Importance Of Fresh Good Gas !

Esteban

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I have seen more motor problems, all size motors, in the past year than I have ever seen, & I am 60 years old . I would say that 80% of these have been caused by the gas ! Sputtering, hard starting , skipping at high speed, stalling, etc., etc., & the list goes on .
The FIRST thing I do with any motor problem , if it has spark, is start with the fuel. Today's fuel will not " store " as well as old fuel. On ALL my small motors I use 89 octane , an inline fuel filter, some additive like Startron/Stabil [ blue color ] , & never let the fuel set in the tank for more than a month. On 2 strokes, I follow the same procedure above , but also use the correct amount of a quality 2 cycle oil, shut off fuel , & allow engine to run til it dies after every use, unless I will be riding it in the next day or two.
I know that this works 'cause I use my Robin weedeater, that I bought new in 1980, & it has failed to start only 2 times !!!
 
A good reminder and timely as well. IIRC, we are still in the EPA review period on E15 which if enacted is going to effect small engines in not a good way.
 
this gas THING is hard for me to figure out ??
three THINGS here were not driven for one full year
motor home, Jeep and Dodge Truck
same old gas setting in them

but I did learn a few THINGS from this site towards the middle to end of storage time

to add Sea Foam and also a octane boaster to stored gases ----- I did that

time came to fire them all back up
all went well
Dodge was due for an immediate smog test
had a full tank of old gas
THING passed with flying colors
had close to no readings on many parts ??
had told the guy testing that it may fail due to the old gas
he as I was amazed ??

got a car that won't pass smog
throw some very old gas into it -- NO -- that should not work -- don't really get it ??

MM
 
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Yep. I feel that E-15 will be here sooner or later. I fish a lot in the Gulf, & you wouldn't believe the problems boaters are having. Especially those with 2 strokes. Also, E-10 has been eating away certain types of fuel tanks. E-15 will only be worse.
KEEP it clean !
 
this gas THING is hard for me to figure out ??
three THINGS here were not driven for one full year
motor home, Jeep and Dodge Truck
same old gas setting in them

but I did learn a few THINGS from this site towards the middle to end of storage time

to add Sea Foam and also a octane boaster to stored gases ----- I did that

time came to fire them all back up
all went well
Dodge was due for an immediate smog test
had a full tank of old gas
THING passed with flying colors
had close to no readings on many parts ??
had told the guy testing that it may fail due to the old gas
he as I was amazed ??

got a car that won't pass smog
through some very old gas into it -- NO -- that should not work -- don't really get it ??

MM


Much has to do with where you get the gas && where they get it from. They can add " as much " as 10% ethanol to the gas, but sometimes there will be less than 2%. It is just a " hit & miss " I think with that.
You having gas that was in the tank for more than a year, may have not had any added at all. You won't find that now. Best I can recommend is use the additive I mentioned in my post & keep the tank full . Seafoam, while a great product, doesn't do anything for storing gas. I doubt ANY product is going to " restore " bad gas at all. Just got thru with a friend's boat,& out of 5-6 gallons of old gas, it had nearly a PINT of water in it !
 
Just got thru with a friend's boat,& out of 5-6 gallons of old gas, it had nearly a PINT of water in it !

Ethanol is hygroscopic, it attracts moisture from the atmosphere and retains it.
There's not a lot of discussion here in the US on this, other than forums like this where the truth is told but here is part of a FAQ from the Hyundai Australia website I found interesting:

Q Can my Hyundai / Which Hyundai's can run on Ethanol?
Hyundai vehicles equipped with Fuel Injection (petrol) manufactured after 31st October 2003 are equipped with fuel systems compatible with alcohol (Ethanol). These vehicles can operate on a maximum of 10% Ethanol / 90% unleaded petrol, however if drive-ability is affected, the use of 100% unleaded fuel is recommended. Ethanol blended fuel mixed at 10% is generally referred to as E10.Hyundai vehicles equipped with Fuel Injection (petrol) manufactured before October 2003 do not have fuel systems compatible with alcohol (Ethanol). If Ethanol is to be used in these vehicles, then a maximum of 10% Ethanol / 90% unleaded fuel (E10) can be used in conjunction with periodic use of a fuel corrosion inhibitor. (The Hyundai recommended inhibitor is available under part number AL009M0002)Hyundai vehicles equipped with carburetor fuel supply systems should not be run on Ethanol blended fuel of any ratio. This is due to both the incompatibility of the fuel lines with the moisture holding characteristics of Ethanol, and to the negative effect on vehicle performance due to the variation of vapour pressures between petrol and Ethanol.
Q Can Ethanol damage my Hyundai?
Hyundai vehicles equipped with carburetor fuel supply systems should not be run on Ethanol blended fuel of any ratio. This is due to both the incompatibility of the fuel lines with the moisture holding characteristics of Ethanol, and to the negative effect on vehicle performance due to the variation of vapour pressures between petrol and Ethanol.Ethanol is hygroscopic, (attracts and holds moisture) and can therefore accelerate corrosion. The use of E10 (Ethanol blended fuel) may result in negative effects to cold starting, as well as engine drive-ability ('smoothness') at light to medium engine load conditions. It will also result in reduced fuel economy.
Q Will it affect my Warranty?
The use of Ethanol at E10 will not affect warranty simply by its use. However, failure caused by Ethanol such as corrosion of fuel injection due to Ethanol's' hygroscopic nature (attracts and holds moisture) will not be covered by warranty.
http://www.hyundai.com.au/FAQ/default.aspx
 
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I good not get a single pop when I went to start my bike for the first time after winter- and I had treated the gas with Sta-Bil and run it through the system. I had to drain the tank and the bowl and replace it all with fresh gas.
 
89 Octane all the way! Hot muggy summer days are not very nice to stored gas. I read on the sta-bil bottle that after 6 months of stored treated gas you can add again for another 6 mos. of storage. Did this on my hurricane generator and still fires first pull every 30 days when tested. Re-treatment makes sense since we have federal reserve gas to the tune of millions of gallons in tanks - they must be doing something?
I'm also involved in the marine industry - gas is not nice to outboard engines, both 2 and 4 stroke ones...
 
The gasoline is not the problem. It is the additives that are added downstream from the larger storage facilities.
 
The E10 that is being forced on us is to partly to blame.
As mentioned, the ethanol attracts moisture. I suppose it negates the need for "drygas" here in the winter, but it will cause your small engine to run like carp. The ethanol is also not too friendly to the rubber seals in your carb and engine.

I use fuel stabilizer, but even then, I dump my gas cans into my car and get fresh stuff every couple of months.

My generators are run dry, tanks emptied and fuel bowls removed and drained after every use. I want them to be ready when I need them! (hopefully only because a utility pole was knocked down, and not a natural disaster!)
 
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