And the ethanol problem is also dependant apon state and county. I live in the sticks but 45 minutes from Raleigh/Durham so we have all the same polution requirements/inspections as the bigger cities due to being in counties ajancent to their counties. Sorry for the spelling, my brain is befuddled on numbers right now.

 

I have the "May contain up to 10% ethanol" in my area. What really rubbed me the wrong way is with in the past couple years octane ratings went down in my area. At Sunoco premium used to be 93 octane now its been downgraded to 91 octane but the price is the same diff. Ultra 94 was downgraded to Ultra 93 and guess what price remained the same difference from 87 as it was before. Ethanol has a high octane rating so gas should go up in octane as ethanol is added. Its screwey.

 

But there is less stored energy in Ethanol so mileage gains will be offset with the higher octane or probably even go down overall.

 

Yeah I know ethanol is less fuel efficient. I was questioning why the octane ratings of gasoline at the pumps have reduced in the past couple years.

 

I am sure it has something to do with some one up the supply chain making more money.

 

Thats what I figured.

 

One note, after 3 tanks of 87 octane on the new O2 sensors I am getting a mild pinging in the 1500-2000 rpm range while accelerating in the late afternoon (driving home from work on 2 lane road). My engine gets to full temp no problem as I drive 21 miles each way. The only thing I can think of is that it is 60F or less in the morning and has been 80F+ in the evening so the air temp may be affecting me. I wonder if my MAF needs replaced, I have tried cleaning and then reseting the computer but didn't seem to make a difference. Anyone have thoughts on this?

Thanks,

 

My short story on my pinging problems.

When I first drove off with my new truck I was suprised at how much it pinged under moderate to hard acceleration. And did so for many thousands of miles there after. Fresh fuel filters and air filters did little to fix the problem. Neither did switching brands of fuel, and I never pumped higher than 87 octane.

So I accepted the problem, drove it in a mild mannered fashion for "better fuel economy" and she towed my lil pop up w/o so much as a whimper.

Then one day, about 10,000 miles ago I wanted to experience what people on this forum were talking about. This V10s awsome power, so I said f it.

I'm not one for abusing something I've worked hard for, but I began to drive it like I stole it, pinging be damned. And slowly, but surely, over a few days of driving with shift points around 4500rpms, the pinging all but stopped.

Now with 45,000 miles on her she's a blast to drive, unloaded, with a bed of green firewood, or a 3770lb pop up behind her.

The pinging is so infrequent, it's barely noticeable. The acceleration is increadably smooth up to 4500rpm. Where as I used to shift regularly at 2000rpm, I now shift at 2750rpm to 3000rpm.

Was there carbon build up on the piston tops, or cylinder head? (shouldn't have been any in a new engine) And the aggressive driving burned it away? I have no idea, nor do I have an explanation as to why the pinging has greatly subsided. I can honestly say the pinging has abated considerably.

And as for running 87 octane w/ 10% Ethanol, or running regular 87 octane gas. I've noticed very little performance or fuel economy difference what so ever between the two. Odd thing is, I'm over due for plugs, and I'm sure the plug gap may be a tad wider than it should be. We'll see when I change 'em out soon.

Once again, a great forum, and a great crew of V10 owners!

Enjoy,
RustyFuryIII

 

Not to brag but my '99 V10 runs just fine on regular gas. It has 83K on the clock and I tow regularly. I am pretty sure regular around here (Great Northwet) is 91 octane but to be honest, I haven't looked lately. Mine has never pinged even towing 7,500# uphill on a mountain pass. One of the perks of the V10 I thought was that it would run fine on regular. Ethanol could be a problem if you live where it is blended. I also know if you put in a programming chip, it usually requires an upgrade in octane. I average 10-14 MPG not towing.

 

So true.
I learned this years ago with motorcycle engines.
Ethanol is THE wild variable. And you never know if your running it or not.