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What kind of gas do you guys use?

C

CodyTRX

CEG'er
Joined
May 1, 2008
Messages
126
Location
WV
My first real thread. HA! Anyhow, just curious about what you guys are using to fill up your Contours. I know the SVTs are tuned from premium and the regular Duratecs can use regular. With my Cougar from what I've experienced, I can't put anything but premium without it pinging. It will only do it under load w/ regular gas in it. Since I noticed it was detonating, I put premium in it and no more pinging under load b/c I know this is super stressful on the engine and I don't want a hole through my piston(s). I thought maybe the combustion chamber, intake and exhaust valves being dirty and causing the combustion chamber temperature to go through the roof but I've always ran that STP complete fuel system cleaner before every oil change. I've seafoamed every 5-10K miles as well. Car runs amazing as well. No problems.

Ideas? What do you use? Any pinging for you SEs on regular fuel? I don't get it :shrug:
 
Doesn't matter if you can hear pinging or not. If premium is recommended, it should be run. Strategies are implemented to keep your engine from killing itself should you need to run lower grade fuel temporarily, but the whole system operates at its intended efficiency point with the specified fuel. I've talked to many non-Duratec owners with the same issue that say they didn't note any issues running reg-unlead, but their mpg's dropped canceling any cost savings.
 
the standard duratec was designed for regular, don't need to run anything else.

the SVT was designed for premium so that should be used. do note that one or two members have run regular but they have taken great care and have done so for a long time, like since new. I wouldn't suggest it for anyone else though.
 
I ran seafoam through the car last year around March I believe. I didn't get a whole lot of smoke like I was expecting. I was optimistic that it was going to get rid of my detonation issue - I was wrong. Thinking back it was cold that day and I'm not sure if I let the car warm up. Last month when I seafoamed the car had already been driven and was up to operating temperature when I seafoamed. Much more smoke. I haven't put regular in it since I seafoamed a few weeks ago but I've been on the same tank of gas - I don't drive the car that much.

I'm banking on the carbon build up inside the combustion chamber. I did probably half the seafoam through the vac ports and half through the gas tank. Is it okay to do an entire can through the manifold? I'm sure I needed to but didn't know if it was too much at one time. Whenever I swapped my stock manifolds for the SVT manifolds there was SOOO much carbon build up within the intakes. Upper and lower. I even cleaned the ports on the head as best I could. It was unbelievable. If the combustion chamber looks the way the intake manifolds did it'll take a lot more seafoam, haha.

Thanks for the info too, guys.
 
Dyoel182 said:
How easy do you drive the car when you do drive it? A good Italian tuneup may be in order. :)
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Normally. Just like anyone else. I get pedal happy from time to time but that's about it. When I say under load I mean going up an incline in 5th about 55mph and I give it a little more gas - it pings.

As far as the tune-up goes. I've long sinced covered that. Brand new plugs, wires, fuel filter, has K&N intake, whistle clean svt manifolds and throttle body, and seafoamed a few weeks ago. I've checked my coil and the resistance in it is fine...I'm praying I've fixed it with the last seafoam.
 
Thats why I'm thinking a good cleaner like Regane and some good Italian hard driving might help knock some of those deposits. There is one section of road that I drive every sunday where I downshift to 3rd and let the engine sing while a puff of carbon shoots out the back.
 
Dyoel182 said:
Thats why I'm thinking a good cleaner like Regane and some good Italian hard driving might help knock some of those deposits. There is one section of road that I drive every sunday where I downshift to 3rd and let the engine sing while a puff of carbon shoots out the back.
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Ohhh. THAT KIND of tune-up. :laugh:
 
Dyoel182 said:
Thats why I'm thinking a good cleaner like Regane and some good Italian hard driving might help knock some of those deposits. There is one section of road that I drive every sunday where I downshift to 3rd and let the engine sing while a puff of carbon shoots out the back.
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My kinda Sunday driving. :)
 
seafoam via the intake manifold vacuum ports is pointless if you haven't removed and physically cleaned the intake. it is good to help keep it clean but not to clean it.
 
BrApple said:
seafoam via the intake manifold vacuum ports is pointless if you haven't removed and physically cleaned the intake. it is good to help keep it clean but not to clean it.
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Right. But I've cleaned mine. :shrug:

svtuimopening.jpg
 
You didn't optimize your MAF like you mentioned here did you? http://www.newcougar.org/forums/2-5l-duratec-performance/132704-maf-optimization.html

You are sure your valve cover breathers are back in the intake so you aren't venting un-metered air? http://www.newcougar.org/forums/2-5l-duratec-performance/133026-vac-line-intake-tubing.html

Did you ever try a different set of wires instead of those thundervolts or a different set of plugs instead of those E3's? http://www.newcougar.org/forums/2-5l-duratec-performance/132663-what-kind-gas-do-you-use.html

Those E3 plugs suck, get a normal double platinum autolite plug in there. People have run split fire and Bosch +4's before and had issues. Having more electrodes for the spark to jump to can decrease the spark intensity so you generally have to run a smaller gap (if you can even gap these). I did a quick google search on the E3's and it sounds like lots of owners have had issues with them. Some mention their car running lean after install. Some mention the shoddy quality because they had weld issues out of the box. Some mention that the plug ends where they connect to the wire bend (WTF?).
 
I've always run regular grade, and from the cheapest station I can find, usually unbranded. I've never cleaned the fuel system. The dealer likes to throw in a bottle of fuel system cleaner in the gas tank at every 15,000 mile service, but I think its a total waste. I've never had any pinging issues.
 
Beachboy said:
I've always run regular grade, and from the cheapest station I can find, usually unbranded. I've never cleaned the fuel system. The dealer likes to throw in a bottle of fuel system cleaner in the gas tank at every 15,000 mile service, but I think its a total waste. I've never had any pinging issues.
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Well things probably arent as clean as they could be but as long as you arent pinging or hesitating on 87 you're doing just fine. However dont do what my ex did and use the cheapest stuff and then drive the car until its out of gas. The gunk I found in the bottom of her 3 year old gas tank and inside the pump assembly made me gag.
 
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