old fuel: the definitive answer

There, that wasn't so hard to understand.. was it? :-)

MJC

That conclusion assumes that you think that only Paul McIntosh knows anything about fuel. I have been in this hobby for 20 years and I have never thrown any fuel out because it was more than a year old, and I have never had to send any of my engines in for repair. Old fuel is not harmful to your engine. I have experienced flameouts from fresh fuel that I had bought that same day.

If you have any fuel that is too old for you to use, send it my way and I will use it.

Well, I have been in this hobby for over 40 years, so I must know more than you (according to your way of thinking).

If you want to risk your models, go ahead. I don't.

And I thought we had it all figured out! :)

FredD

Come to think of it, they probably are. Most of your RC related problems are probably due, at least in part, to old fuel.

I was thinking that I should use up all of my old fuel for lighting the wood stove, but that's probably not a good idea either. I have heard that most stoves that come in for repair have a problem related to old fuel.

Well, like I said Paul. If you have any fuel you think is too old to use, send it my way and I will.

I have never lost an aircraft because of old fuel. I've lost them due to dumb thumbs and even an unintentional mid air collision.

Does this mean unintentional midairs are NOT caused by bad fuel??? Damshoot...

Bill

It's the odds. Chances are better you'll have problems the older your gas is. How much better is not knowable. So, "You pays ya money and you takes ya chances!"

Now, I've got these LiPo packs that I've stored for three years in a cool, dry, dark celler........

You have read the views of only a very few people. The Fuel & Engine manufacturers and scientists offer different opinions. FWIW, I service many engines and as mentioned earlier, I have used fuel that is more than 3 years old that looks clean, is filtered and runs well on the ground, without hesitation. In doubt a small sample can easily be checked for oil content by the evaporation and comparison method. (crude but effective). No motor running good old stuff has quit in the air (except with an empty tank - rare) nor shown any signs of damage. - run some tests yourself... then perhaps; refer to

"Fuel" Byron Fuels - mfg plant etc Castor vs Synthetic - FHS (Red Max) recommendations. FUELS - John Modistach Fuels - Brian Hampton Klotzlube.com - Glo Fuel Blending Chart Morgan Fuels = Cool Power etc. Nitromethanol, and/or RC Fuel Oil test comparisons Powermaster Hobby Products Inc. Powermaster - 2st vs 4st fuels - is there a difference? Powermaster - What is the Oil Content_ Powermaster - Which Oil is Better- Synthetic or Castor_ Nitromethane, The Mystery Ingredient Storing Fuel for Maximum shelf life RC Nitro Engines - Fuel properties Tech Charts - J Modistach Water in Fuel - test results and effects Wildcat Wildcat Hot-Fax Letter

However, when in doubt throw it out - as you say Fuel is very cheap............ regards AlanT. Alan's Hobby, Model & RC Links

I never run my engines around an old fool. A fool can do a lot of damage to a model, especially when they get old. They will tell you all sorts of stuff based on their opinions and half-remembered memories. "Why when I was your age sonny, we had to walk twenty-five miles in the snow to collect 30 gallons of maple sap to make just one gallon of alcohol. We had to boil the sap for one day, cool it, add some yeast, and wait another five days. After that we boiled it up in grandpa's still. After Pa had his fill, we got some for our models. We never could keep the stuff around until summer. It would evaporate from sealed cans hidden in the woodshed. That stuff was volatile!"

Oh, you guys were talking about old fuel... Sorry.

Nevermind....

Tom

Not wishing to appear rude, but that is a non sequitur.

You might, for example, be incapable of learning from experience,

or suffering hobby related degenerative mental diseases.

Or just plain lying about your 'intelligence' on the subject.

Unless you are the Pope, or Dubya, who of course will change the rules to correspond with his dim notion of correctness, the Truth is always open to interpretation...

That's presumably is why he is here on the NG, he doesn't risk his models by flying them anymore :-)

Gas, certainly. Its well known that gasoline loses the more combustible fractions over time and is harder to ignite. Mix it with some fresh.

Glo Fuel? Well its only methanol and oil, plus a bit of nitro. If it loses a bit of methanol or nitro it just gets oilier...Mix it with some fresh.

Diesel fuel is a bitch tho. The ether is what goes first. Mix it wih some fresh.

How much better is not knowable. So, "You pays ya money and

Givbe em to me.

There's no fuel like old fuel.

Damn straight - I had a midair the other week- only 2 aircraft in the air, a guy coming down out of a loop slammed his crappy old SC motor through an almost new OS 46FX breaking open the crank case, ripping the fins off the head and cracking the muffler, and sending the whole lot to the ground, killing the receiver as well.

I was totally mystified at first, then I remembered that I'd been running only *18%* oil in my fuel. Sure 3% of that was castor, but I've seen many posts claiming that this level of oil is *dangerously* low. I didn't understand what that meant at the time, but I do now, and I shall, from now on, preach with authority to anyone who will listen (and many who'd prefer not to): midairs are caused by insufficient oil.

Russ.

Hobby related degenerative diseases: Old Fuel.

See? He was right. Old fuel is dangerous.

Old fuel gets better with age, i dont use it unless it's 2 years old. If it hasnlt been opened it will last for years. DOUG

Hell, now we seem to have another problem caused by old fuel. Do *not* drink old fuel guys.... it causes mental flame outs !!! The odds may also be high on it causing other problems as well. Reg