ALBANY, N.Y. ---- Are you angry about the price of gasoline?? Just imagine paying for gasoline you don't get. Some alert consumers have noticed it over the years, a pump that seems to hesitate a second when the lever is squeezed. Anywhere from 2 to 6 cents tick off before the rush of gasoline starts.

Thats what happens with a common, hard to diagnose and mostly ignored problem with the " check valve " which is supposed to make sure fuel flows at the same time the price meter starts. But even if your pump works, it still can be off as much as $5 for every fill-up. Tests by local regulators allow a pump to charge as much as 6 cents more than the gasoline delivered in a five gallon test.

Don't blame the fuel guys. Even consumer advocates say retailers might be losing as often as consumers and no one appears able to rig the meters. But the small " check valve " at the end of the multibillion dollar industry just wears out, and often goes unnoticed for months. Regulators records show short staffing, particularly for financially struggling counties that try to inspect pumps every six months, but too often don't even meet the one-year requirement in states such as New York.

Federal standards require all fuel pumps to start pumping fuel as soon as the price meter starts, correcting the problem depends on alert, well informed consumers. It also depends on honest retailers who choose to pass along reports to regulators who must confirm the problem before an authorized repair company is called to fix it. " There's one Mobil owner, who tells clerks that if there's a discrepancy within $5 to reimburse the customer."

A bad valve can work against retailers, freezing the price gauge for an instant after fuel starts flowing. No ones sure who gets gored more, or how deeply. Even one penny on the amount of petroleum pumped annually or weekly at a station would be several thousand gallons of fuel, add that up.

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