my prelude has been run on regular octane fuel for the past 2 years
Thread Starter
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 65
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From: Colchester, VT, US
my prelude has been run on regular octane fuel for the past 2 years
since my SE got toalled i picked up a newer car...i dont post here much but this is bothering me so i figured i'd enlist the help of you guys. anyway....2000 prelude SH
When i picked it up today i asked the lady...she said she only used regular and that i shouldnt waste my money on premium because the car doesn't need it. obviously i know better then to listen to that garbage but my main concern is that the car has potential engine damage. She didn'd abuse the car at all or drive it hard, but i mean the car was run on regular fuel for two years straight. for those who don't know it's a 2000 SH.
I checked in the manual and it said that regular can be substituted for premium if it's not available and that the engine will compensate but i mean how well will it compensate? and how long can the engine be run like this?
im just paranoid that i spend $12,000 on a car that will never perform like it should because of something stupid like this. i feel like i can hear a very faint pinging sound occasionally, and i'm not sure if that automatically means the motor is being ruined or not. my dad's maxima does the same thing and he runs it on low octane fuel. any input would be helpful.
When i picked it up today i asked the lady...she said she only used regular and that i shouldnt waste my money on premium because the car doesn't need it. obviously i know better then to listen to that garbage but my main concern is that the car has potential engine damage. She didn'd abuse the car at all or drive it hard, but i mean the car was run on regular fuel for two years straight. for those who don't know it's a 2000 SH.
I checked in the manual and it said that regular can be substituted for premium if it's not available and that the engine will compensate but i mean how well will it compensate? and how long can the engine be run like this?
im just paranoid that i spend $12,000 on a car that will never perform like it should because of something stupid like this. i feel like i can hear a very faint pinging sound occasionally, and i'm not sure if that automatically means the motor is being ruined or not. my dad's maxima does the same thing and he runs it on low octane fuel. any input would be helpful.
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 401
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first of all, congrats on the purchase, i have a 2000 sh too and love it.
about the gas thing, i doubt there would be anything wrong with your engine by someone using regular gas, before my sh i had a 98 automatic and at the time couldnt afford premium, i drove it for 2 years and nothing went wrong but on my sh i use premium just cuz it says so on the gas cap and i care about this car more, but premium gas doesnt exactly give you more hp (it might, i dont know), it just burns cleaner. but ya, dont worry about it just use premium now and you should be fine.
about the gas thing, i doubt there would be anything wrong with your engine by someone using regular gas, before my sh i had a 98 automatic and at the time couldnt afford premium, i drove it for 2 years and nothing went wrong but on my sh i use premium just cuz it says so on the gas cap and i care about this car more, but premium gas doesnt exactly give you more hp (it might, i dont know), it just burns cleaner. but ya, dont worry about it just use premium now and you should be fine.
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
From: Mentor, OH, USA
DOHC VTEC engines need premium fuel because of high rpms. If you use low octane fuel and go to redline all day long, it will cause pinging. (Pre-detonation) Most likely, since you said she didn't drive the car hard, I doubt the lady you bought the car from even knows what VTEC is. You said you can hear pinging? Is that with regular or premium fuel? I think once yo start using premium fuel, the pinging should go away. Pull the spark plugs and inspect 'em to see wht kind of a life they've had. That should be a good first indication of what's going on inside the engine.
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