Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi,

I had a question about stabil fuel stabilizer/preservative. Doe the stabil itself ever go bad? I have a bottle that is about 4 yrs old and is half used but i dont know if there is a limit to how long it is good for.

Also can it do any harm to use gas with stabil in it all season long (ie trat my gas that is in the can)? Now that I have a new snowblower that actually works I want to do all I can to keep it that way.

Thanks

I've read reports of Stabil going into a jelly state after sitting for a while.  Never heard of Seafoam doing that.  I'm not one to advocate the use of fuel stabilizers.  I do recommend the use of Seafoam as a fuel/engine treatment.  I agree that fresh fuel is the best.  On the other hand, I have a problem understanding fuel deterioration in a sealed container sitting in cold temperatures.  I often leave fuel from October to May out at my camp with no ill effects.  The fuel is clear and clean and smells like fresh gas when I return in the spring.  In addition to that, I have friends who used to fly a Cessna 185 Skywagon float plane up to the Arctic for years.  They'd have a Beaver fly up months ahead of time to drop off 45 gallon drums of aviation fuel.  I know that av gas is of higher quality than regular gasoline.  On the other hand, you would think that this fuel being more precisely distilled and blended would also be subject to degradation.  They never had a problem with their fuel.  Also, gasoline is shipped up to Arctic villages and kept in storage tanks for up to eight months.  It's still very much usable at the end of that term.

So, in closing, I think fuel deterioration in sealed containers particularly in cold climates is minimal, even negligible.   

I have had Stabil jell. You can't miss it as the color changes as well as the viscosity. It goes from looking like Maraschino Cherry juice to maroon pancake syrup.

I use a cocktail of Stabil and Sea Foam  together in all my OPE year around.With regard to my snow blower and  pressure washer I shut the fuel off,run the line dry and drain the carb bowl after each use. I also drain all the tanks in  everything from lawn mowers to chain saws in the off season storage period. Never an issue with starting the next season and some of that equiptment is 35 years old. 

I use small fuel cans which I treat when I fill them and don't let it get more than a month old. I also use a water separating funnel available at West Marine and Boaters World. I admit to being a bit compulsive about fuel but this regimen works for me.

Tecumseh carbs are especially suceptable to problems with today's alcohol laden fuel. The alcohol draws moisture from the air and wreaks havoc with the emolition tube which is sealed into the fuel circuit of the Tecs. Once they have suffered the effects of moisture the carb is toast. Keep the moisture out and they are very dependable.

Marc 

mml4 wrote:

How old was the Sta-bil when it finally jelled?  What were the storage conditions, i.e, temperature, stored in darkness or light, etc?  What is a water seperating funnel and how does it work? I'm curious because I want to learn from your experience (I don't think your compulsive when your cautious).

I'm using Sta-bil so far with success.  Filled my new five gallon portable gas tank last November with Sta-bil as an additive.  I then topped-off my generator tank and have been running it for two hours per month.  Yesterday, I filled my Craftsman snowthrower tank (B&S 11.5 hp) and it ran very well.  We had a heavy, wet snow storm (7-8  inches) and this machine blew off the snow with ease.  I expect to use up this stored gas through my monthly generator excercise before the gas might deteriorate.

Snowbound wrote:

Snowbound-The Stabil was no more than 3 years old. It is kept on a shelf in an uninsulated shed with a window that doesen't have a shade. I'm glad you asked that question because now I'm going to mark the container with the date the next time I open one up.

The funnel is a normal looking plastic funnel with a "pad" of some sort in the neck. The theory is the pad will not permit water through,only fuel.As I said it is available through West Marine and Boaters World.

Google "MR. Funnel"- it appears they make it for the boating stores. If you go to their web site they have an amazing video.

Marc