Old gas

[sundown4570]

Got this in the mail today from a farm dealer that I do business with.
You don't have to take it as gospel but it never hurts to be careful
A lot of us are going to be getting our boats out of storage with tanks full of old gas
The first time I went fishing this year back on Feb. 1st I emptied and refilled my tank with frash gas
It started and ran like a top all day. I know, the directions on the stabilizer bottle says it will
keep gas frash for a year. Then again it's a long walk ( swim ) from Split Rock to Westport.
Snowing and 40 MPH winds here in Ephratah.

Notice: All Manuafactures are Now Telling us to NEVER use un-stabilized Fuel that is older than 30 days old and to NEVER use ANY Fuel that is older than 90 Days!! Always run FRESH High Test Fuel and Good Quality Fuel Stabilizer but Never run any fuel older than 90 days old. Never!!

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

That might be okay if you have a 3 to 6 gallon fuel tank. I won't be draining or dumping my 50 gallon fuel tank anytime soon. Thats only $200 to refill it. I use Stabil Marine in my fuel with every fill-up and a double dosage for winter storage. As with every previous year I expect no problems and as I use my present tank of fuel I will refill it with fresh fuel.

If you emptied your fuel tank, what di you do with the fuel? Did you use it in another engine? Did you dump it down a drain... I sure hope not.

[fishingmachine]

tried both filling tank in the fall and emptying it,,,always used stabil,,,never a problem with the gas either way

[Surprise]

I have been burning ethanol gas for a couple years now and must say my motor has never run better.

My rubber engine hoses have all been replaced with PVC.
I changed back to Champion plugs that were factory spec from Expensive NGK's.
I mix 1 oz of Startron stabilizer per 5 gal can the bottle dose is 2 per 16 gal. I mix Mercury Quicksilver 70 to one. I installed a fuel filter and have left my tank full in my off season from freezup till late October when Surprise comes back to life. Last summer's rain and moisture would have surly caused issues. I had mildew on canvas and vinyl.

My 1995 40 hp Johnson started right up and has run smooth all season. I initially experienced a brown exhaust residue on my motor. In retrospect I believe it was scrubbing the engine clean as I no longer get this.

this was the fall of 2009



Not a testimonial just my experience.

Usually I experienced rough running and stink until the leftover fuel was diluted away with fresh.

[Digitroll Fishing]

Good testimonial Randy. Like you mentioned the best thing for old gas is adding fresh gas. I have had no issues going on three years with ethanol and I have gone back to a full tank of gas in winter storage. No room for condensation or sweating with a full tank. Once I get down to half a tank I will add fresh fuel and top it off. I use 89 octane mid-grade.

I have used 6.5 gallons of gas in 3 trips in the last 10 days. 24 gallon tank.

We will go thru 35 gallons of gas at the Bar first week of May.

[sundown4570]

That might be okay if you have a 3 to 6 gallon fuel tank. I won't be draining or dumping my 50 gallon fuel tank anytime soon. Thats only $200 to refill it. I use Stabil Marine in my fuel with every fill-up and a double dosage for winter storage. As with every previous year I expect no problems and as I use my present tank of fuel I will refill it with fresh fuel.

If you emptied your fuel tank, what di you do with the fuel? Did you use it in another engine? Did you dump it down a drain... I sure hope not.

Well mine's a 6 gallon tank and the gas was 4 months old. I took the gas and put it in my Jeep that was half full to use it up and started out with fresh gas. I'm careful because I had to have the carbs on my snowblower and rototiller cleaned and rebuilt which they say was because of ethanol gas. Actually it cost me nothing to be a little cautious. I find that the older I get the less chances I take.

Like I said don't take it as gospel it was just a notice I got and shared.
I also use Startron or Stabil religiously

Steve

[Reelax]

The tank in my Lund is 78gal and it is full... Hope the gas is OK come spring! Thats a lot to drain..... (did what the dealer told me to, fill it and use stabil)

Update to come April 10th on the shakedown.

[Reel Delight (Walt)]

Matt you will be fine. I do this every year, a full tank with Marine Stabil and no problems. Then runthe tank down to 50 or 60% full in the spring and top the tank off with fresh fuel (& more marine stabil) and continue on for the season.

Hopefully you are also operating your boat with a 10 micron fuel/water separator filter and you should never have a problem.

[bigfish]

My formula!! It holds 180 gallons Put a couple 32 oz bottle in before my last couple trips dry dock mid october. Splash down last weekend in march normally. fill it when I need fuel ad stabil every other fillup which is between 60-110 gallons per fill up. No troubles for two years.Haven't seen much trouble except for a few that have choosen to not include stabil in their engines diet. It sure adds to the expense of the fun!!!

[Dockside]

I just dump some K100 and a cap of sea foam in. Work great last year on all the motors. (knock on wood)

[fishhuntadventure]

...ad stabil every other fillup...

That sounds like only partially protected half the time? Not sure why?

As far as draining fuel, or fuel over 30 days old... Stabilized fuel is fine for overwintering and then running it out in the spring.

Coupla years back I had some hiccups and stalling after having to switch out to ethanol-laced gas. Actually stalled under the sandbar bridge and flatted one blade on my 3-blade prop. It was also starting very hard sometimes and then would flood out due to over-choking trying to get the thing to run. 40HP 2-stroke Suzuki.

I started using Marine Stabil religiously and have not even changed my plugs. The thing runs and starts fantastic. It has ever since the first tank of Stabil-treated fuel. Even last spring after not running from January 18th to Memorial Day- same half-tank of gas and it started like it ran five minutes ago. And although I probably SHOULD change my plugs, I haven't in probably five years or more. This winter, motor started like a champ February 4th after not having been run since The Frostbite.

While I am no fan of E10 fuel by any stretch, I have just decided to deal and keep doing what works.

As far as the warning to only run high test fuel- that actually might be good for land-based vehicles, but at least for 2-stroke marine engines that advice might be detrimental. Higher octane is in essence "resistance to burning" which allows certain engines designed with higher compression to actually (potentially) produce more horsepower. However, if the engine does not have the requirement for higher octane to prevent knocking (pre-ignition) (a potential side effect of higher compression), the expense of the higher octane fuel is unwarrented. Further, today's premium gasolines are formulated with "heat enhancers" which can negatively effect outboard engines while yet still not allowing any horsepower advantage due because there is not enough compression to realize a more substantial explosion of the gasoline/air mixture.

I think the main reason the farm dealer was recommending premium fuel is that when gasoline phases or breaks down, the base octane is reduced. Premium gasolines have a higher remaining octane after breaking down and also are more resistant to breaking down.

(Interesting side note: when both leaded and unleaded premium gasoline was still available, bracket racers (street-driven drag racers) used to mix 89 octane leaded regular with 92-93 octane unleaded to achieve a theoretical net octane of 95 as the unleaded premium octane was achieved by refining hydrocarbons but the leaded regular achieved octane by the lead additive. The leaded regular (probably 83 octane before the lead was added) would "give up" some of its tetra-ethyl lead and boost the octane. Or so racing chemists told us; all we knew was when we did it the pinging would stop while it continued when we ran leaded or unleaded premium- and didn't cost an arm-and-a-leg like the nitro-boosted Cam-2 racing gas did. Of course we are paying over a dollar more for 87 unleaded etha-fuel today than the Cam-2 Race Gas cost back then...)