Folks ,

where can one buy premium fuel ( high octane fuel ) in abuja & lagos?

and who knows d type of fuel ( octane number ) we have in nigeria?

all fuel in nigeria are mostly premium fuel,,,, mostly 91RON. but remenber all cars can do with regular fuel , the engine just got to retard the timing. Just fill up and dont sweat it.

hmmm, r u really sure, if so, nice to hear that , cos my car needs premium, so it says in d manual 91 octane

Surely, it is not possible!!!

nkc, I think your best bet if to but "octane booster" additives and pour into your tank as you fill up.

Another thing you should brace up for is that fuel here is leaded while your car is designed to be used with unleaded fuel. The least of the issues with this is a poisoned catalyst and the most could be engine damage!!

The issues with leaded petrol in an unleaded car with catalyst, is not engine damage.

The engine itself WILL tolerate lead, however, the catalyst won't. Also, the Lambda Sond (oxygen sensor) is designed to operate on lead-free petrol, so the probe will be contaminated.

My advice is to have the catalyst (twin catalysts on the B5.5 Passat) removed. Easiest way is to have them removed from the car, cut open, then the core carefully removed, the cats can then be welded back closed, and replaced. Observe local legislations (if they exist) when disposing of the material.

Then, the Lambda Sond should be replaced with one designed for leaded petrol. Cars built for the SA market have these fitted as standard, to run with leaded petrol.

With 91 RON petrol, engine retardation takes place automatically, dependent on engine speed, temperature and load, so nothing to adjust. As long as knock sensor is working fine, (again, 2 on the B5.5 Passat) there'll be no running issues. Just don't expect the engine to run at peak power or efficiency on 91 RON. From memory, the optimum is minimum 95 RON. The 2,771 cc V6 30V is a high compression engine (10.5:1).

As Fotodaddy advised, octane booster won't hurt, and will increase engine efficiency and power marginally. MPG will be better too - an engine with retarded ignition timing will slurp petrol at an alarming rate.

Siena, I beg to disagree. Leaded fuel can damage valves and valve seats which are designed for unleaded fuel. This has something to do with the special metal coating thats on them which cant tolorate lead. This does not apply to all makes and brands but applies non the less.

I know you know what I am talking about.

Fotodady, As far as I know, it's the other way round.

Some older engines designed for leaded did not have hardened valve seats, and the lead in the petrol acted as a "buffer". Running these engines continiously on unleaded gave rise to VSR (valve seat recession) which was a problem here in the UK back in the early to mid '90's, when leaded petrol was gradually withdrawn.

I had many a client then, who needed hardened valve seats machined into their cylinder heads.

These days, EMS are a lot more sophisicated, and there's greater control, and compensation, if the wrong grade of petrol is added. More important these days, is the RON number (knock properties). The EMS will only operate within a limited range - too low, and detonation will occur. This in turn will cause the engine to run a lot hotter, and the valves and seats (mostly the exhaust side) will get burnt and pitted, and eventually, the engine becomes sluggish, as compression is lost.

Siena, I just dey try you!!!

But I guess you're right. I stand corrected

During the course of rebuilding different engines, I have compared part numbers, as I also thought the materials in the valve seats / valves in modern engines differed between cars destined for export to SA and other countries where leaded petrol is still in use. This does not apply to personal imports.

The part numbers are the same. There are 2 types of valve seats - hardened, and unhardened. Unhardened were used in some older engines designed for leaded, though some were hardened from the onset, all these required were manual retarding of the ignition timing.

Typically, there are 3  types of valves - hardened, unhardened, hardened AND sodium filled. Sodium dissipates heat better, and is generally used on high compression and / or turbocharged engines, sometimes on inlet and exhaust, but more often than not, on the exhaust side alone. From memory, these do no suffer failure as a result of lead being introduced into the fuel system. It's the Lambda that goes haywire. It regulates the emission content, and also optimises fueling.

If it's damaged, the car goes into limp-home mode, and MAY missfire. If the engine missfires regularly, unburnt fuel is allowed to enter the catalyst / catalysts, where it eventually overheats. If this occurs, the ceramic / uranium core eventually melts, and blocks the catalysts. In such cases, the exhaust valves and seats MAY be damaged. In severe cases of collapsed / blocked catalysts, the car may not run at all, as the gases can't exit the exhaust.

@siena

if i dont change d o2 sensor and just use octane booster, what will happen, thanks

nkc:

@siena

if i don't change d o2 sensor and just use octane booster, what will happen, thanks

If the Lambda sensors are contaminated with lead, they'll be rendered ineffective.

The car will lose power, and in cases, the CEL lamp will be illuminated, indicating the ECU has gone in limp-home mode.

Bear in mind, the CEL may NOT always illuminate. As power is lost over a period of time, you'll be unlikely to notice the loss of performance, but the problem will be there.

It MAY be possible to use VAG-COM to set the ECU to run without closed-loop emission control, i.e not use the Lambda's for control, but it's a complex procedure, and you'll need the basic engine settings and block values / codes to make it all work.

@siena

thats why i like u,

so with vagcom, i can close d loop and d lambada will be impotent, am sure u know how to do it, so why not give me a guide, with d materials i told u i got can i do it on my own, thanks

and afta loop closing d car will still have d normal power right?

i hear u say d catalyt can block
when d loop is closed will is still work as to block d catalyst or will it stop working?

nkc:

@siena

thats why i like u,

so with vagcom, i can close d loop and d lambada will be impotent, am sure u know how to do it, so why not give me a guide, with d materials i told u i got can i do it on my own, thanks

and after loop closing d car will still have d normal power right?

I have never done it myself, it's just something I saw on a forum some years back. I know you'll need different numbers to make up the codes to run, but not sure what.

Power would not be affected. But, it's a lot easier just to run leaded Lambda probes. I'll check with my local VW dealer tomorrow.

nkc:

i hear u say d catalyt can block
when d loop is closed will is still work as to block d catalyst or will it stop working?

The catalysts are best deleted, regardless of the route you take. You can either have them gutted, as I described earlier, or you can buy de-cat pipes. They are just pipes that bolt in place of the regular catalysts.

@siena

ok pls check them to see what they have

secondly, if i gut or remove, how does d car now calculate d mixture correctly, since there are no o2 sensors, i think de cating is better, just a new pipe welded in place of d 02 neck pipe.right, i did it in my 92passat, some triangular stuff or so, with lots of holes, d day i removed it, it was like d car was removed of a lump in d throat?

The car will calculate fuel maps based on MAF readings.

do u think i can get those leaded lambarda parts, if possible part numbers, so that i can change em. by d way europe spec is it leaded or unleaded?

secondly, if i put a new pipe in place of d catlyst pipe, without reprogramming, the ecu, will it still work well or i must have to reprogram

nkc:

do u think i can get those leaded lambarda parts, if possible part numbers, so that i can change em. by d way europe spec is it leaded or unleaded?

Unleaded.

nkc:

secondly, if i put a new pipe in place of d catlyst pipe, without reprogramming, the ecu, will it still work well or i must have to reprogram

No. The difference in back pressure is minimal.

so what u r saying in earnest, is one can de-cat, no reprogramming and d air-fuel mixture will be alright, car will be fine, cos d minimal effect wont be noticed, and dis should work over extended periods right?

funny thing is d new model passat been sold in nigeria by VW uses unleaded , so what is happening or am i wrong?

nkc, you do start to dey worry siena again why now??

Make you take am easy o!!! you go get high blood pressure at this rate!!! God forbid make that car get scratch, then wetin go happen to you??

I had exactly the same problem with my furst pathfinder. Block catalysts and tremendous loss of power. Removed the catalyst and I could not beleive the change. The check engne light was still on (since the probes were probably damaged already) but there was nothing but improvment in the power of the car. Eventually, I removed the dash board and disconnected the light . You know now; God pass them. Alls well that ends well!!

@fotodaddy,
dont mind me, i will stop bugging, i just like been pretty sure of what to do, when a time comes for such

as for d catalyst, i will drive d car d way it is till i notice loss of power, cos it happened to my passat few yrs ago, then i will de-cat or use leaded cat.

make u know scratch my car oh God Dey!!!

@ NKC and siena

I drive a 2001 VW passat American spec. I've had problems similar to those described by u and Siena on this thread. My check engine light wont go off. On speed, the car appears to misfire frequently and I think there has been loss of power though I'm not sure by how much. A check on the manual says when the check engine light blinks, it means that cat is damaged. Mine blinks, remains steady for about a week or two, goes off for a day or two, resumes blinking and stays on for another couple of weeks. And the cycle repeats.

Since you've fixed this problem before, where can I take the car (in Lagos) for this to be fixed/ have the cat removed?

@chipass

i have not done it on mine yet , ( when car arrives )but i own a 1992 passat and i removed it, it was an exhaust mechanic that removed it,take d car to a exhaust specialist, tell him u wanna remove d catalyst, he will understand, it usually is in d first pipe from d back of d engine block. if u remove it, i bet u yur car will feel like super trust me, pls
ansa me dis few questions,
how long have u driven yur car and when u bot it how many miles was on it, and how many when d check engine light started blinking? thanks

any questions , feel free to throw at me, since we r passat owners

@ NKC
Thanks for the offer.

Now to your questions:

I bought the car in Sept 2006 and have been driving it ever since. I do a minimum of 32 miles daily as I comute daily to V/I and back.

When I bought the car, the odometer read 15,000 miles. However, when I did a VIN check here on Nairaland, the carfax report said the last reported milage was 115,000 miles. (someone must have done one on me eh?)

Anyway, the check engine light started blinking after I had added 3,000 miles to the odometer reading i.e arround February 2007.

It will be really helpful if you can refer me to the guy who removed your cat. I don't want any trial and error on my car.

Meanwhile, someone said that fuel consumption worsens when the cat is removed. Any truth in that?

well someone played u, but not to worry passat is a solid car even if it has 200k miles , siena can vouch also for that

now back to, removal of cat, i idid mine in enugu, but i presently stay in abuja, all u need to do is look for a trusted exhaust mechanic, if u dont know one, one can be referred to u by friends, u know there worth, when u get there, ask him if he knows how to remove, catalyst from exhaust, his explanation to u, will either convince u, or make u change yur mind, but most guru exhaust mechanics, know what a catalyst stuff is and how to remove, as siena said they should be careful with the connection going to d lambada probe( they should disconnect it and keep the wire taped in a secure location, no shaking) then they can remove the lamaba probe(catalyst).

as for fuel consumption, from my interaction with siena, removal of the probe, will cause the car to recalculate, air/fuel mix using the MAF, and dis will not cause any fuel consumption as long as your MAF is in order, but again from sienas interaction, they r leaded lambada probes( which his supposed to help get the part numbers for us and post for us to buy in case we have access to one ), if u get hold of these, u r better off, putting it in place of the unleaded one, and all will be well.

now dis brings me to my question, in nigeria, vw has an office, they sell cars, i would like to know if the cars they sell use leaded or unleaded, cos if its leaded, u may take d car to them , and tell them u want a leaded oxygen sensor, or if its unleaded, what do they do to the ones they sell so that d oxygen sensors dont fail instantly, u get my drift.

hope dis helps?

@ nkc,

Having this conversation is very useful. Thanks.

About going to VW in Nigeria, I went to them when I first noticed the check engine light. They told me they couldn't address my problem because the car was American spec.

I guess I will begin a very delligent search for an exhaust expert for the job at hand.

@chipass

pls can u go and find out d type of fuel d cars they sell use, thanks, if its leaded or unleaded,thanks

Good Afternoon Gents,

I came across this forum by chance – and I have read your collective discussion with great interest.  If I may I would like to try and clarify some of the comments and opinions that have been expressed. 

I am not an expert, but years of thorough research for personal and business reasons, have given me invaluable knowledge on petroleum and petroleum based products.  I would therefore, like to share this knowledge with you.

Firstly, Nigerian premium petrol, also referred to as premium motor spirit (PMS) is fully unleaded.  Lead was completely removed from our fuel around about 2002.  SO PLEASE DON’T REMOVE YOUR CATALYTIC CONVERTER.

Secondly, for some strange reason our government chose to opt for a single octane grade of RON 90 as a standard specification, although local blending with imported fuel may result in achieving RON 91 in some costal locations.  In short RON 90 is the national minimum standard.  This is unlikely to change until we achieve full deregulation within the petroleum sector.

Thirdly, most modern cars around the world are designed to run efficiently on a minimum octane grade of RON 95.  Your vehicle handbook should give you the minimum octane (RON) grade required for optimum performance.  Please note the cars originating from North America may refer to a different octane standard.  I am more than happy to clarify your individual vehicle specifications. 

Also please don’t be misguided by the phrases ‘regular’ and ‘premium’.  For example, Nigerian petrol is referred to ‘premium’, but only carries an octane rate of RON 90. These phrases can be confusing, to say the least.

The low octane rate of our petrol is key factor to a significant number of the problems our vehicles experience on a daily basis. Another key factor is our poor maintenance culture.

NOW TO THE GOOD NEWS – Apart from having RON 95 at the petrol pumps, the only other way to achieve a substantial increase in octane at the pumps is to use an effective and powerful OCTANE BOOSTER.  Such a booster will need to be powerful enough to achieve an increase of at least 5 (five) RON NUMBERS (i.e. from RON 90 to RON 95).

I have been using such a product in my VW Touareg since 2006, and it is the best honest money can buy.  Based on my detailed research, I sourced and acquired direct access to the product.  I have also recently acquired the right to market the product in Nigeria.

I love and respect my vehicle and I will only feed it the best minerals and stake – You are all more than welcome to share in this driving experience.  The dilemma isn’t about how you can get the product; it is whether or not you are prepared to continue filling your vehicles with inferior/inappropriate fuel.

If you look after your vehicle it will certainly look after you,

Very interesting write-up, Touareg.

Good to know Nigerian petrol is indeed unleaded - I was confused when Nkc said cars sold in Nigeria were designed for unleaded use.

And as I previously stated, the RON number is very important.

Too low, and the car underperforms, and becomes extremely thirsty.
In some cases, detonation can occur, and piston crown / exhaust damage is the next thing.

Thank you for your reply. 

I faced the same dilemma and confusion back in 2006.  Almost everyone I spoke to in Nigeria about our fuel did not have a clue whether we had leaded or unleaded petrol.

In the end I had to speak directly with a number of  key personnel within NNPC, who confirmed our complete conversion to unleaded fuel.

By the way, all cars designed (manufactured) for Nigeria are designed to use unleaded fuel. 

Do you have a vehicle in Nigeria? and if so, how have you overcome the low octane in our petrol?