misfish Posted January 3, 2011 Report Posted January 3, 2011 My question is,should I be adding some gasoline anti freeze to it?
Big Cliff Posted January 3, 2011 Report Posted January 3, 2011 no, but you should be adding fuel stabilizer to it. The ethanol that is in gas today acts like gas line antifreeze, it absorbs water which shouldn't be in your gas anyway.
Big Cliff Posted January 3, 2011 Report Posted January 3, 2011 dont forget seafoam Seafoam is an excellent stabilizer!
Fisherman Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 One of the best things you can do is to leave the machine at a steady temperature. From inside to outside and back inside causes condensation to form in the tank, next thing she'll(the auger, not the wife unless you leave her outside too) freeze up and then you'll need another rotator cuff from all the pulling.
skeeter Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 I believe somebody posted on the OFC that sunoco high test didn't have methanol in it.
Rattletrap2 Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 I believe somebody posted on the OFC that sunoco high test didn't have methanol in it. Good question about the fuel Brian. I was told by the mechanic at Extreme Marine this past summer, that the last tank I ran through my outboard should be 94 octane. He said it did not contain the ethanol. I figure that with the minimal use my boat has been getting lately, that the first tank i fill up with in the Spring...is the last tank!!! I might as well use it all the time. Would this hold true for most of our 2 cycle engines?
Fisherman Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 I believe somebody posted on the OFC that sunoco high test didn't have methanol in it. No, no no, it's ethanol, not methanol and it's Shell not Sunnoco,
Big Cliff Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 (edited) Good question about the fuel Brian. I was told by the mechanic at Extreme Marine this past summer, that the last tank I ran through my outboard should be 94 octane. He said it did not contain the ethanol. I figure that with the minimal use my boat has been getting lately, that the first tank i fill up with in the Spring...is the last tank!!! I might as well use it all the time. Would this hold true for most of our 2 cycle engines? Not always, some engins are desigined to run on regular gas, running high test can cause them to run hotter and that isn't always good especially on a 2 stroke. Your best bet is to read and follow the manufactures reccomended specifications. Since 2 stroke engines rely on the oil in the gas for lubrication, if you run it too hot or lean, it could cause premature engine failure. I use fuel stabilizer in EVERY tank of gas (other than my car) it is cheap insurance. Edited January 4, 2011 by Big Cliff
skeeter Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 What would this board be if it wasnt for guy's like Big Cliff? thats why everyone loves ya Cliff!
Big Cliff Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 What would this board be if it wasnt for guy's like Big Cliff? thats why everyone loves ya Cliff! Thank you for the kind words. This is only my opinion based on my experience, if you asked 10 small engine mechanics the same question you'd likely get 10 different answers LOL. I can say that at least 80% of the repairs that I see are fuel related and most of those could have been avoided by using fuel stabilazer. One of the most common ones are generators. They often sit there for long periods of time with full tanks of fuel so that when you need them you have it ready to go. Even though I use stabilizer, I drain mine every year and put fresh fuel in it and then run it for about 1/2 an hour. I also start it every three months and just let it run for a bit to keep the battery fully charged.
bigbuck Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 Shell is the only gasoline out there that does not have ethanol in it's Premium 91Octane fuel FOR NOW. Sunoco/Petro Canada has ethanol in all of it's gas. There is not much we can do about this issue now other than live with it and it's consequences. ANY gasoline sitting for more than 90 days should have a stabilizer put in it whether it be Stabil, Stabil Marine, Startron or Seafoam (not the greatest stabilizer, it's the greatest cleaner...taken from various posts in iboats.com). I stock up on Stabil Marine Formula every time Canadian Tire puts it on special. You get it for $18-19 +hst. Supposedly it treats 1200L of fuel. I put some in my lawnmower/snowblower gas since a 10L jerry can lasts the whole summer and then some going into the winter for the snowblower. Better to be safe then sorry. Overtreating is fine, all you'll do is just clean out your fuel system which isn't a bad thing. $20 for the year to avoid problems in all your boats/small engines is good insurance, like BigCliff said, 80% of the problems he sees are fuel system related that could have been avoided by using a stabilizer.
fish_fishburn Posted January 4, 2011 Report Posted January 4, 2011 I just avoid regular gas in all my small motors and they just seem to run better. Maybe a little hot, like Cliff said, but it works for me. Oh yeah and some Sea Foam too.
misfish Posted January 4, 2011 Author Report Posted January 4, 2011 For the amount of gas Im going to be using,I,ll stick with the stabil. Thanks guys.Some great info here.
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