Sierra Cement Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 ok... so my 01 3.5 LE's manual says premium fuel only. when i use mid-grade my ses comes on every time. I see some of you use mid or regular without a problem. do i just need an ecu flash? and for those of you who did it... did the dealer charge you? gas is rising fast.... if i can use a lower grade i would really enjoy it in the wallet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer38 Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 I use nothing but regular unleaded, It might work if you disconnect all power to the ECU for a short period of time and it will clear out the data then you shouldnt have the problem. I dont know if this works with Nissans as I have never done it but it worked on my Ford F150. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainman Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 Yes, my dealer in Canada charged for an updte to the ECU. I have used regular without the SES light coming on but am just finishing a couple of months worth of premium to see if it makes any difference. Will post results next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 All it does is retard timing a little if the engine starts to knock on regular gas. It'll be fine, like the other guys said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 is it supercharged? id yes, then you have to use premium. on my old truck it said premium only too and so that's what it got. it never liked the cheap gas at all. it would ping, mpgs were down and it just didn't perform like it did on premium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sierra Cement Posted April 20, 2006 Author Share Posted April 20, 2006 (edited) is it supercharged? id yes, then you have to use premium There's a super charger for this baby??????? Damn, keep it away from me ... would cost my lead foot a fortune. I already test my 0-90 daily for kicks...... gonna have to quit that for a while till the Clampetts strike a new claim. All it does is retard timing a little if the engine starts to knock on regular gas. It'll be fine, like the other guys said. ok pardon my mechanical ineptitude..... i appreciate the response 88, but please help me decode. it'll retard.... (will that be something i feel on the road? really dont want to feel a performance loss) ...... on low octane but no serious internal risk? when i get the SES light, i should ignore it (do i risk having a more serious malfunction go unnoticed)? If I decedide to pay to have it flashed.....does the flash change how my engine operates? or does it just change the SES threshold? Edited April 20, 2006 by Sierra Cement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmd0311 Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 (edited) I'm the first one to cry uncle when I fuel up the Pathy. But the difference here in the North east is about 20-25cents per gallon between 87 and 93. Meaning a price difference of 3.20-4.00. I think its safer and better to just use 93. Anytime you are retarding something, it just doesn't sound right...LOL Edited April 20, 2006 by rmd0311 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sierra Cement Posted April 20, 2006 Author Share Posted April 20, 2006 Yeah rmd...... I'm with ya. I'd rather keep things kosher down in the nitty gritty of the engine, pay for it and know its for the best. But, if there is no-risk to using lower octane, I'd like to have the facts and pursue that if it doesnt hurt anything mechanically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLApathy Posted April 20, 2006 Share Posted April 20, 2006 ok pardon my mechanical ineptitude..... i appreciate the response 88, but please help me decode. it'll retard.... (will that be something i feel on the road? really dont want to feel a performance loss) retarding refers to timing (not all the time though), if u retard u set back, if u advance u move the timing forward [/mechanic lesson] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tecciball Posted April 23, 2006 Share Posted April 23, 2006 I debate which pump to go with every time I fill. I have run both 87 and 93 in my 01 SE and the lower octane didnt cause any problems. However, my O2 sensor was messed up then, and I have not tried the cheaper stuff since fixing it about two months ago. I also got a KN drop in, so my improved mileage is due to both changes. My general feeling on the issue is to agree with Randy. I love my truck and want it to last well past the length of my loan, so I will probably pay the extra $4 per tank. That being said, I am going to be driving a lot this summer for work, so I might experiment a bit: 93 when I plan to do mostly city driving, 87 when mostly highway. As for the SES light issue, it will reset if you pull the negative terminal off your battery for a bit. I left mine off overnight, and the light was off in the AM. That does obviously erase all memory settings though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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