How come my gasoline does not go stale?

Gas within is at least three winters old. Always starts on the second pull. This is contrary to all the discussions about "dumping your gasoline" into your auto after about 2-3 months.

riding mower does not fit. Only run it for about 2-3 minutes at a time, about 8 times a year. Same story. Gas within is about 4 years old. No problem. I do however push the primer bulb about 9 times to get it started, instead of the recommended three.

mowers would have an in-line gas shutoff. Suppose I could install one.

equipment immune from 'stale' gas?

are 11 years old.

Because as is obvious...gasoline doesnt go stale in 2-3 months. It starts going stale after about 8-9 months..in HOT environments in containers that are vented. The light volatiles go away first.

Here in the hot, dry high desert.. I put Stabil in my fuels if I expect to store t hem for over a year. And it works fine on fuels I put up 3-5 yrs before.

Gunner

The methodology of the left has always been:

1. Lie
2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
6. Then everyone must conform to the lie

BTW, I always turn off the gas to the gen and let it die out. I wish lawn mowers would have an in-line gas shutoff. Suppose I could install one.

So, what's going on? Is Oregon ARCO gas that much better? Is Troy-Built equipment immune from 'stale' gas?

Not wanting to start a fight, just interested. BTW, both gen and lawn mower are 11 years old.

Thanks, Ivan Vegvary =====================================================================

I believe I started that thread, and it is indeed hard for me to understand how gasoline can go bad.... or so bad you cain't use it.

iyr, there were all kinds of studies showing all the auto-catalytic oxidation products, blah blah, but bottom line, I've never experienced bad gas either. Shit gas from a station, ok, proly with emulsified water, but not good gas going bad.

Now, having said that, it could be that pyooterized engines are more sensitive to gas that is no longer "as good" as it was.... altho really, they should be LESS sensitive, with all the feedback loops, etc. Sensitive sensors?? who knows.

Still, a lot of people "testified" to gas going bad.... I think it's a topic worth revisiting, mebbe along the lines of: Well, if your gas went bad, just HOW BAD did your gas get, and how were you able to tell??

Some of the experiences could be: Someone emptied an old container of gas in a car on empty, and some crud in the bottom got sucked in to the injectors, whatever, ergo the perception of bad gas. Or condensed water. But water should just "sit" at the bottom of the can, right?

Ultimately, the real test would be a hp test or a mpg test of good gas vs good gas gone bad. I could see *mebbe* a cupla % reduction from good to bad, but not much beyond that. Ahm just spitballing, tho.... :)

So mebbe in unvented (expandable) containers, it won't go bad even after a cupla years? And what % of gas is light volatiles (butane?) ? < 1%??

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You petrol does not go "bad". It is a mixture of many hydrocarbons some more volatile than others. The volatile one evaporate if the petrol is badly stored so making starting more difficult in cold conditions. It needs to be kept in a cool gas tight environment.

You petrol does not go "bad". It is a mixture of many hydrocarbons some more volatile than others. The volatile one evaporate if the petrol is badly stored so making starting more difficult in cold conditions. It needs to be kept in a cool gas tight environment.

I agree. According to the engine service people I use, gas loses its volatility over time and so doesn't vaporize properly in the carburetor and that leads to non-starting; but it depends upon the gas and how its stored.

I took a chance over several years with my leaf blower which I just use in the spring and fall. The gas was usually no more than a year old; but, whenever I used the blower, I also shut the valve off and burned off what was in the lines to keep the carburetor clean.

But a few weeks ago, the blower wouldn't start. The engine service people took one sniff, said the gas had gone "bad", drained the tank, put in new gas (with stabilizer) and the blower started right up.

So, I'll be using gas stabilizer from now on and maybe I'll put a piece of tape over the gas can and tank vents to minimize evaporation too.

Tomsic

I use gas stabilizer I leave the gas in my snowblower all summer and in my lawn mower all winter. However, I do start each of them at least once a month and let them run for 10 - 15 minutes to ensure that they have reached "normal operating temperature". I've never had trouble with them not starting since I started using this method many years ago.

On the other hand, I wasn't as diligent with the 2 blowers that I own, one hand held and one back pack. While I did use stabilizer, I didn't start them at all this winter/spring/summer. This fall I found that the back pack blower will only run if I almost continually mess with the choke and the hand held blower won't stay running for more than a few seconds regardless of what I do with the choke.

Bad Gas? Gummed up carbs? I don't know. All I know is that the machines that I start once a month work just fine, the ones I let sit for 3 seasons don't.

A few years ago my son bought a Craftsman 21" lawnmower with a Honda engine. It ran great the first year but he couldn't get it started the next spring after it had been stored with gas in the tank all winter. He had not started it for about 4-5 months. He took it in for warranty repair and when he got it back he was told that it was "bad gas" and that while bad gas isn't supposed to be covered, they didn't charge him but told him it wouldn't be free next time.

Just sayin'...

One of the big problems is that gasoline in almost all cases today is *not* just gasoline. It's a blend with alcohol. Alcohol absorbs water. The gas then has enough water in it to cause corrosion of some metals found in carbs or to apparently form into some kind of gunk that clogs up orifices. There are reports and articles about this from countless small engine shops and similar.

Another issue is under what conditions does gas go bad? Storing it in a completely sealed container at 60F is a lot different than it being "stored" in a gas tank in a gas engine in a shed that's 90F, with the tank being vented. If you think gas can't go bad in a carb, then you haven't taken apart enough carbs. I've had enough problems where the engine would not start and upon taking the carb apart, it was gunked up.

And for some reason, apparently some engines are just more prone to having gas problems. Like some of you, I've had engines that sat with gas for a year and started up fine. I've had others, like the Tecumseh engine on my snowblower where the gas in the carb will foul it within half that time.

Anything I'm not going to use for around a year, I prefer to drain of gas. Anything else I don't use regularly I make sure has gas stabilizer in it. And it's a good idea to have a carb rebuild kit on hand for any essential engine.

Gunner on Tue, 18 Dec 2012 08:57:49 -0800 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Gas within is at least three winters old. Always starts on the second pull. This is contrary to all the discussions about "dumping your gasoline" into your auto after about 2-3 months.

riding mower does not fit. Only run it for about 2-3 minutes at a time, about 8 times a year. Same story. Gas within is about 4 years old. No problem. I do however push the primer bulb about 9 times to get it started, instead of the recommended three.

mowers would have an in-line gas shutoff. Suppose I could install one.

equipment immune from 'stale' gas?

are 11 years old.

In cold. damp environments, the ethanol absorbs the humidity. Then all it is good for is starting fires. Maybe. But it for certain makes your truck run like a Yugo if you use it to stretch the tank till you can get to the pump.

-- pyotr Go not to the Net for answers, for it will tell you Yes and no. And you are a bloody fool, only an ignorant cretin would even ask the question, forty two, 47, the second door, and how many blonde lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb.

Gas within is at least three winters old. Always starts on the second pull. This is contrary to all the discussions about "dumping your gasoline" into your auto after about 2-3 months.

riding mower does not fit. Only run it for about 2-3 minutes at a time, about 8 times a year. Same story. Gas within is about 4 years old. No problem. I do however push the primer bulb about 9 times to get it started, instead of the recommended three.

mowers would have an in-line gas shutoff. Suppose I could install one.

equipment immune from 'stale' gas?

are 11 years old.

Sailboats often have an outboard hanging on the aft rail for use with the dinghy and a can of outboard gas stored somewhere. After a stay in the marina (no dinghy use) for a few months in tropical climates it is common that the "damned outboard won't start". The cure is often to simply dump the old gas and get a new tank full. A friend who fixes outboards at the local marina says that this cures more then half of the outboards with that particular problem.

Gasoline does deteriorate

I want to start a fight, so put up your dukes bud, and lets get it on. By the way, I saw your mama in bed with a sailor last night, and she was wearing his Army boots. That dont say much about the son she raised, does it?

Gas within is at least three winters old. Always starts on the second pull. This is contrary to all the discussions about "dumping your gasoline" into your auto after about 2-3 months.

riding mower does not fit. Only run it for about 2-3 minutes at a time, about 8 times a year. Same story. Gas within is about 4 years old. No problem. I do however push the primer bulb about 9 times to get it started, instead of the recommended three.

mowers would have an in-line gas shutoff. Suppose I could install one.

equipment immune from 'stale' gas?

are 11 years old.

If Oregon doesn't require any Ethanol or Methanol or MTBE or other Bull-pucky to the gasoline as an Oxygenate for emissions, it will store a whole lot better and longer than the gas from states that do.

In some areas you can get that Non-Ethanol blend for marine uses, since it's a lot more likely to get some water in your gas on a boat - and you've probably got a Water Filter inline to get it back out anyway - that would choke on an Alcohol & Water mix.

It's not nice to have the engine quit when you're shooting the surf to land on the beach, or working just above a Waterfall...

Even if you've had good luck with your generator in the past, they keep reformulating gasoline every few years and you may well get bitten badly next time.

Get a bottle of Sta-Bil or the equivalent (K&W "Stor-X") and use it.

And yes, some engines and carburetor designs are a lot more resistant to getting gummed up than others. Luck of the draw.

-->--

The other problem is that magnetoes (if you have one) give a very poor spark when you're trying to start the engine. Not such a problem with coil/electronic igntion

Gas within is at least three winters old. Always starts on the second pull. This is contrary to all the discussions about "dumping your gasoline" into your auto after about 2-3 months.

riding mower does not fit. Only run it for about 2-3 minutes at a time, about 8 times a year. Same story. Gas within is about 4 years old. No problem. I do however push the primer bulb about 9 times to get it started, instead of the recommended three.

mowers would have an in-line gas shutoff. Suppose I could install one.

equipment immune from 'stale' gas?

are 11 years old.

It does. I lost 15% in gas mileage when we switched to oxy gas, damnit.

We can, but it's $4.59 vs $3.29/gal. NOT worth it.

I guess I've been lucky, because I've never had gas go bad on me, either. Ever. But I've smelled badly varnished gas in old tools I've bought. I replace what's in there with fresh gas and most start right up. One weedeater I have needs a carb o/h. The auctioneer said it ran fine, the GD MF lying SOB.

Gas within is at least three winters old. Always starts on the second pull. This is contrary to all the discussions about "dumping your gasoline" into your auto after about 2-3 months.

riding mower does not fit. Only run it for about 2-3 minutes at a time, about 8 times a year. Same story. Gas within is about 4 years old. No problem. I do however push the primer bulb about 9 times to get it started, instead of the recommended three.

mowers would have an in-line gas shutoff. Suppose I could install one.

equipment immune from 'stale' gas?

are 11 years old.

You live in a fairly mild climate. I'm where it is pretty snowy right now and summer is fairly mild. I've used gasoline over a year old w/o issues. I've smelled some stuff that I forgot about that went years and it smelled nasty.

Since purchasing a generator, I've been buying 'recreational' gasoline. Rec gasoline doesn't have ethanol which the lack of increases storage life. I also treat with stabil but I'm not sure how much gain I'm getting out of that but what the heck.

I'm planning to run the stored gas though the car after a year of storage to keep from having problems. It isn't like I'm wasting it.

Wes

stuff that

Your alky free gas, with a proper amount of Stabil in it, in a tightly closed container, will last at minumum 3 yrs. Ive gotten 5 yrs out of it and after that..used it for small power tools. with complete sucess.

I tucked 55+ gallons of fuel away in 1999 and finished using the last of it in 2006. No issues noted.

Just a helpful heads up.

Gunner

The methodology of the left has always been:

1. Lie
2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
6. Then everyone must conform to the lie