Recommended fuel additive?

[mlts22]

Bought gas at a gas station a few blocks away from where I normally go. Filled my generator up... noticed it surging.

What is a recommended additive, if there exists one, that might be able to undo what that five gallons of marginal fuel possibly did? I know about SeaFoam, but am wondering about other brands and offerings. Generally I have zero issues with surging/hunting, so this was an odd exception.

[RVUSA]

mlts22 wrote:
I appreciate the input. Unfortunately in this part of Texas, you get E-10 no matter what pump you go to. Premium gas? E-10. Generic stuff? E-10. I normally use Sta-bil, which normally does the job without issue with regards to fuel storage for about 3-4 months (I try to rotate gas out well under the six month mark.)

I have not had that good luck with Seafoam. I added it as per instructions, and my generator would stall with white smoke, like it was electing the next Pope, when even the lightest electrical load was applied, so I let it just run dry (took almost 20 hours.) Second time, about a year later, same issue, any load, the generator would stall. So, I pumped the gas out.

Techron seems to be for injectors. Would it be useful for carbs?

Car/truck engines are a different beast altogether. I wouldn't hesitate to SeaFoam a vehicle engine if I had issues there, but the tiny jets on a small engine are a completely different story.

A carb is a carb, and a jet is a jet, and an emulsifier is an emulsifier. Seafoam will help disolve any gummed up fuels and it will go a long way to cleaning the valves of carbon.

If the metering passages are gummed up the carb cant enrich the fuel ratio when hit with a load. you might get lucky with seafoam for that but you'll probably have to tear the carb down and clean it out real good.

The right way to use seafoam is with about a quart of gas and a pint of seafoam mix em up and use a hose from the gas to the carb's fuel inlet so it runs on that mix. run it dry and then let it sit over night. It will dissolve the carbon in the exhaust and off of the intake valve really well.

[Gdetrailer]

Airstreamer67 wrote:
Quote: "It is their word against yours and there is no way for you to prove or disprove if the fuel they are selling is indeed alcohol free. Perhaps you should come up with a alcohol testing kit?"

Do a google search. There is a very simple technique to test for alcohol in gasoline. I do it myself to assure my stored fuel is free of that stuff. There are several stations in my area that sell alcohol-free fuel. A google search finds them readily.

:R

Yeah, right. They CAN'T put anything wrong on the Internet :h , pretty much ALL those reported alcohol free stations on the Internet websites are bogus (I have read many reports from folks stating that the stations listed near them DO NOT sell alcohol free gas).

If you believe them then boy do I have some prime ocean front land in Arizona to sell you...

I have several antique cars, tried for a long, long time to get ANY alcohol free gas including aviation gas (two small air ports near me, they WILL NOT SELL "AV" gas unless you HAVE a FAA tail number). Tried non alcohol racing gas (have a popular dirt sprint track within 15 miles of me), couldn't get that either, they only sell to the REGISTERED racing entries.

I can guarantee that even your supposed tests are false, alcohol laden gas HAS been sold across the US since the 1970s (remember "gasohol" which was a dismal failure, well they have been sneaking alcohol into the gas since then).

The concentration of alcohol VARIES from state to state and even county to county within in state according to what the EPA TELLS the supplier to mix the blend to.

If the EPA feels your county has too much smog then they FORCE the suppliers to provide the MAX of 10% alcohol blend to the affected area.

These are "designer" blends, so your county may have 5% (which may or may not be detected by your "test") and the county 2 miles from you will have the max of 10% MANDATED by the EPA.

Remember "Katrina", well the shortages of gas they endured caused the EPA to TEMPORARILY SUSPEND the designer blend rules in order to ALLOW OTHER BLENDS to be shipped in..

These designer blends also have a major effect on the cost due to supply and demand, that is why the prices can spike in an instant if something happens to one of the regional refineries or the supply of raw materials to that refinery.

You are more than welcome to turn a blind eye to the facts.

[Airstreamer67]

Quote: "It is their word against yours and there is no way for you to prove or disprove if the fuel they are selling is indeed alcohol free. Perhaps you should come up with a alcohol testing kit?"

Do a google search. There is a very simple technique to test for alcohol in gasoline. I do it myself to assure my stored fuel is free of that stuff. There are several stations in my area that sell alcohol-free fuel. A google search finds them readily.

[Gdetrailer]

2oldman wrote:
Doesn't it seem odd to put isopropyl alcohol into fuel already containing methanol?

Correct you are.

Adding extra alcohol even if it is a different type does NOTHING except part you from your money...

I ADD NOTHING to my fuels, my gen has fuel in it from FOUR YEARS ago and a few weeks ago (we had a major power outage of 12hrs from an idiot load of kids taking out a pole upstream from my house) all I did was drain the fuel bowl (gets rid of any water which may have been attracted to the alcohol), and give the gen a spin.

Ran my gen nearly 5 hrs on a half tank of very old fuel, ran flawless..

Ever since getting a diesel tractor I have very low gasoline usage during the summer. I went from using 3 gallons of gas per week to 1 Pint for my push mower (my diesel tractor sips on diesel at a rate of 1 gallon per 1.5 hrs and takes me 45 minutes to mow all my land).

So really my gasoline is "stored" more form my gen, log splitter and if I need chain saw mix I can make that also.

What folks don't seem to understand about the alcohol laden fuels is if you shake the can, all the water RECOMBINES into the alcohol.

If you do not believe me then try it for yourself..

Take some new fuel, pour a small amount into a clear container.

Then with a dropper add several drops of water into the gas.

The water should drop to the bottom since gas and alcohol is lighter than the water).

Then give the container a good shake.

The water will be absorbed into the gas and the gas will get a bit cloudy.

It is the principle of those old fashion fuel line "anti freezes", the alcohol absorbs and suspends water up to a point...

Thats it, just shake and go (unless it is cold enough for the water to turn to ice)..

As for those folks who simply point out that you should buy alcohol free gas.. You are all wet.. Pretty much every state is mandated to sell on the road gas WITH alcohol in it, so even those stations that "claim" to have alcohol free fuel just might be lying to get business.

It is their word against yours and there is no way for you to prove or disprove if the fuel they are selling is indeed alcohol free. Perhaps you should come up with a alcohol testing kit?

The gas MUST contain an enhanced Oxygenate which at one time was LEAD, then MTBE (which was found to be extremely HAZARDOUS and permanently contaminated the ground).

Adding alcohol to the mix replaces LEAD and MTBE so basically it is mandated by EPA which at the last time I checked the EPA rules over ALL states...

[mlts22]

I appreciate the input. Unfortunately in this part of Texas, you get E-10 no matter what pump you go to. Premium gas? E-10. Generic stuff? E-10. I normally use Sta-bil, which normally does the job without issue with regards to fuel storage for about 3-4 months (I try to rotate gas out well under the six month mark.)

I have not had that good luck with Seafoam. I added it as per instructions, and my generator would stall with white smoke, like it was electing the next Pope, when even the lightest electrical load was applied, so I let it just run dry (took almost 20 hours.) Second time, about a year later, same issue, any load, the generator would stall. So, I pumped the gas out.

Techron seems to be for injectors. Would it be useful for carbs?

Car/truck engines are a different beast altogether. I wouldn't hesitate to SeaFoam a vehicle engine if I had issues there, but the tiny jets on a small engine are a completely different story.

[wa8yxm]

Used StaBil in the past when I wintered the MH. but with the added booze in the tank now days I have heard too many stories of StaBil not doing the job,, I do notice they now have an "Ethanol" formula.

When I calculated the amount of driving I'm doing this winter, and the amount of gas in the tank.. I added 2 cans of Seafoam... That should hole me till I gas up come spring.. NOTE: I"m full timing but I average around 12.5 Miles a week.. all 30 minute trips.. Just not that many of 'em. Now that my motorhome adopted a 2001 Dodge Neon Puppy.

[2oldman]

Doesn't it seem odd to put isopropyl alcohol into fuel already containing methanol?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Yeah, I am grumpy-assed today. As Steve Martin says "WELL EXCUUUUUUSE ME!"

Nobody bothers to read the OP's comment posted VERBATIM below. The quotes are mine...


"I know about SeaFoam, but am wondering about other brands and offerings"

I tried SEA FOAM and it DID NOT WORK to cure surging, stalling, hesitation, and BAD gas mileage. Four cans, four times in a row. Wasted my money.

After another 2 weeks of putting up with a cranky Mitsubishi V-6 I added one bottle of CHEVRON TECHRON FUEL INJECTOR CLEANER and the problem vanished and STAYED AWAY for more than a thousand miles.

So that is IMHO as an ALTERNATIVE to SEA FOAM

[Kit_Carson]

Because of health reasons for me and DW we have not used our MH for about 13 months. Seems we are on the mend now and ready for the road. I am thinking of running seafoam during our first outing with the old gasoline. Any thoughts?

[C_B_]

landyacht318 wrote:
With the amount of ethanol forced into our gasoline,
.

Hopefully mlts 22 was smart enough to buy a grade of gasoline without ethanol.

No way do I want ethanol in my generators.


C.B.

[westend]

Surging usually indicates a clogged jet or orifice. Sputtering or stalling usually indicates a possibility of water in fuel.
I would use the products suggested by Landyacht, they are cleaners and more active than the Naptha in Seafoam.

[marcsbigfoot20b]

landyacht318 wrote:
Seafoam contains a large percentage of rubbing alcohol. With the amount of ethanol forced into our gasoline, water in the gas should not be an issue anymore and certainly no reason to add products like HEET which just add more alcohol.

Products with Polyether Amine are proven to clean without leaving any deposits of their own. Gumout Regane, Techron, and redline SL-1 among some others all contain good amounts of PEA, and no alcohol.

Try 10-20% which is not a "large percentage".

MSDS sheet

[msiminoff]

SeaFoam for cleaning gunk from fuel system
Sta-Bil for storage

X2

X3 !

[Sandia_Man]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
SeaFoam for cleaning gunk from fuel system
Sta-Bil for storage

X2

[BFL13]

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