Hello All:
The subject of”bad” fuel came up this past week. As one can see from the title of the subject, this may be a complex quest. What are the symptoms, inconsistent engine run, blown plugs, engine stopping in flight, inconsistent needle valve settings etc.
I have been learning a bit about bad gasoline in Lawnboy 2 cycle engines this Spring and this carried over to fuel questions in glow engines.
Suggestions/Comments
Tia,
Frank McCune
You will more than likely have gasoline for your mower go bad before properly stored glow fuel goes bad. The problem with the gasoline for your Lawnboy mowers is the ethanol in the gasoline. It draws moisture if you don't keep it tightly capped and stored in a cool, dry place, and water easily affects gasoline by binding with the ethanol, and then it varnishes quickly. If you can find a gas station that sells non-ethanol gasoline use that for all your lawn and garden equipment. There are websites that show where gas stations in your area are that carry it. In large metropolitan areas like St. Louis, they are pretty much non-existent. I used to have to drive for several hours to Effingham, Illinois to get it but I used to deal with a friend there in vintage Penton motorcycle stuff, so whenever I went to his house I would always take any empty gas cans with me and fill up. We finally found another source at a convenience store in the other direction that is just outside of St. Charles County, MO that is only about an hour. If you don't need more that a small amount, most hardware stores are now selling premixed two stroke gasoline in quart cans but it is 6 or 7 bucks a quart!! If you check on You Tube, there are videos on how to extract the ethanol out of pump gas using a clear container and water. Whichever method you use, it helps to add some stabilizer to the gasoline if the premix oil you use doesn't already have it in it. I use Opti-2 premix oil in everything I have including my vintage dirt bikes and love it. It has stabilizer in it already and being a concentrate it mixes at a higher ratio so you have more gasoline in your mix, and you can often lean out you mixture a bit for more cleaner running engines. In short, make an effort to use non-ethanol gasoline in small two stroke engines, or any small engine, period.
If glow fuel goes bad, it can happen right away. I had a jug of fuel that was down about half way, and it went bad from one flight to the next. I put in a flight at Buder, and when my turn came around again, the engine would stay running without the battery clip attached. As soon as I pulled the battery, the engine died. Changed plugs and same deal. Changed fuel and I was able to put the old plug back in and it ran fine. Since then I never run a jug of fuel completely empty. When it gets down to about 1/4 full, I start a new one and then when there is room in the new jug for the left overs in the old jug, I pour that in so nothing is wasted. As Bill P. mentioned, you may also have trouble with it needling and acts like you always have to adjust the needle after starting. Keep your fuel in a cool, dry and dark place when not in use. I try to keep my fuel out of the sun also when at the flying field.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee