Lefebvre Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 If your Off Road bike has been sitting in a heated garage for +/- 5 months with a few liters of mix gas (Ethanol free) in the tank, should you drain this older gas and refill with fresher one? Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faussy Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 (edited) No, id only worry after a year or 2, but if you're having to scrimp on a litre or 2 of fuel then things must be tight in canada Edited February 15, 2019 by faussy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lefebvre Posted February 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 2 hours ago, faussy said: No, id only worry after a year or 2, but if you're having to scrimp on a litre or 2 of fuel then things must be tight in canada The question is just to know how long fuel can sit in the tank. Not a money question as fuel is cheap in Canada. Some say fuel should be removed after 5 to 6 weeks as it affects the carb, others say they drain their carb after each ride, some like you say not to worry, some others say residues in the carb could be very bad if it sits there for weeks...Thanks for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basil Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 I always add a measured dose of fuel stabiliser google Briggs and Stratton product its great [and cheap] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lineaway Posted February 15, 2019 Report Share Posted February 15, 2019 Our fuel is crap. So I would replace it. You can always put it in a vehicle with a larger tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetupfun Posted February 16, 2019 Report Share Posted February 16, 2019 I find that if I let the fuel in the float bowl evaporate (which doesn't take long here), the next time I ride, the pilot circuit misbehaves for the first few minutes. The fuel in the tank seems fine though for at least a month. I'm not game to leave the fuel tap turned on to prevent the bowl drying out, so to avoid the problem I usually run the float bowl out of fuel before parking the bike if it's going to be a couple of weeks to the next ride. I think if it was a colder place it might take longer for the fuel to evaporate from the float bowl. I imagine that a heated storage in Canada would also evaporate the fuel in the float bowl in a couple of weeks. I expect it would take many months for fuel to start turning to goo (polymerising) in the tank, but its combustion properties will begin to deteriorate as soon as you put it in a vented container (the fuel tank) due to evaporation of the lighter components. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Real Ed Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 When in doubt, replace the gas. It's cheap and the resultant peace of mind is nice. I always use non-ethanol in my bikes, chainsaws, etc and add StayBil fuel stabilizer. I have never had any trouble with fuel less than a year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapezeartist Posted February 24, 2019 Report Share Posted February 24, 2019 (edited) Sorry for the slightly tangential thought. We all know Americans call petrol “gas”, but what do they call gas? ? Edited February 24, 2019 by trapezeartist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetupfun Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 6 hours ago, trapezeartist said: Sorry for the slightly tangential thought. We all know Americans call petrol “gas”, but what do they call gas? ? I have always wondered where the "gas" name for US car fuel came from, but there is nothing strange about how they identify gas. Gases are identified by name, same as everywhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisCH Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feetupfun Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 2 hours ago, ChrisCH said: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline The wikipedia story reminded me of yet another variation from an early Cat Stevens song that includes "pumpin' petrol gas" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konrad Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 (edited) On 2/24/2019 at 11:14 AM, trapezeartist said: We all know Americans call petrol “gas”, but what do they call gas? ? Our "natural" gas is mostly methane. It's also called CNG (compressed natural gas) and LNG (liquefied natural gas) depending on how it's stored/transported. Propane is also know as LP (liquefied petroleum) gas. +1 for Cat Stevens. Edited February 25, 2019 by konrad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted February 25, 2019 Report Share Posted February 25, 2019 7 hours ago, konrad said: Our "natural" gas is mostly methane. I know mine is. The biggest problem is the ethanol. Without the ethanol the most likely problem is losing some of the lighter hydrocarbons changing the fuel vaporization characteristics but nothing should harm the engine. Just make it a bit of a pain to start. It’s less of an issue when it’s cold and when it’s really cold even the light hydrocarbons pretty much stay put. I usually leave VP ethanol free fuel in my tank all winter and since some will evapoarte just top off before the first ride and go. It’ll smoke a bit more because the ratio has changed from the evaporated fuel but it won’t harm anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
konrad Posted February 26, 2019 Report Share Posted February 26, 2019 (edited) 13 hours ago, dan williams said: The biggest problem is the ethanol. Without the ethanol the most likely problem is losing some of the lighter hydrocarbons changing the fuel vaporization characteristics.... Below is a graph from SAE paper 790429 that shows exactly that. Although, somehow, they labeled the units of Reid Vapor Pressure in pounds instead of psi. But this does not seem to cause much of a problem if the system is sealed. For example, I leave E10 in my chainsaw (in a cool garage) all winter without ill effects. I also over-winter gallons of E10 in a sealed plastic container for use in a 4T backup generator. You would think that if all the light ends had gotten out, it would affect cold starting, but I really don't notice anything. BTW, I read your clutch fix a long time ago (a friend showed it to me when she was having trouble with a Beta clutch). The format gave me the idea to make .pdf files for use on message boards. So, thanks for that! Here is a link to my thoughts on ethanol (and lead) in gasoline. Edited February 26, 2019 by konrad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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