Despite periodic inspections, many of which are spontaneous, many auto gas stations throughout Russia continue to offer their clients not quality fuel. Residents of regions where the sale of gasoline is much less controlled than in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities have to deal with this especially often.

If there are several available gas stations, car owners prefer to refuel at the same station that offers the highest quality fuel. Only professional expertise can guarantee its compliance with standards, but most car enthusiasts base their choice on the results of a number of simple “popular” checks. Read on to learn how to conduct them and independently assess the quality of the gasoline you purchase.

What are the risks of refueling with low-quality fuel?

Not all car owners, especially those whose driving experience is not yet extensive, are aware of the possible harm caused low-quality gasoline, so it’s worth touching on this topic a little.

The most common problems you may encounter are:

• Failure of spark plugs is a small but unpleasant problem, especially if you don’t have a replacement kit on hand. Usage low quality fuel can be identified during replacement by a reddish coating.
• Performance deterioration catalytic converter exhaust system.
• Malfunction of parts of the fuel system - fuel pump, injectors, sensors.
• Rapid wear filters.

Here it is worth understanding that in most cases a breakdown does not occur immediately after refueling a car with low-quality fuel. A small amount of impurities that regularly enter the above systems gradually accumulates in individual components and only when they reach a “critical mass” does it lead to breakdown or noticeable problems in operation. That is, you can regularly use the services of one gas station and not suspect that the car is subject to increased wear and tear.

How to check fuel quality?

There are several simple methods, but not all of them are convenient to do directly at a gas station. It is best to check the purchased fuel at home and decide for yourself whether to refuel at this gas station in the future or not.

By smell

The method is not very suitable for inexperienced drivers, but many experienced car owners can easily determine the presence of oil and additives in gasoline by its smell. The smell of clean fuel is very specific, and it should not smell like burnt rubber or gas. However, only a truly large number of additives can be identified in this way.

By color

To do this, pour fuel into a glass container. High-quality gasoline is colorless, so the presence of a yellowish or bluish tint clearly indicates the presence of impurities.

There are two ways to check fuel for oil content:

• Place some gasoline on your hand and wait until it evaporates. There should be no oil stains left on the skin.
• Use a sheet of plain paper. If after the fuel dries, oil or yellow-brown stains remain on it, it means that it contains impurities. High-quality gasoline evaporates without a trace.

This method is fast and safe enough, so you can take a drop of fuel directly from the dispenser gun before refueling the car.

For the presence of water

Most drivers believe that gasoline is mainly diluted with water. It is also not difficult to determine its presence: you need to add some potassium permanganate crystals (no more than 1/20 of the volume of liquid) to the container with fuel. If the mixture begins to turn pink, there is water in the gasoline.

For the presence of resins

This test requires a small, clean piece of glass. Pour some fuel on it and light it. After complete combustion There will definitely be stains on the surface, the color of which can indicate the presence of additives. Pure gasoline leaves white traces, resins leave yellowish or brown traces, and benzene leaves soot.

Of course, such a check should be carried out away from the gas station and any flammable substances.

For greater reliability you can use several methods at once, and if noticeable deviations from the norm are detected, it is better to change your main gas station as soon as possible, without waiting for problems to arise in the car.

Every car enthusiast has probably at least once in his life encountered unscrupulous gas stations who, instead of high-quality gasoline, fill the tank with who knows what. This situation can not only ruin your mood, but also result in car breakdown. Therefore, it is very important to be able to identify and stop the activities of such cunning people in a timely manner. How to check at a gas station without having a pocket laboratory with you? There are several simple tests, which we will discuss below.

Six rules for checking fuel

First, which should alert the car enthusiast when entering a gas station - these prices are significantly lower than the regional average. One should think about what is the reason for such an attraction of unheard-of generosity? The answer will most likely be disappointing.

Second What lets you know about low-quality fuel is the smell. When dealing with gasoline regularly, its smell is easy to remember. If it becomes sharper, it contains obvious notes of burnt rubber, gas, household chemicals or something else, it is better to avoid such a dressing.

However, gasoline can be diluted not only with additives, but also with ordinary water, which, naturally, does not have any foreign odors. Third The determining criterion may be the color of gasoline. Just pour a little into a transparent container and add a couple of drops of potassium permanganate there. Pure gasoline will not color. If it turns crimson, it means it was diluted with water. However, you can do without chemical experiments: you just need to remember that undiluted gasoline has a pale yellow color with a slight greenish tint. Any other shades of color do not indicate quality.

Fourth method: you can apply a little gasoline to your hand. Pure gasoline evaporates in the blink of an eye and begins to slightly dry out the skin. If an oily residue remains on the palm, it means there are foreign impurities in the fuel.

If you do not want to experiment on yourself, then you will come to the rescue fifth option: drop some gasoline on a clean white sheet of paper. Once dry, undiluted fuel will disappear without leaving any traces. If you see a stain, it means that something extra was mixed into the gasoline. For especially “advanced users” there are specially developed in Russian state university oil and gas named after. THEM. Gubkin express test strips. They act similarly to litmus paper: when a couple of drops of fuel hit them, they change color. Or they don’t change it if the fuel does not contain impurities.

Sixth the verification method is quite extreme: it will require additional equipment and move away from the gas station to a safe distance. You need to drop a little gasoline on the glass and set it on fire (obviously, this cannot be done on the spot - it is fraught with a big explosion). Decent quality gasoline leaves whitish spots after combustion. Resins and impurities in the fuel will show brown, yellow and other spots.

Even if gasoline does not cause mistrust, be sure to check its production date before purchasing. The absence of impurities does not at all mean the quality of gasoline, and expired fuel is no less harmful to the engine than diluted fuel.

If you have already filled up with fuel

It happens that you didn’t think to check the gas in time, and while driving, suspicions began to creep in. You can sin on fuel in two cases: if you are on Idling you observe thick black smoke with soot from the exhaust pipe and if “jumps” are reflected on the tachometer, indicating uneven operation of the engine. This picture is typical for low-quality fuel.

New cars always have a book that contains all the information on what to do to ensure that your engine lives happily ever after. The manufacturer also tells you in advance what kind of fuel needs to be poured into the engine, for example, only AI-95. That is why owners try to refuel their car only at well-known gas stations with a name and a large network. But there are different situations and in order not to harm your engine, we will tell you how to check the quality of gasoline at home, but at the same time we will discuss how to do this right at the gas station.

Home inspection

If you wish, you can collect several containers from different gas stations in your city and check them at home in order to find out where it is best to refuel in your city. You don't need to do anything complicated to do this. Impurities are often added to fuel and this is often the main problem.

Your task is to take a regular white sheet of paper and drop a little fuel on it. Ideally, the gasoline should evaporate and leave the sheet the same perfect white. If additives are present, they do not evaporate and various stains remain on the paper; their color may be different, it is impossible to say for sure. If the stain is greasy, then there is oil in the fuel.

Also, the manufacturer can use resins and this is normal, but they need to be added in a certain amount. An experiment was conducted that found that the presence of resins in excess of the norm immediately reduces the resource power unit as much as 24%. Agree, it’s a little scary for the engine. Your task is to take a small piece of glass and drop gasoline on it. After which it must be set on fire. If the glass remains clean or small white rings remain, then everything is perfect, there are either no resins, or they are in the right quantity. If any drops remain, this indicates that something has been added. diesel fuel, the so-called diesel fuel. If there are stains left after combustion Brown or yellow, then you can immediately mark this fuel as containing high amounts of resins.

You can also study density, but for this you need an additional device, this is the ANT-1 aerometer. Although it is not expensive, we understand perfectly well that we don’t want to spend money. He will help you, because there are very dishonest gas station owners who add additives to AI-76 and sell it as AI-92.

Density indicators for specific fuel brands:

• A-76 from 730;
• A-80 from 775;
• AI-92 from 760;
• AI-95 from 750;
• AI-98 from 780.

You can also check the quality of gasoline through color both at the gas station itself and at home. Manufacturers are required to color their fuel a certain color. AI-92 should have a roughly orange-red tint, and AI-98 blue. This will allow you to understand whether you were deceived or not.

Some people also add water, which also has an effect in the best possible way. Go to the pharmacy and buy the well-known potassium permanganate. Then your task is to find a transparent vessel, pour some fuel into it and throw in a piece of manganese. This substance does not dissolve in gasoline, but if water is present, the fuel will turn purple.

In addition, some also add hydrogen sulfide or liquefied gas. Pour fuel into a container and wave your hand towards you. Your job is to smell it and if you smell rotten eggs, you can be sure that hydrogen sulfide is present.

Check directly at the gas station

So, we found out how to check the quality at home, with this you can find the best station in your city and refuel there. But there are situations when you urgently need to refuel on the highway. What to do in this situation, especially if the nearest gas station is not the most famous of all. Good now modern world and there are many devices that seem simple, but they will help very well.

One of these is Octis 2, it costs about 5 thousand rubles, which is a bit much. But the point is that only 100 milliliters are needed to reveal the exact amount of octane in the fuel. There are also other devices that can also be used to find out about diesel fuel (diesel fuel) and how good it is.

You can also check it after you have refueled, but problems will arise here; if the quality is not the best, you will have to quarrel with the administration and everything else. We have already talked about this in one of the articles, link above.

If the tank is almost empty, add new fuel and start the engine. If the speed jumps, you hear some suspicious engine sounds, and you can also hear that the fuel is burning unevenly. We congratulate you, but what you have in the tank is so-so “food” for the engine. You can also check all this while driving, listen to see if there is so-called detonation of the fingers. Your task is to accelerate to maximum gear, 5th or 6th, depending on the car. Then sharply press the gas pedal to the floor, if there is a sound of detonation of the fingers, then everything is bad, run to fix it.

Also pay attention to the smoke from the exhaust system; if the fuel is bad, it will be black with soot. Quality fuel produces brown or blue smoke. Besides all this, you can find out about bad fuel if you notice a sharp increase in consumption, which can be bad or even terrible for the injector.

Here are all the symptoms:

• jumps in idle speed;
• startup problems;
• increase in consumption;
• black smoke and exhaust pipe;
• poor response to the gas pedal;
• dynamics dropped;
• finger detonation.

What could this lead to?

I hope you understand that if you constantly fill up with fuel that is not the best, then gradually many components of the unit will say goodbye to you. Spark plugs will very quickly become unusable and if you notice a red coating on them, then everything is bad, quickly take it to service. Also you may find incorrect operation catalyst. Since this is fuel, almost all elements of the fuel system, such as the fuel pump, filter and injectors, will very quickly become unusable.

Unfortunately, you don’t always find problems right away, since they form gradually and everything can break down after a few months. But there are times when problems appear after a couple of days. This depends both on the gasoline and on the car itself, as well as on how worn some parts have already been.

Gasoline is one of the most important parts in the engine; the unit will not work without it. Therefore, you should not take it lightly, because it can both extend life and quickly take it away from the engine. Check the quality of gasoline, monitor the engine, and if something was not clear to you, here is a video for you.

Video

Modern cars are very sensitive to the quality of fuel, so most drivers prefer to refuel at well-known gas stations, which have a whole network of similar stations throughout the country. But even at such gas stations the quality of gasoline is not always high. It’s enough to remember what a variety of gasoline there is now, and twenty years ago there were only a few types. If you fill a foreign car with poor quality gasoline, then clean it fuel system(read about), you definitely have to.

The best and at the same time the oldest method is to check gasoline for smell and color. Since there used to be very few gas stations, gasoline was often poured into cans and other containers rather than into a tank, because of this its color was visible and its smell was felt. There was no point in counterfeiting gasoline in the old days, since the factories were state-owned, GOST was strictly observed, and the price of gasoline “didn’t bite.”

An experienced driver will immediately tell by smell where bad gasoline, and where not. If you smell liquefied gas, hydrogen sulfide or naphthalene, then you should not refuel such fuel, as this is one of the first indicators that the gasoline has been diluted.

As for color, any driver can conduct a test, even without experience. To do this, just see pure gasoline without additives or other additives once. Pure gasoline is pale yellow with a slight greenish tint. Next, pour some gasoline into the jar and look at its color against the sun. If you see a blue tint or, much worse, red, then this is the first sign that the gasoline has been stirred and impurities have been added. Red color will show that initially the gasoline was worse in quality octane number, after adding methyl, which is red, we got A95 from the same A92. Such additives greatly damage fuel hoses, as a result of which the system itself can clog.

The photo shows AI-95 gasoline (Euro 5 class) - the test was successful

Next we will check gasoline using potassium permanganate. Usually this test is carried out to find out whether there is water in gasoline or not. We put some gasoline in a jar or transparent container, add potassium permanganate and stir; if the fuel turns pinkish, then it is clear that there is water in the fuel. It is better to change the gas station immediately, as sooner or later such impurities will make themselves felt.

The simplest and affordable way This is by touch, drop a couple of drops of gasoline on your fingers, let it evaporate completely. If a greasy stain remains and the skin does not feel dry to the touch, then the quality is low, but if there is dryness, then the quality is accordingly good. Since then, it’s not in vain that gasoline has been used to remove dirt not only on clothes but also on various surfaces.

The photograph shows signs of high-quality gasoline

When purchasing fuel at oil depots, the buyer conducts a test on plain paper. The point of this test is to find out whether there are oil impurities in the fuel. We will need a regular white sheet of paper. Place a few drops on the leaf and let it dry. If there are no oil stains or other dark shades left, this is an indicator that the gasoline is of high quality. Otherwise, the rainbow will be immediately visible on the sheet of paper.

The last method, and rarely used, is the fuel combustion test. We will need transparent glass. Let's drop a couple of drops on the glass and set it on fire. The test is carried out for the presence of oil in gasoline and other oil impurities. After the gasoline burns, we look at what happens on the glass. If only white circles remain, then this means gasoline. of proper quality and there are no impurities in it. The appearance of circles and spots of yellow and brown color indicates the presence of resins different types in fuel. When drops form on the glass, it indicates the presence of oil in gasoline. As they say experienced drivers, the worst thing that can happen, since such fuel will quickly clog the fuel system.

Often it is not necessary to carry out tests on the quality of gasoline; it is enough to listen to the operation of the engine, whether there is detonation of the fingers, what sound comes from the engine under load and at idle. When you accelerate the car to maximum gear, step sharply on the gas pedal, if you hear detonation of your fingers, then a clear sign about poor quality, adjust the valve clearance if possible.

As for the engine idling, you should look at the tachometer; the revolutions can jump spontaneously without pressing the gas pedal. In this case, uneven operation of the engine will be heard, which is an indication that the fuel is burning unevenly. Black smoke with soot will come out of the exhaust pipe. At quality gasoline, exhaust pipe will be gray or brown.

It is worth remembering that bad gasoline can not only render the engine unusable, but also significantly increase it and cause it to fail. injection system. Flushing an injector now costs from 1,200 to 5,000 rubles. Therefore, it is better to select high-quality fuel and change gas stations for refueling from time to time.

Video on how to check gasoline for quality: