| At The Pump |
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Before you step out of your car, pull on the hood release handle. It’s probably on or near the floor on the left side of the driver. You’ll later unlatch the hood as part of your quick inspection. The first task is to make sure that you’re getting the correct fuel for your car. The car’s owner’s manual (probably in the car’s glove compartment) will tell you what the engine is designed to use. For example, “Unleaded gasoline, pump octane number 86 or higher.” That means the gasoline pump will have a yellow sticker with “86” on it. You can use higher-octane fuel, such as 89 or 92 octane, but you won’t be getting any benefits from the extra cost. The owner’s manual also notes the fuel tank capacity. You can make sure the fuel gauge is working by guesstimating how much fuel your tank will take to fill it. For example, a 17.2-US-gallon that’s on the one-quarter mark will take about 12 gallons to fill it. (Empty isn’t really empty; it still has 1-2 gallons of fuel in most cars.) So if your car takes significantly more or less fuel than your guesstimate to fill it, the fuel gauge may not be functioning accurately. Car Words Octane number is a measurement indicating the tendency of gasoline to detonate (combust at the correct moment) or knock (combust before or after it should). Diesel engines use a cetane number or rating. An engine’s designer selects the required octane or cetane number based on the engine’s compression ratio. Pump Gas the Easy Way Be lazy! Most gas pump nozzles have a mechanism in the handle to let you fill the tank automatically, freeing you to do other things – like checking over your car. Once you’ve squeezed the nozzle trigger to begin fueling, look for a small latch below the trigger and swing it down until it catches in a groove on the handle. Back pressure from a filled tank will automatically release the latch so fuel stops flowing at the right time. Handy, huh?
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You can pump your own fuel in nearly all states. And in the two where you can’t (Oregon and Vermont), you can get out of the car and perform these simple car care steps without getting arrested.
