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Lincoln Continental Fuel Economy

alex36alex36 Member Posts: 3
edited April 2014 in Lincoln
I bought a used linconle continental 1998 several weeks ago. The dealer told that the the car can use 89# gasoline. But today I found that the manual said that the car should use 91#(premium) gaslone. I do not know how to do. By the way, I wonder if there will be some damage to my car if I continue use 89# in the future. Thank you!

Comments

  • gaboisegaboise Member Posts: 8
    I've driven my '95 Continental for more than five years and it now has 91000 miles. I always use the lowest grade unleaded and have had zero problems. When possible I use the same brand, Flying J (Conoco). My car likes it fine. Occasionally, like on a long trip, I can't find the brand so I use something else and sometimes it doesn't give as many mpg, but otherwise it is OK. Maybe if you are an EXTREMELY discerning driver you could tell a performance difference between the low and higher octane levels but I can't. The computer sets the timing different when it senses a spark knock so I don't think the engine will be damaged. I have never heard a pre-ignition knock on my car. Pre-ignition knock is bad and over time will result in serious damage so listen for it.

    Gene
  • alex36alex36 Member Posts: 3
    Thank you so much about your answer. I will try the 87# oil in the next time. In addition, could you tell me what is the pre-ignition, and how to recognize it>?
    By the way, my car always alarms in the winter night, but there is nodody touch it. Somebody told me this is just because of the low temperature. Do you meet the situation like that. I wonder if there is something wrong with my alarm system. . Could you tell me how to turn off the alarm system?
  • gaboisegaboise Member Posts: 8
    Alex,

    I haven't been on the forum for a while so didn't see your message. Sorry for that. Spark knock is more like a rattle sound that occurs when there is a load placed on the engine, as in when you are accelerating. When we ran engines with distributors that had ignition points, if one wanted to set the ignition timing and had no timing light you would advance the timing by turning the distributor just a slight bit at a time, then test drive the vehicle. When you came to the point where the timing was advanced enough to cause the pre-ignition rattle, you'd back off the timing a slight bit and it would be just about right. Actually, although I don't claim to be a mechanic, pre-ignition firing is caused when the fuel charge compresses and begins to ignite before the spark-plug fires. Any professionals reading this will quickly correct this if it is incorrect, Of course, with fuel injection, the fuel charge is precisely timed to correlate with the firing of the spark-plug.

    Correct ignition timing occurs when the spark plug fires as piston is nearly at the top dead center (perhaps ten degrees before TDC) of its travel in the cylinder. This provides the maximum combustion boost to the down-stroke of the piston. If the spark fires after TDC that is called retarded timing and causes a lack of power as well as possible engine overheating. The reason pre-ignition knock is to be avoided is that it can cause cavitation of the piston. I was with a friend many years ago when his 1956 Buick blew a hole in the top of a piston. He had been towing a heavy trailer and he had advanced the spark for maximum power, but went a bit too far for a lot of hard-pulling miles. When it blew it was not pretty!

    Sorry, but my car is not equipped with an alarm so I can't help with that problem.

    By the way, there is a very good website that explains how things work. They have great information about cars and engines. I think you'll enjoy this link- http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine1.htm

    Gene
  • sincebeensincebeen Member Posts: 2
    A couple of things to remember are:

    1. The difference in price for regular fuel vs. premium fuel is usually about $0.20 which means:
    2. The price difference for 15 gallons of fuel is only $3.00.
    3. The FACT is that premuim fuel offers better gas milage (sometimes a whole mpg better) because it burns later and hotter, and it also burns cleaner which renders cleaner and longer lasting combustion chambers, valves and fuel lines and everything en route.

    I have a 2004 F-150 [5.4L] and because I installed an in-dash tuner/programmer, I can see my exact mpg at an instant and average. I always use premium but used mid-grade just for a test one time and it went from an average of about 14.3 mpg to an average of about 13.1 mpg.

    We tried the same test in my cousins 2003 F-150 (which coincidentally has a differently modified version of your 4.6L) and we found the same results. The bottom line is any one of the three reasons listed above - not to mention the manufacturers recomendation - is justification to using premium instead of regular.

    By the way, and for example, the users manual for the new body style mustang GT recommends regular grade fuel so if Ford is soliciting premium for the Contenental, it's for a reason.

    -Greg
  • gregcoolergregcooler Member Posts: 2
    I bought a second-hand 98 lincoln continental, 93000 miles, No check engine light, passed the emission test, everything works fine(both locally and high way, 60mph), except that the gas mileage, it shows around 10mpg on the meter, and a whole tank (20 gallon) can only go 200miles, btw, I'm driving very gently. I have checked the air filter, which seems pretty clean , I've changed all the spark plugs as well, no improvement either, currently, I'm thinking about checking the throttle sensor, or MAF sensor. The accelerator seems pretty soft, doesn't increase the speed two much for the first 1/2 inch, and sometimes there is a little gas smell from the tail pipe. Does anyone has an idea about what's going wrong?
  • gregcoolergregcooler Member Posts: 2
  • cwarren1cwarren1 Member Posts: 2
    Something is very wrong with your fuel control, doesn't the check engine light come on? I have a 98 Conti, which I bought new and now has 148,000miles, and my gas milage averages 21.5 on the computer. It gets 24 to 25 on trips and has lots of power. This has been the most trouble free car that I have owned.
  • cwarren1cwarren1 Member Posts: 2
    Something is very wrong with your fuel control, doesn't the check engine light come on? I have a 98 Conti, which I bought new and now has 148,000miles, and my gas milage averages 21.5 on the computer. It gets 24 to 25 on trips and has lots of power.
    This has been the most trouble free car that I have owned, but I do have a problem of hard steering when it is first started in cold weather. I don't know if it is the pump or the steering rack and pinion gears. Has anyone else had this problem?
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