factory-approved procedure. I have also had older vehicles come in where customers had incorrectly set their own (non-ECM controlled) timing.
My point is, do not rule out a timing adjustment as a form of repair.

 

Yeah, I remember the days of timing lights, still use one on my 67 F100. Most older engines also ran richer, were prone to carbon built-up on the pistons (whiched raised compression requiring timing to be backed off), had sloppy tolerances, needed frequent tune-ups, broke down often, used mechical distributors with inprecise timing, etc.

Dealer reflashing to get around problems is a very common practice... there are many TSBs that specify reflashing as a remedy for pinging, a remedy for transmission shudder when changing gears, for premature clutch pack wear, etc. Ford vehicles adjust the timing automatically. The computer adjusts advanced, shift points, idle, based on driving habits, fuel quality, etc. This is why disconnecting the battery to reset the computer often gives a slight performance boost. You said it yourself:

"The 4.6 has two oxygen sensors, MAP sensor, and a complicated EGR system that are constantly adjusting the rich and lean mixtures and firing by way of the ECM, this permits the use of the low grade fuel. If you get a pinging condition as a result of using lower grade 87 (brand name) fuel then it is due to a failure in one of the control systems."

Since the ECM adjusts timing automatically, if the dealer has to do a reflash because of pinging, most of the time the problem is something else. The EGR problem is very common. Do a search here, on the Explorer and Ford newsgroups, and you'll see what I mean.

As to deception by a dealership and its techs.... what else is new? A lot of Ford dealer service sucks, I've watched thousands of people on FTE for 5 years and its a common theme. Ford has no one to blame but themselves because a) they allow dealers to continue to do it and b) their flat rate pay structive has forced many good techs to either rush, take shortcuts or go work for other brands. I love Fords, I hate their service structure.

 

I was very interested in your conversation about the 4.6l ford engine. I have a ford E150 4.6l van and my "service engine soon" light came on and my van started sputtering, i had it tuned up and the fuel filter replaced and it was fine for about half a day and it is doing it again. I have heard that >80% of he time it has something to do with Emissions, could this be the Oxygen Sensors and if so should I just replace both of them?

The reason I am asking is because I live in Germany and they do not work on many fords over here.

Thanks for any assistance

Terry

 

>Run the 87 octane fuel in your truck and you will keep your
>engine cleaner inside(valves, etc.)have easier starting on
>cold mornings and save some bucks at the gas pump.

Hey Carguy,
I agree he will save money on regular, and the engine will not perform noticeable better, but 87 octane gas will NOT keep your engine cleaner that premium fuel, and certainly not start better on cold mornings! Where are you getting your information?


The engine does not need any higher octane to perform properly,
>it will run worse and get worse gas milage on the high
>octane stuff.

What??? The engine will NOT RUN WORSE or get WORSE GAS MILEAGE on premium fuel. Most people get Better fuel mileage on premium fuel, although not enough to offset the additional price. Once again, where are you getting your information?

I'm not trying to be a smart-a##, but I had to question some of your responces. No offence intended!

Bru