running 1>2 year old gasoline thru a modern fuel injected engine is just asking for major problems...most of the additives have evaporated or settled out..tank water condensation needs to be drained, not forced thru injectors
more than an 1/8th tank...pull old fuel filter...put on extension to fuel line from pump...use tank fuel pump to drain tank down to 2 gallon or less
put on new fuel filter
add 5 gallons of fresh gas and a half bottle of Regane or Techron Concentrate....drive to station and add 2nd half of fuel cleaner and fill tank
will save yourself an expensive injector removal/cleaning repair.
use the old gas in cheap reed valve carb'd lawn mower or old time drag saw after adding some Regane
http://www.mercurymarine.com/ethanol
What is phase separation, and how do I deal with it?
If significant amounts of water are present in a fuel tank with gasoline that contains ethanol, the water will be drawn into the fuel until the saturation point is reached for the three-component mixture of water + gasoline + ethanol. Beyond this level of water, phase separation could cause most of the ethanol and water to separate from the bulk fuel and drop to the bottom of the tank, leaving gasoline with a significantly reduced level of ethanol in the upper phase (see Figure 1 below). If the lower phase of water and ethanol is large enough to reach the fuel inlet, it could be pumped directly to the engine and cause significant problems. Even if the ethanol water phase at the bottom of the tank is not drawn into the fuel inlet, the reduced ethanol level of the fuel reduces the octane rating by as much as 3 octane numbers, which could result in engine problems.
The level at which phase separation can occur is determined by a number of variables, including the amount of ethanol, the composition of the fuel, the temperature of the environment and the presence of contaminants. It is very important (A) that the system is inspected for significant quantities of water in the tank before using gasoline with ethanol and (B) to limit exposure of the fuel tank to excess water. If phase separation has occurred, it is necessary to completely remove all free water from the system and replace the fuel before continuing operation. Otherwise, engine problems could occur.
Figure 1: Sample of fuel from fuel tank in which phase separation has occurred. The upper phase is gasoline with a reduced level of ethanol. The lower level is a mixture of ethanol and water.
[ July 19, 2006, 12:49 PM: Message edited by: Steelhead ]
