Hey there. I've got a '02 Limited with a TRD SC on it and TRD cat back. I noticed last november while on a trip to San Diego that the truck seemed to make a noise like loos marbles where in the motor when getting on the gas. Since I didn't install the SC I wasn't sure if it was just the unit making noise.
On the way home I stopped and got gas at a 76 station (I usually use Costco) It seems that once the gas made it through the system the noise stopped. Later I got some more Costo gas and it came back. Once again I had to get gas at a different station and it seems go go away????? I'm thinking that this is some prety bad ping and that for some reason the Costco gas is causing the preignition. Both where premium grade, just from different stations? Anyone know anything about Costco gas or this pinging issue?

 

It's probably not the gas, I think it's probably just coincidence.

Sc's are known to ping on the 4Runner and the onl 100% way to stop it is to add the fuel upgrades.

Have you seen Gadget's page yet? There is some great explanation on why this happens and how to fix it.

www.gagetonline.com

 

I think it's the gas. Every time I've ever used Costco gas, my runner runs like crap. It stutters and feels like it's going to stall. I keep my t-body, intake & plenum VERY clean, so I know it's the gas. I only use Chevron now, and my runner runs great. Switch to a better gas.

 

I've only ever used costo gas and it always runs fine. There are doing oxygenated gas for winter states, that may also be it depending where he is.

 

Try running Chevron in your next tank and see if you notice a difference. I've ran a wide variety of fuels and perhaps my intake mods have something to do with it but my runner will not run right on cheap gas (costco, quick mart, etc.).

 

i run all types of gas from everywhere, normally the 87 octane... tis all the same.....

 

Hardly..

 

actually all the gas is the same, comes from the same place, refined at the same place... its the cleaners and water that companies put in it that changes it

 

California only has 10 or 11 refineries and the gas is pretty much the same. Some companys like Cheveron put in additives to change it. The winter (oxygenated) fuel may be part of the problem. But I'm sure if you had the URD supercharger performance kit, you could run any fuel and it would never ping. Just my 2 cents...

 

Ditto, I always use costco gas in all my cars. They run fine. Even when I'm on a trip and I use other gas, they run fine.

 

Found this from the web:

"When Costco surveyed members buying gasoline at its stations in Tucson, Santa Clara, Oxnard, and Albuquerque, the company found the following reactions:

1. How does our gasoline quality compare with major brands?

Same 80.5%

Better 18.6%

Less 0.9%

(Finding: 99.1% perceive Costco gas to be as good or better than major brands.)

"

 

Costco uses a more extensive filtration system than most gas stations. Not that that has much to do with octane, but that is according to my dad, who works for Coscto.

A minimum octane rating is a minimum octane rating, which is QA'd by the state.

Costco gas is just fine. Like others mentioned, seems like a tuning problem to me. If anything, you should get a A/F meter on it and EGT gauge. Then you'll know for sure.

 

When I filled up one time at Costco, I noticed that the refueling truck is from BP. Don't know if that is the supplier for all locations.

 

I, too, use mostly Costco gas in both cars, and they seem to run fine.

 

not true. Supercharged motors need 92/93 octance regardless of fuel managment

 

i dunno winter about 2 years ago i was dd a karmann ghia, and i used sunoco gasoline, which i think is like costco (i dunno never been to ca) but the gas froze up in the carb, what a pain in the ass. I beleive it to be that some gas stations have crappier gas in them than others, thats why i stick to the shell for my gas

 

Let my clarify, when I said any fuel. I meant any 92 octane fuel, no matter where you buy it...

 

if the gas froze in the carb, it wasnt gas unless it was very very cold, something a human probably couldnt deal with.... most likely the station you went to was dishonest and added water to the gas, to make a bigger profit...

 

i was just at costco and there was a chevron refilling truck hooked up to the tanks...

 

again, further proving my point......