sta-bil:good or bad?

[William F.]

Sta-bil has been incidentlly mentioned recently. Are there any reliable studies about its worth? Some small engine manufacturers, at least recommend it or a similsar product.

[Dick W.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

We have used Sta-bil in our lawn mowers, leaf blowers, weed eaters, chain saws, etc for several years. It seems to make them easier to start the beginning of the next season.

With the crappy quality of pump gas today, we put it in our Vette at the end of the season.

[Jim D.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

I've never used it and never had a problem. Nothing is needed for storage of 1 year. This comes from a friend that is an engineer at the local refinery.

[Jeff B.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

If your car is going to sit a year or more, add it to the gas. Gasoline gets that "smell", you know, the varnish smell not long after a year. My shop smells of the varnish on cars that have come out of hibernation, and we end up cleaning and flushing the whole system.

In the case of lawn mowers, weed eaters etc., I always run them out of gas at the end of the season. This empties float bowls and fuel lines completely. Never had a problem with startup the next year.

[Paul J.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

Sta-bil has been incidentlly mentioned recently. Are there any reliable studies about its worth? Some small engine manufacturers, at least recommend it or a similsar product.

William:

Actually, this has been discussed several times and there is a big discussion on it in the archives from last year.

I use it when I remember to but I also have'nt had any problems when I don't use it. I think that the real real benefit comes from storage for longer than a year. But I still use it because it's good insurance.

Paul

[John D.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

I've never used it and never had a problem. Nothing is needed for storage of 1 year. This comes from a friend that is an engineer at the local refinery.

Jim, I wouldn't count on that tid bit of info from your buddy. I wish it were true though. Our wonderful corn fuel has been known to go bad in less than one year and bring the old FI's to a screeching halt. JD

[Jim D.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

Jim, I wouldn't count on that tid bit of info from your buddy. I wish it were true though. Our wonderful corn fuel has been known to go bad in less than one year and bring the old FI's to a screeching halt. JD

That must be a problem limited to your specific area. Our gas locally has been 10% ethanol for 20 years.
My buddy has been in the refinery business for almost 40 years. He gave me quite an education about fuels and the myths out there and has the scientific facts to back up his info. Don't get me started on all the "top tier" propaganda.
Like I said, I've never used a gas stabilizer and have never had a problem. If fact, the gas in my 60 is well over a year old and it ran perfectly last week when I took it for a spin. The dual quads worked perfectly.

If it makes you feel better, use the stuff. You can even use some Z-Max and one of those Tornado air filters as well. You'll get more HP AND better MPG. PT Barnum was right.

[Dennis O.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

Sta-Bil is good, but expensive. I use Sea-Foam. Put a pint in the tank when I do my last fill and all's good. Matter of fact, I just got my snowmobile out after 2 years storage and it started on the second pull. I had Sea-Foam in it. The guys I went riding with had already gassed up and I had a half tank, so we went 20 miles before I filled up. Everything was fine.

[Ronald L.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

Calling all chemists to the front of the room.

Opinions - show me the data.

Back in the day at a GM lab, we (I included) ran an oxidation test on the fuel GM bought to put in the cars as they would sit on the lots for more than 90 days - to day they call it lot rot. I can say definitively that there were differences in fuel supplier quality, top names included and region affect too. They guy that keeps popping off about never having a problem just has had super good luck. Maybe he will be that guy on TV in the spring.

I have a car that sits 11 months of the year, and when I get there for month 12 the fuel is oxidized - that "SMELL" and the car runs horribly if at all, all because I forgot or did not think it was going to be a year between run outs of an enclosed fuel system. It was so bad that I had to have the fuel injectors pulled and cleaned and the it ran like charm. Same thing for the lawn mowers and in Michigan which has 10% ethanol, after 6 months the fuel is oxidized. Oxidization means gum deposits, etc. If you like I'll scan that section of the industrial organic chem end class I had back then & yes we had some refinery bub come in the class to show how wonderful they were for the public. Who on this board has been in a refinery??? Down on the gulf?

Best defense is to fill the tank full and keep it cool, who knows this guy that never has a problem could be in North Dakota or northern Minnesota where 50 degrees in the summer is warm!

Good products - you got me - where is the data on the label of a can of gumout, seafoam, mystery oil or the others - who do you trust - marketing???

I'd like to see the data, a borescope of a gummed up engine and then one tank of gumout later - why don't they have that? nor a guarantee???

If I had access to that lab the days, you know what I'd do...

As far a that goes and the low cost stabil says it works and results seem to show that - before they pulled to Cu out, that worked worked, between that and lead...

[Richard F.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

I had new motorcycles on my showroom floor fail to start after having gas in them for as little as 3 months. The smaller the motor, the smaller the low speed jets, and the quicker you would have problems. My mechanics would disassemble and clean the carbs. They would put the bad gas in their cars, figuring the car carb would be less sensitive. Never had a problem with a bike that had Sta-Bil in it. My Vette always gets Sta-Bil and a full tank at season's end.

[John M.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

Finally a nod to Northern MN!

Actually, our (premium) gas has no ethanol and is labeled at the pump "for off road vehicles and vehciles licensed as collector cars only". This stuff lasts a long time. One year in a snowmobile and it still smells fresh.

I am not sure why we do this, but much of the local economy depends on snowmobiles and outboard motors, maybe that's it.

[Ronald L.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

Would be fantastic to get non alcohol gas in SE Michigan! The one place that had racing fuel I know of has now converted to E85.

Thanks for sharing from up there and I bet you know why snowmobiles and outboards are key to the economy

[Michael W.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

Actually, our (premium) gas has no ethanol and is labeled at the pump "for off road vehicles and vehciles licensed as collector cars only". This stuff lasts a long time. One year in a snowmobile and it still smells fresh.
.

What octane rating is this fuel? If it's 93ish, I can't understand why it would be for 'off road' only.

[Paul J.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

What octane rating is this fuel? If it's 93ish, I can't understand why it would be for 'off road' only.

Mike, it has to do with the EPA requirement for fuel oxygenates during the "ozone" season. If it does'nt have them then you can't use it on the road. Ethanol replaced MBTE because of the groundwater contamination issues with the latter, but all gasoline for road use must have an oxygenate from something like May to September (but don't quote me on the dates). Some parts of the Country use these year-round.

Paul

[Michael W.]

Re: sta-bil:good or bad?

Mike, it has to do with the EPA requirement for fuel oxygenates during the "ozone" season. If it does'nt have them then you can't use it on the road. Ethanol replaced MBTE because of the groundwater contamination issues with the latter, but all gasoline for road use must have an oxygenate from something like May to September (but don't quote me on the dates). Some parts of the Country use these year-round.

Paul

That would mean people that have cars that must use premium (like my daily beater) would be breaking the law?

This doesn't make sense, unless the gas in question is actually so-called 'racing gas' which is a waste of money anyway.