is stabil needed when using no ethanol gas?
- Thread starter CarLuver
- Start date
Ethanol doesn’t go bad. Gasoline does.....
Stabil is to preserve the gasoline portion from oxidation. It does nothing for the ethanol portion. It might be more important in a non ethanol gas because you dont have the cleaning ability that ethanol provides.
I haven't used any gas additives in over 10 years. I dont drain anything either. No problems. My gen had the same gas in it for 10+ years, just sold it with that same gas too. Started it for the first time in probably 7 years to make sure it still worked before I listed it.
edit; no ethanol fuel used in all my stuff
edit; no ethanol fuel used in all my stuff
I find it difficult to believe that 5+ year old gas is still good enough to run an engine, especially a small generator engine with small main jet bores. This last three months, I and my son-in-law have had to flush out year old gas from two neighbors generators that wouldn't start or if they did ran very poorly. These gen were put away running last year. Our recomendation was to either run the fuel out untill the engine stops or use staybil. ED
Actually I think the point of Sta-Bil is to raise the vapor pressure in your fuel tank so that it does not take on water vapor. Water and Ethanol are highly miscible. Ethanol is hydrophilic, meaning it attracts water. Ethanol is also slightly corrosive to aluminum, which carburetors are made out of. It certainly won't hurt to use it. You may want to.
I tried the Sta-Bil 360 Marine Blue stuff for awhile. That really raises the vapor pressure and makes enclosed areas smell of gasoline if you store your OPE there. Okay for a detached shed; not okak for an attached garage.
I tried the Sta-Bil 360 Marine Blue stuff for awhile. That really raises the vapor pressure and makes enclosed areas smell of gasoline if you store your OPE there. Okay for a detached shed; not okak for an attached garage.
As a matter of habit I put Sta-Bil on all my OPE gas, both 4 stroke and 2 stroke. I figure it's an ounce of prevention. My OPE equipment fires right up every time I go to use it. I use Top Tier E0 fuel in all my OPE. The only fuel tank I drain is my 2 stage Yardman snow blower and I do use the fuel shut off on my generator.
Just my $0.02
Just my $0.02
+1
Like the old saying goes, ''an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'' , use the stabilizer.
Bad Gas gumms up the works and has acidic nature that can damage fueling components. Stabil does not keep gas from going bad AFAIK it keeps deposits at bay. An old motorcycle i rescued had bad gas for a long time. It ran great wide open but idle/mid was horrible and could not be tuned out. Eventually i had to replace the needle/tube and jets as the old gas ate away enough to go out of spec.
I buy blue marine Stabil. At the rate of 1 oz per 10 gallons. So I might go through 2 oz a year. The cost of Stabil is insignificant. I also get E0 gas.
I don't think it could hurt anything to add it, so why not? I too use E0 fuel in my OPE, but I spike it with Sta-Bil when I know it is going to sit ide for several months.
One thing I have discovered is that the blue marine stuff shouldn't be used in anything stored in an attached garage. That stuff raises the vapor pressure so high that you always have a smell of gasoline.
I always treat my gas with Stabil, but I drain the little bit of gas I keep in my generator back into a can I keep for such things after 6 months or so. Then, the gas goes into my (at least 1/2 full) truck. While small engines are kind of Persnickety about older gas, your (half-full) 4, 6, or 8 cylinder vehicle doesn't know the difference. I still get a hearty handshake everytime I see a guy I told to put the 6 or 8 gallons of 'old' gas he drains from his boat each Spring into his truck! My regular gas cans are emptied and filled weekly for the work I do, so I never have a problem with them. If you can avoid ethanol, avoid it! In support of Srt20, my Stihl chainsaw once started on the second pull with (mixed) four-year-old regular unleaded it it.
Warning for those who are not aware. Draining the gas from your machine (or running it out of gas) does absolutely no good if you don't remove the carburetor bowl and blow (wipe) it out. Tiny remnants of gas turn into thick, icky varnish faster than a full bowl.
Oh! And Merrrrrrrrry Thursday!!!
Warning for those who are not aware. Draining the gas from your machine (or running it out of gas) does absolutely no good if you don't remove the carburetor bowl and blow (wipe) it out. Tiny remnants of gas turn into thick, icky varnish faster than a full bowl.
Oh! And Merrrrrrrrry Thursday!!!
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You'll hear lots of folks claim that they store gas for 5+ years and always have with no issues. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should. The potential for fuel system issues goes up greatly if you let old gas sit. Once the more volatile compounds evaporate away, what's left can clog carb passages and gum up the fuel system.
If the gas is in a reasonably sealed container, there's no reason it wont keep for a couple years. It's better to keep a gas can full, it will store better and stay fresher longer. Same goes for fuel inside equipment, it's best the fill the tank completely if you won't be using it for a period of time.
I don't subscribe to the run until empty and put away approach to storing OPE. There's always some residual fuel left in the fuel system and without fuel in there, it's almost guaranteed to leave deposits as the lighter more volatile components in the gasoline evaporate away. With a full tank of fuel (assuming E0), the quality might degrade some, but it shouldn't be seriously compromised provided you aren't storing it for many years. If I was putting something away for several years or more, I might consider draining the tank / carb bowl or running till empty.
All that said, I still use Stabil or other fuel preservative even though I know the E0 gasoline will keep fine for the period of time I store it, usually under a year. I think it's a good preventative measure and doesn't cost much as a bottle lasts me a couple years or more. It's easy to dump an ounce or two in the container before I head to the filling station and then I know I've done everything I can to ward off fuel system trouble.
If the gas is in a reasonably sealed container, there's no reason it wont keep for a couple years. It's better to keep a gas can full, it will store better and stay fresher longer. Same goes for fuel inside equipment, it's best the fill the tank completely if you won't be using it for a period of time.
I don't subscribe to the run until empty and put away approach to storing OPE. There's always some residual fuel left in the fuel system and without fuel in there, it's almost guaranteed to leave deposits as the lighter more volatile components in the gasoline evaporate away. With a full tank of fuel (assuming E0), the quality might degrade some, but it shouldn't be seriously compromised provided you aren't storing it for many years. If I was putting something away for several years or more, I might consider draining the tank / carb bowl or running till empty.
All that said, I still use Stabil or other fuel preservative even though I know the E0 gasoline will keep fine for the period of time I store it, usually under a year. I think it's a good preventative measure and doesn't cost much as a bottle lasts me a couple years or more. It's easy to dump an ounce or two in the container before I head to the filling station and then I know I've done everything I can to ward off fuel system trouble.
It depends a lot on how the equipment is stored. Stabilizer never hurts anything. The trouble with ethanol is it attracts moisture to the fuel. Ethanol-free fuel in theory will not have this problem if stored in a completely dry environment, but other factors (like storing the machine in a moist place or outside) can still contribute to the fuel going bad.
I also see a lot of people on this site claiming to be buying "ethanol free fuel" and unless it's AV gas I would be weary. I've had plenty of machines come through the shop with dirty carbs from customers that insisted they bought fuel from stations claiming to be ethanol free.
I also see a lot of people on this site claiming to be buying "ethanol free fuel" and unless it's AV gas I would be weary. I've had plenty of machines come through the shop with dirty carbs from customers that insisted they bought fuel from stations claiming to be ethanol free.
You spend a lot of time on this forum preaching AV gas. That's just not practical for most people.
The odds of a station selling ethanol gas as non-ethanol are pretty remote. All states have some sort of department of weights and measures (or something similar) that inspect gas stations periodically. Part of that inspection is sampling the fuel to ensure it is the correct octane and type of fuel advertised. While I have no doubts there are unscrupulous stations out there that rip people off, I'm certain this practice is not widespread.
Every gas station I've purchased non-ethanol at has been a name brand outfit with newer facilities and separate hose/nozzle for the non-ethanol stuff. I might give pause if it were an unbranded hole-in-the-wall station in the middle of nowhere. But for the most part, I'm confident I'm getting what I'm paying for.
Actually, I've never preached AV gas, so go back and re-read the posts. In fact, I am usually the one recommending against using AV gas. All I stated was that you cannot be certain that you are getting 100% ethanol free unless you go to a place that has it separately, such as an airport. I know around me, we have almost no ethanol-free stations. There are a few that "claim" to have ethanol free 93, but there is no indication on the pump, so it is suspect.
Using Stabilizer isn't that hard, and it's a sure-fire way to make sure your fuel won't give you any problems. I spend more time preaching stabilizer than I ever have AV gas.
