Use of fuel stabilizers in HMVs

[Jon Skagfeld]

Chris: Reference our recent telecon...

That web-site cites CTC 91 octane as being ethanol free.

Well, I went to our local CTC gas pumps and the pump just showed the decal "May contain up to 10% ethanol". It didn't discriminate between octanes; the decal covered all three.

I went into the kiosk and asked "Does your 91 octane have ethanol?'

Answer: As of 01 March 2015, yes.

So it looks like Shell V Power might be the only choice left, as if that's a choice!

[Phil Waterman]

Hi All

Sorry to hear that ethanol fuel has now become widespread in Canada, he have been suffering with the stuff in the US for years.

My observations on fuel stabilizers:

• They sort of work, the US gas goes flat very fast with or without stabilizer additive.
• Stabilizer does seem to help with the water absorption and separation
• Power loss and fuel economy from gas going flat is very marked, I've done engine test stand test with stale (3 months old) and fresh gas engine running on fresh gas all warmed up and running on fresh gas, switch tanks to stale gas as the fuel in the system is used up and the stale gas hits the carb, RPMs drop and the engine takes on a unhealthy note.
• When running 3 month old gas in the generator there is marked drop in max power out put of the generator and how much load it will carry, but what is even more marked is the drop in fuel economy which drops by 30%. Burn through the stuff in the tank and refill with fresh gas and generator carries more load and fuel economy is back. Power loss with the generator is significant enough that now I have 3 sealed five gallon cans which I keep full. But once a month in the winter I dump the all in our regular cars and refill with fresh.

For year prior to the change in fuel each fall I would fill all the tanks on the trucks before parking them for the winter. Then if we had extended power outage I had 84 gallons of fuel on hand. No power outage would just use up the fuel in the trucks in the spring. Came the fuel change and the trucks run like crap in the spring. As a rule of thumb now if any of the antiques start running crappy I drain the fuel (use in regular car) and refill the tank with fresh fuel before even thinking about looking for a cause of the running crappy.


Yes, I use Stabil Marine in the trucks and in the fuel cans.



Cheers Phil

[Bob Carriere]

First of all we are sold on removeable 5 gal. outboard motor tanks for safety. As we are still finishing work on the trucks and need to do some welding the tank can come off so easily. Also if closed tight and being plastic we do not seem to be having stale gas problems or separation within the gas tank as reported on US Chev forums.

I do keep extra Hi test gas in similar 5 gal. Specter containers with no makor problems.... container are full to the top and sealed tight. I do rotate the fuel in the lawn mower tractor and for paint gun cleaning but a lot of my gas is over 3 months old at time.

Hi test is more expensive short term but does run better in the truck and in the chain saw, mower, slurry pump, pressure washer, etc.

In fact I do not even bother with fuel additive except for the full tank of the electric generator to insure quick start in an emergency .

Cheers

[David Dunlop]

Back in the 70's, I got a tank full of water contaminated gasoline in my Challenger 383 Magnum one day and it started running like crap. One of the mechanics on duty grabbed a quart bottle of methyl hydrate and poured it into my tank. Said it would absorb the water and help get it through the system. The car continued to run rough for about half a block and settled down OK for the entire tank load of gas. When I went back later and told him, he said the MH was the same stuff they used to use in a local bus garage to filter the bus air brake/line systems through to remove water. They had a set time for changing out the MH reservoirs in the buses. Maybe that would help with the water in gasoline today, though I am not sure about solving how quickly gasoline goes stale these days.

David

[Bob Carriere]

Way back when we bought it by the gallons at local FLAP dealers for Winter months. Apparently if use in sufficient quantity it does mix with condensation water in the tank and allows is to burn. I tried to use rubbing alcohol form a drug store in a an alcohol lamp with a chemistry set and would not burned.... the bottle said 60 % alcohol..... I added methyl from the gallon bottle in the garage and it worked fine.

We also had to change spark plugs every Spring or at least clean and regapped the plugs until replacement 6 months later before Winter set in again.

I was told...... that ethyl has a greater affinity with water than methyl and can actually absorbe it from the air similar to standard brake fluid. Can't vouched for that,

Bob C

ps...ETHYL is meant for human consumption... why waste it in your car????

[chris vickery]

For those experimentalists out there, apparently there is a way to "wash" ethanol out of your fuel.
It sounds crazy but supposedly it works.
You add straight water to your gasoline and allow the mixture to settle.
The water will attract the ethanol and then settle. You pump off the straight gasonline and for added safety filter through a moisture trapping filter.
Sounds like a lot of work to me, hi test is easier, at least for now.
As an aside, we the consumer are being ripped off by the gas companies with the addition of ethanol to our fuel. It burns more quickly than gasoline and has less power yhan gasoline. Its like buying a hamburger full of filler. Do you want filler or do you want meat?
We certainly don't pay less for ethanol blended fuels.
I did an experiment recently and calculated that Premium is actually similar in price to run as regular. If you figure out your average cost per KM for regular and then do the same for Super you will see what I mean.
The main difference I found was that Premium was higher in price but achieved way more km per tank than regular. Also, the engine is more responsive with plenty of power.

[maple_leaf_eh]

I doubt a POL jerry hanging on the brush guard will pass the vehicle safety inspection, but for yard work THAT is a good idea.