How come my gasoline does not go stale?

[Ivan Vegvary]

Title says it. Had to start up the 5000 watt generator because of an outag= e. 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. Additionally, I have a push mower that I use to get into tight spots where= my 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.

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 e= quipment immune from 'stale' gas?

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

Thanks, Ivan Vegvary

[Existential Angst]

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.... :)

[harry]

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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

[dennisgauge]

Never had gasoline go "bad" on me, either. I have chainsaw mix that's 2-3 years old. Runs as good as fresh.

Bad gasoline is VERY obvious if you smell it. It doesn't smell like gasoline. It has an exceptionally nasty pungent odor, like old-school varnish, which is why they say the gasoline has "turned to varnish."

[DerbyDad03]

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'...

[trader4]

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.

[kick-ur-butt]

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?

[harry]

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