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rl153 Serious Thumper Offline S40 Just right! Posts: 906 Bloomfield,CT Gender:	Sta-bil 09/05/09 at 08:18:24 A mechanic told me using stabil in the gas for winter storage can gum up the carb .Is there any truth to that ? Thanks.
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jabman Senior Member Offline Posts: 411 England Gender:	Re: Sta-bil Reply #1 - 09/05/09 at 08:26:24 i thought that stuff was to stop gumming up the carb and to stop the fuel going 'off' you could drain the carb first before you put it away
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clueless-FSO Senior Member Offline Posts: 454 Birmingham, Al Gender:	Re: Sta-bil Reply #2 - 09/05/09 at 11:17:59 I put it in anything I have that won't be run for extended periods. I put it in the tank, let it mix, and then run it enough to get it in carbs and fuel lines. Never had a problem. Jim
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Routy Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 2280 Winston Oregon Gender:	Re: Sta-bil Reply #3 - 09/05/09 at 14:22:28 I know it keeps gas good for a long time, so I would think the carb would be safe too. But in my experience,....over many years, I have never had any problems from bad fuel for at least a year,....and even 2. Rich
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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Sta-bil Reply #4 - 09/05/09 at 14:39:34 If you pulled the line to the carb & ran it till it died & drained whatever was left, wouldnt that be about as good as it gets? Or would a full carb be better than a dry one? Would the bowl gasket dry out & cause a leak next spring? HEY! I know..Move South so you dont have to park it for months. OR, Butch up & ride, like Digger.
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clueless-FSO Senior Member Offline Posts: 454 Birmingham, Al Gender:	Re: Sta-bil Reply #5 - 09/05/09 at 14:54:47 you're correct about that Justin. The AMA says we average about 4 days a year not suited for riding. Cold and wet don't count. Just ice. But below about 45, I freeze my rear end off. Not fond of riding in the rain either.
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JohnBoy Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 825 Gender:	Re: Sta-bil Reply #6 - 09/05/09 at 16:29:10 I have used Sta-bil for years with good results. I don't know how it will work with ethanol fuel mixes. They use an ethanol blend out here in Phoenix. If I have to store a bike for a while I replace the fuel with aviation gas. I know from experience that aviation gas will last for up to a year.
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boofer Ex Member	Re: Sta-bil Reply #7 - 09/05/09 at 23:14:49 Rl153, I use Sta-bil in my emergency generator with 7hp Robyn engine. (As per directions on bottle) As stated before, let it run and get into the carb. With my lawnmower I just tie down the blade safety and let it run dry. Always cranks ok in spring with fresh gas. Boofer
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dasch Serious Thumper Offline SuzukiSavage.com Rocks! Posts: 1137	Re: Sta-bil Reply #8 - 09/06/09 at 10:15:30 I never used any fuel additives on my bikes. I do take the battery out over winter. For gas - I crank it up every once in a while with jump cables. If road is dry, I reinstall battery and take it out for a spin. Never had a slightest problem.
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PTRider

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Posts: 397

Re: Sta-bil
Reply #9 - 09/06/09 at 10:40:08

JohnBoy wrote on 09/05/09 at 16:29:10:

I have used Sta-bil for years with good results. I don't know how it will work with ethanol fuel mixes. They use an ethanol blend out here in Phoenix. If I have to store a bike for a while I replace the fuel with aviation gas. I know from experience that aviation gas will last for up to a year.

Quote:

STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer eliminates the need to drain fuel during storage, and keeps fuel fresh for up to 12 months or more. STA-BIL now includes more corrosion protection than ever before to help prevent and protect against problems caused by today’s Ethanol-blended fuels.

http://www.goldeagle.com/brands/stabil/default.aspx

Modern gasoline does not remain good in storage as gasoline did years ago. Either draining the tank (good idea in a dry climate like Arizona) or filling to the top with gasoline plus Sta-bil or equal is best. Running the disconnected carburetor dry is good.

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boofer

Ex Member

Re: Sta-bil
Reply #10 - 09/07/09 at 20:38:49

Last week my brother's ATV wouldn't start--just turned over and tried once. He only rides from September to about February fixing deer stand up and while hunting. Gas sits in there about 6 months in hot closed shop. I don't recommend this, but I gave it the sniff test. It won't always tell you when gas is still good enough to run, but it will tell you when it is too bad to use. Bad gas smells like paint thinner.
Boofer

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justin_o_guy2 Serious Thumper Offline What happened? Posts: 55279 East Texas, 1/2 dallas/la.	Re: Sta-bil Reply #11 - 09/07/09 at 23:40:03 Dont ATV's have plastic tanks? My Yamaha does. If hes not gonna ride it, he should drain it.
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babyhog

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Re: Sta-bil
Reply #12 - 09/08/09 at 10:17:54

So is all this recommended even in a garage that is climate controlled? We've never had any trouble with our 4-wheeler or riding lawn mower, but I don't want to be that careless about my bike! This will be my first winter with it, and I want to do the right things.

Fill the tank or drain the tank?
Use Stabil or not?
Remove the battery or trickle charge it?

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bill67 Serious Thumper Offline old tired Posts: 8517 genoa city wisconsin Gender:	Re: Sta-bil Reply #13 - 09/08/09 at 12:28:50 I use Sea Foam in the gas does same as sta-bil but has some oil in it. I just charge the battery and it last all winter here which is about 4 months, I never fill the tank or drain it.
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Charon

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Re: Sta-bil
Reply #14 - 09/08/09 at 15:46:00

Just remembering High School Chemistry, chemical reactions take place more slowly at lower temperatures. An unheated garage or shed in winter would seem to be the best for slowing chemical reactions, such as fuel oxidizing or spoiling in some other way. It would also slow the evaporation of volatile parts of the fuel (fuel being a blend of hydrocarbons). By the way, since batteries are also chemical systems, self-discharge of batteries takes place more slowly at low temperatures.

There are one or two posters on this board who seem to have worked in the petroleum industry, or who at least seem to know a good bit about petroleum products. Perhaps one of them will chime in and describe in some detail just what it is about gasoline that goes bad over time. Do some of the volatiles evaporate out? Do some of the "cracked" hydrocarbons recombine? Do some components polymerize? Just what happens? And what does Sta-Bil do about it?

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Eschew obfuscation.

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