http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040528/ap_on_re_us/sulfur_in_gas

Todays Yahoo news has this article on high sulfur levels in Shell gasoline (originating from a Southern US Shell refinery).

Yeah I know this is the diesel forum. FYI

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84 300DT Puke Yellow. Totalled after 438,000
84 300DT Orient Red. 169,000 (actual mileage may vary)
2002 Explorer EB (wife's)

I replaced the small plastic primary filter in my 300D, then I ran three tanks of Shel Diesel through it. When the car started to buck and snort, I looked at the fliter. It was full of something black that looked like asphalt.

I replaced the filter, then wrote Shell. I told them the number of the pump and the address of the station, and that in my opinion, their fuel had gummed up my filter and that they owed me three dollars.

They did not respond or even acknowledge my e mail, which did not come back as undeliverable.

I re-sent the message four times. No response at all.

I would avoid Westar as well, since they sold me some water and ruined my turbo and I could not even find an address to write to.



No response.

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Semibodacious Transmogrifications a Specialty

1990 300D 2.5 Turbo sedan 171K (Rudolf)
1985 300D Turbo TD Wagon 219K (Remuda)

"Time flies like and arrow, yet fruit flies like a banana"
---Marx (Groucho)

We get our gasoline from Citgo or Mobil, and our diesel from Texaco, Pilot, or Mobil truck stops. Shell is usually the most expensive around these parts anyway.
-Joe

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

Joe, are there still Texaco stations down there? Around here, Shell took over about 99% of them.

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Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Yep, one Texaco station, and its a truck stop. It's at Almeda-Genoa Rd. and Hwy. 288 (South Freeway). It's probably the last Texaco in town.

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

From the article it states that Shell owns Texaco:

For what it's worth, I think some gasoline companies are upping the alcohol content in the gasoline fuels. Until recently I purchased Union 76 for my gas vehicles, my 60 HP Merc outboard and my lawn tractor.

This spring I started to have trouble with fuel delivery in all three. I also had black stuff in my filters. It turned out to be dissolved rubber from the fuel system The car is an 02 which should be resistant - not. The Merc motor was leaking gas out of the fuel pump - the gas ate through the pump diaphram.

I switched to Chevron after I fixed all three and have no evidence of any further damage.

My theory is it is cheaper for the refineries to blend in alcohol since they get more profit when they charge at the pump for 100% dino.

Also watch out for deterioration at the connections

I won't add to this thread anymore since its diesel and I don't want flak, but I thought it might be of benefit.

The probems are many. Fuel is fuel and just because you bought it at joeschmoes gas station does not make it different from the place across the street. When local fuel distributors purchase bulk fuel, they only differentiating factor is the additives that they then put into the fuel. New federal laws mandate different fuel characteristics for different areas of the country for different times of the year.
Most fuel now has alcohol in it to raise the octane rating. Areas of high concentrations of population have "reformulated", oxygenated fuel, which burns "cleaner." Look at the dispensers and the redesigned nozzles in the city.

Because the pickup tube for an in-ground tank is three to five inches from the bottom of the tank, many (read MANY!) fuel stations fill the tanks with two to four inches of water. They do this so that their money is not "wasted" on fuel that they can never sell. They put water finding paste on a stick and measure to maximize the water benefit.

I have seen the people dump five gallon buckets of alcohol at a time to the tanks when they put too much water in.