1. What is gasoline?

Gasoline is the fuel designed for spark-ignition internal combustion

engines. In some parts of the world, it is called petrol. Conventional
gasoline is a mixture of compounds, called hydrocarbons, derived
from petroleum crude plus a small amount of a few additives to
improve its stability, control deposit formation in engines, and
modify other characteristics.
2 . What is oxygenated gasoline ?
Oxygenated gasoline is conventional gasoline to which oxygenates
have been added to increase octane andor, as re!uired by
regulation, to reduce emissions. Oxygenated gasoline is re!uired in
the ".#. during winter in those metropolitan areas that do not meet
the federal air !uality standard for carbon monoxide $carbon
monoxide no attainment areas%. &eformulated gasoline's in the ".#.
also are oxygenated, but year-round. (he common oxygenates are
ethanol and methyl tertiary-butyl ether $)(*+%. Other ethers that
may be used are tertiary-amyl methyl ether $(,)+% and ethyl
tertiary-butyl ether $+(*+ .$
3. Will oxygenated gasoline perform as well as conventional
gasoline in my vehicle?
Oxygenated gasoline will perform as well in modern vehicles with
engine control systems that ad-ust the air-fuel ratio. Oxygenated
gasoline may cause some drive ability problems in carbureted cars
and fuel in-ected cars without engine control systems because they
result in an air-fuel mixture that is more fuel lean. Oxygenated
gasoline reduces fuel economy, on average, by . to / percent. (he
odor of gasoline oxygenated with )(*+ or the other ethers differs
from that of conventional gasoline.
4 . What is knocking ?
#park knock is the sound of abnormal combustion. 0hen
combustion in a spark-ignition internal combustion engine is
initiated by a spark, the flame front should fan out from the spark
plug and travel across the combustion chamber rapidly and
smoothly. If the last part of the air-fuel mixture ignites
spontaneously $auto ignites% before the flame front arrives, the
sudden -ump in the pressure in the cylinder creates the characteristic
knocking or pinging sound. 1nocking occurs because the octane of
the gasoline is below the antiknock re!uirement of the engine at that
moment .
5. Can knocking harm my engine?
Occasional light knocking won't harm an engine. 2eavy or
prolonged knocking can result in loss of power, overheating of parts
in the cylinder and engine damage.
. What is octane?
!ctane n"m#er is a measure of the antiknock !uality of gasoline 3
the ability of the gasoline to resist knocking when it is burned in an
engine. (here are two laboratory tests to measure octane that are run
in a single-cylinder engine operated under different conditions4
&esearch octane n"m#er $&O5% and )otor octane n"m#er
$)O5%. (he octane n"m#er posted on ".#. gasoline dispensers in
service stations is the antiknock index $,1I% 3 the average of &O5
and )O5 6$&O5 7 )O5%., usually abbreviated $& 7 )%.8. (he
,1I was chosen as the posted value in the ".#. because experience
showed it to be the best indicator of the antiknock performance of
gasoline in the ma-ority of ".#. vehicles. In other parts of the world,
&O5 fre!uently is posted on the pump.
$. What octane gasoline sho"ld % "se in my vehicle?
9or starters, use a gasoline with the ,1I or &O5 recommended by
your owner's manual. $, rule of thumb is that the &O5 of a gasoline
e!uals the ,1I 7 :.% "sing gasoline with an antiknock rating higher
than that re!uired to prevent knock will not improve a vehicle's
performance, including its power, unless the vehicle is e!uipped
with a knock sensor $see below%.
(here are three reasons why your vehicle might knock on a gasoline
with the ,1I or &O5 recommended by the owner's manual. ;% (he
engine is at the upper end of the octane n"m#er re!uirement range.
(he octane n"m#er re!uirement of each engine in vehicles of the
same make and model is a little different because of variations in
manufacturing tolerances. .% (he octane n"m#er re!uirement of the
engine increased more than usual because the e!uilibrium level of
the combustion chamber deposits is higher than usual. /% (here is a
mechanical or electrical problem with the engine or engine control
system.
In many modern vehicles, the driver may never hear knocking when
the ,1I or &O5 of the gasoline is lower than the octane n"m#er
re!uirement of the engine because the engine is e!uipped with a
knock sensor that temporarily retards spark timing to prevent knock.
(his ad-ustment will result in loss of power and acceleration. In this
case, switching to a gasoline with a higher ,1I or &O5 will
improve performance and increase power. *efore making a
permanent change, it is advisable to have a mechanic determine that
the emissions control system is functioning properly.
&. What will happen if % "se the wrong octane n"m#er gasoline
in my vehicle?
"sing a gasoline with an ,1I or &O5 lower than that re!uired by
your vehicle will cause the engine to knock or, if the engine is
e!uipped with a knock sensor, decrease the vehicle's power and
acceleration. "sing a gasoline with an ,1I or &O5 higher than that
re!uired by your vehicle is a waste of money.
'. (ow can % stop my vehicle from knocking?
2ave a mechanic determine whether your engine is in tune and the
emissions control system is functioning properly. If it is, then there
are two courses of action. ;% "se a gasoline with a higher ,1I or
&O5. .% (reat the gasoline with an aftermarket deposit control
additive concentrate based on polyether amine chemistry. If there are
combustion chamber deposits in the engine, the treatment will
reduce them, which, in turn, will lower the octane re!uirement of
the engine and decrease its tendency to knock until these deposits
reform.
1). (ow can % increase the octane n"m#er of premi"m "nleaded
gasoline for "se in my 1'' high*compression*ratio engine
designed to "se high*test +'5 ,-%. premi"m leaded gasoline?
,dditives available in auto parts stores will increase the octane
n"m#er of unleaded premium gasoline. (he ones that contain high-
octane aromatics andor )(*+ do not provide much benefit
because the volume being added is too small. (he ones that contain a
manganese anti-knock additive will provide an increase in octane
n"m#er that could solve your problem. *ut the increase likely will
not be great when added to premium unleaded gasoline as suggested
on the label.
12. /o engine deposits really make a difference?
<eposits in carburetors or on fuel in-ectors can affect the engine's
overall air-fuel ratio as well as individual cylinder air-fuel ratio,
which in turn can affect fuel economy and emissions. Intake valve
deposits also can affect emissions and, if heavy enough, can reduce
power. Combustion chamber deposits affect octane n"m#er
re!uirement and can affect some emissions. (he federal government
and the state of California re!uire the use of deposit control
additives in gasoline because of their concern that deposits can affect
emissions. If the automobile manufacturers wanted deposits in their
engines, they would build them that way.
13. (ow long can % store gasoline witho"t it going #ad?
Gasoline stored in a tightly closed container in a cool place will stay
good for at least one year. It is better if the container or fuel tank is
almost $=: percent% full. If the container or fuel tank will be in the
direct sun or will be heated above />?C $@>?9% much of the time, add
an aftermarket fuel stabiliAer to the gasoline when you first buy it.
Gasoline-oil blends for two-stroke cycle engines stored under the
proper conditions will keep as well as gasoline itself.
14. Can % "se motor gasoline in my airplane?
Chevron (exaco recogniAes that some older planes are certified
6#upplemental (ype Certificate $#(C%8 to use motor gasoline. (he
gasoline must meet the re!uirements of the gasoline specification
$,#() < B@;B% and must not contain ethanol. Chevron strongly
recommends ,G,I5#( using motor gasoline in place of aviation
gasoline. ,viation gasoline is made to different standards and,
because of the serious conse!uences of engine failure, is distributed
with extra attention to purity and cleanliness. In addition, the pilot
will not always know whether the gasoline is oxygenated and, if so,
what oxygenate it contains. ,nd motor gasoline deposit control
additives have not been approved for use in aviation fuels.
15.Can mothballs increase octane?
The legend of mothballs as an octane enhancer arose well before WWII
when naphthalene was used as the active ingredient. Today, the
majority of mothballs use para-dichlorobenzene in place of
naphthalene, so choose carefully if you wish to experiment -!. There
have been some concerns about the toxicity of para-dichlorobenzene,
and naphthalene mothballs have again become popular. In the "#$%s,
typical gasoline octane ratings were &%-'% (""), and during the "#*%s
and &%s, the ratings increased by approximately $% units as al+yl
leads and improved refining processes became widespread ("$).
,aphthalene has a blending motor octane number of #% (-$), so the
addition of a significant amount of mothballs could increase the
octane, and they were soluble in gasoline. The amount usually re.uired
to appreciably increase the octane also had some adverse effects. The
most obvious was due to the high melting point / 0%1 !, when the fuel
evaporated the naphthalene would precipitate out, bloc+ing jets and
filters. With modern gasolines, naphthalene is more li+ely to reduce
the octane rating, and the amount re.uired for low octane fuels will
also create operational and emissions problems.