Tip Shakedown

[1Jerseydevil]

Guess you didn't get the memos about "illegal credit card skimmers that are very easy to install inside of a gas pump" or the "low quality" of Wawa gas. Neither did I.

Actually, I did read that. I guess you can not see the card skimmer. Not likely on a name brand station but possible. I think that is more likely on small off brand independent stations. As for the quality of gas, again off brand no name stations quite possible. As for Wawa, Quickcheck and other large chains I'm calling BS. Most of the tankers I see are from a fuel delivery company and most fill up at the same fuel supply. Now Sonoco may have it's own tanks and trucks, I've seen that.

 

[leahey]

Wow, that is really bad. About 20 years ago, I was sitting in traffic at the Hartford Road light on Route 70 East when a guy rear-ended me, causing a chain reaction that totaled my car and a couple others. Luckily, nobody was injured. So this sounds like another good reason to avoid that area.

Absolutely! The station (Citgo, I think) across from Acme is run by a nice guy that doesn't seem as interested in bilking customers -- should find yourself in the area and needing a fill-up anyway!

That is a bad stretch there. The lanes merge and split and the intersections are busy. Really on 70, running East to West, every intersection beginning with Eayrestown (the one with the Wawa) and ending with the Evesboro-Medford Rd./Rt. 70 fork is life-in-hands stuff.

 

[Boyd]

Well, I don't think we can blame Route 70 for my accident. A cop was right across the road and saw the whole thing. I think the guy who hit me was looking at the cop (who had pulled over a beat-up old car) and failed to notice that traffic was backed up at the light.

 

[enormiss]

I don't understand why credit companies don't prosecute stuff like this, money to burn I guess

 

[46er]

As for the quality of gas, again off brand no name stations quite possible.

All gasoline is the same, the difference between them is the age of it and the additives the various companies add to it, although the EPA regulates the minimum amount of detergents they all must add.

 

[manumuskin]

Your tank probably has gas; not the liquid kind. Usually caused by running it low before filling up. The air being displaced by the gasoline can't exit the tank fast enough, causing the nozzle to click off. Filling it slowly, not at full speed, usually helps.

yes I usually run it pretty low before filling.I have a m ile counter and I usually get down to about 40 miles left when I fill it.Thats about 2.5 gallons or so.Is this a bad thing?

 

[manumuskin]

I let it get so low because I detest going to the gas station because I know I"mn going to have to fool around getting them to fill my tank when I could do it faster,easier and better myself.

 

[old jersey girl]

yes I usually run it pretty low before filling.I have a m ile counter and I usually get down to about 40 miles left when I fill it.Thats about 2.5 gallons or so.Is this a bad thing?

Could be. All the crud/contaminates/condensate end up in the very bottom of the gas tank. That's why the intake line and often the fuel filter are not at the bottom. older cars like mine have more accumulation, one reason why I never let level fall below 1/4 full.

 

[MuckSavage]

@manumuskin. Running it that low isn't great. The fuel pump is an electric motor in the fuel tank. It uses the fuel as a cooling media. When the liquid level is low, the pump runs hot. @Zach McGarvey is a professional mechanic. Perhaps he can confirm or deny my thought

 

[MuckSavage]

Could be. All the crud/contaminates/condensate end up in the very bottom of the gas tank. That's why the intake line and often the fuel filter are not at the bottom. older cars like mine have more accumulation, one reason why I never let level fall below 1/4 full.

Hah! I never get below 1/4 tank because I get 12 mpg!

 

[bobpbx]

On the Medford Facebook group, every couple of months he comes up. Without exaggeration. They vary -- from shaking people down for $10 for $5 worth of gas, to harassing women and the inevitable fraud alerts on your card after getting gas there. Some quick quotes I just pulled (of, literally, dozens):

Thank you. That is a lot of great info.

 

[old jersey girl]

Hah! I never get below 1/4 tank because I get 12 mpg!

Does the model name begin with Sherman?!

 

[MuckSavage]

Nah. But it's kinda built like one. Natural habitat is alongside the fuel pump

 

[old jersey girl]

Nah. But it's kinda built like one. Natural habitat is alongside the fuel pump

So, tires not treads.

 

[old jersey girl]

Well, I don't think we can blame Route 70 for my accident. A cop was right across the road and saw the whole thing. I think the guy who hit me was looking at the cop (who had pulled over a beat-up old car) and failed to notice that traffic was backed up at the light.

Horrible area to drive; had to go regularly when my mom was in a retirement home in Medford. Route 70 traffic varied from hellbent yuppies at 60mph to stand on the brakes when they did a last minute stop at one of the many stoplights.

 

[46er]

yes I usually run it pretty low before filling.I have a m ile counter and I usually get down to about 40 miles left when I fill it.Thats about 2.5 gallons or so.Is this a bad thing?

Besides the other contaminants others have mentioned, you run the chance of sucking up water. Ethanol fuel is known to phase separate, which means after it absorbs all the water it can from the air, the water begins to collect in the bottom of the tank. The gas loses some octane as well, neither is a good thing. I have a 24 gallon tank in the Jeep and fill up when it gets down to a qtr tank with the cheapest per gallon or sooner if the price drops. I keep track of the fuel usage on 'Fuelly'; 57000+ miles tracked with an avg mpg of 20.8, 2,870 gallons.

 

[bobpbx]

I can remember riding route 70 to Lakehurst every day in the early 70's when it was still concrete.

Ga-dunk, ga-dunk, ga-dunk, ga-dunk. It could put you to sleep. I knew a boss from Lakehurst, he was returning home to Philly and fell asleep right before the circle and plowed into it.

 

[1Jerseydevil]

Could be. All the crud/contaminates/condensate end up in the very bottom of the gas tank. That's why the intake line and often the fuel filter are not at the bottom. older cars like mine have more accumulation, one reason why I never let level fall below 1/4 full.

That idea has been around since the invent of fuel tanks. I'm not going to dispute but logic defies that idea. The pickup is maybe an inch above the bottom and is fixed, it is not floating like the fuel level sensor. Being that as fact wouldn't the contaminants still be drawn in? I suppose the argument is that with more fuel in the tank, the contaminants are somewhat diluted by the sloshing of the gas in a moving vehicle. The main reason for not running a near empty tank is for the reduction of air volume which lessens the likelihood of condensation, thus water. As mentioned today's gas with ethanol has an attraction for water which then aids in the phase separation. To be honest most of our gas is crap. The public has been sold a bill of crap about ethanol, but that is another topic, LOL.

I haven't had a reason yet to pull a fuel tank, where exactly is the fuel pump located? The worst thing for a fuel pump is NOT changing the external fuel filter once a year. Backpressure from a dirt restricted filter is what really hurts the fuel pump, do your fuel pump a favor and your wallet and change the filter at least once a year.

 

[bobpbx]

I had an oldsmobile firenza station wagon in the 80's. I really liked it, smooth and comfortable. Stopped starting easily after 9 years. Two service stations gave up on it. I took a chance and took the tank off in crappy winter weather with no heat in the garage. I don't recall if it was the pump in the tank or the filter in the tank. But when I replaced it, the vehicle worked, but not too long. I was very lax in changing oil, and that's what did it in. You live, you learn.

 

[46er]

I haven't had a reason yet to pull a fuel tank, where exactly is the fuel pump located? T

That depends on the car. Older cars have a mechanical pump mounted on the block but some older ones have electric mounted external pumps between the tank and intake. My early 70's British cars are like that.

You can probably find a diagram for yours with a search.