Old fuel

[JimO]

hi i put some old fuel into my sons NZ 250 it was in one of my boats toat tanks i would say its around 4 months old now the bike is hard to start and a lot of condensation drips out the exuast once its running its ok is the hard starting because of the fuel or another problem and if its the fuel is it okay to just use it up or do i need to get rid of it

[imdying]

Ditch it, fuel doesn't keep well. Sounds like you'll get able to get away without draining the carb, but is probably worth doing anyway.

[degrom]

Yes,get rid of it... Won't loose anything but bad fuel!!! (Might just prevent more troubles later on)

[98tls]

Interesting.......ive always thought that fuel goes off myself.......thing is i had a skyline sitting in the garage for 2 years and 4 months.......it would get started once every 6 months or so and it always fired up straightaway so now im not so sure.............

[desmo dave]

Like you have no hills handy for a crash start..Drain it and give it to your mate with the hungery Prado

[JimO]

i have about 15 ltrs and being of scottish decent its going to be hard to throw it out, can i put it in the old car where it will mix with new stuff

[98tls]

No worrys.........hell my TLS has sat round for longer than that and still starts first pop..........

[FROSTY]

Jim Jim --toss it in ya car no worries dude-then topup with new stuff.

[robertydog]

My understanding is that petrol starts deteriorating after about 3 months.

[98tls]

My understanding is that petrol starts deteriorating after about 3 months. That was my understanding as well.........but as i said.....2 years 4 months later no worrys

[imdying]

Yep, some vehicles are more sensitive to it than others. If your twin is anything to go by, you keep them in a reasonable state of nick :yes:

[98tls]

Yep, some vehicles are more sensitive to it than others. If your twin is anything to go by, you keep them in a reasonable state of nick :yes: Out of interest mate any idea why that is.....?

[rwh]

Ditch it, fuel doesn't keep well.

Out of curiosity - how & where? Other than diluting it with new stuff and running it through an engine. Are rubbish tips supposed to accept this stuff? Will I get to keep my jerry can?

Richard

[JimO]

Out of interest mate any idea why that is.....?

could be the fuel injection isnt as worried as the old carby would be

[JimO]

Out of curiosity - how & where? Other than diluting it with new stuff and running it through an engine. Are rubbish tips supposed to accept this stuff? Will I get to keep my jerry can?

Richard

if you have a neighbor you dont like pour it out on his lawn, you can even make rude words that dont go away for ages

[98tls]

could be the fuel injection isnt as worried as the old carby would be Good point jim.........and as the skyline that sat around all that time was as well i would guess you are right.

[mark247]

All my experiences with old fuel have been bad. Make engines run like rubbish. I think if you mix it with new fuel it should be fine. Some engines are quick picky with fuel, my bike HATES 91, runs real bad. I would say its got condensation coming out of the exhaust because the fuel you put in it has water in it as well maybe ( well dah ) ? Could cause it to run like shit and blow steam out. It probably isnt stale, just got too much water and other shit in it.

[pete376403]

Taking the fuel injection / carb thing a bit further - injection will atomise the fuel a lot better, even a cranking speed, so it has a better chance of neing ignited.
I know if I leave fuel in the GS more than a few months and then drain it, it's not much more volatile than turpentine. I recall in the old days, when you set light to petrol it used to go off with a real "woof" and would burn away to nothing almost instantly. Set light to some modern gas and it burns with a real oily flame, almost like kerosene or diesel. Leaves an oily residue on the garage floor too.

So old gas, use it for getting the incinerator going (or maybe the injected car) but keep it out of the carburetted bike

[98tls]

All my experiences with old fuel have been bad. Make engines run like rubbish. I think if you mix it with new fuel it should be fine. Some engines are quick picky with fuel, my bike HATES 91, runs real bad. I would say its got condensation coming out of the exhaust because the fuel you put in it has water in it as well maybe ( well dah ) ? Could cause it to run like shit and blow steam out. It probably isnt stale, just got too much water and other shit in it. As a side note to that........ive a clear clutch cover on my TLS......when returned from a ride its crystal clear.....the reason for the fancy pressure plate/anodized retainers etc........leave it a week..start it up and you would be amazed at the condensation/water that ends up in your motor.......ten minutes riding.........clear as......fwiw

[imdying]

Some vehicles are on edge of not even running at all, some are in full health. Some atomize fuel better than others, I'd guess that that would have a lot to do with it.

[pete376403]

For every gallon (litre, whatever) of petrol burned in an engine, an amount of water is formed (petrol (hydrocarbon), combined with oxygen = heat and water and some other stuff). The basic formula is C(n)H(2n+2) + [(3n+1)/2] O2 -> (n) CO2 + (n+1) H2O.
When the engine is cold you see the water as vapour in the exhaust, because the pipes and mufflers are cold, allowing the water to condense. When the engine & pipes are hot, the water is still there, just in a gaseous form that you can't see. A fair percentage of this water goes past the rings and ends up in the crankcase. Again, once the engine is hot the water is boiled off and is removed via the PCV or engine breather. Engines that never get hot end up with a lot of water in the oil, which then combines with the suphur and nitrogen combustion byproducts to form acids. Detergents in the oil help limit damage but don't last forever. This is the main reason you need to change the oil on a regular basis.
But apart from that there isn't (or shouldn't be) any water in fuel you buy from the gas station.

[vagrant]

You could try tossing some meths in the tank. meths absorbs and suspends the water, but still burns. (up to a point)
The carbs vs injection sensitivity issue is also a good point. My injected galant sat in the garage for 10 months, started second crank.
My partners lilttle mirage sat for a month, and when I finally got it go, ran like a bucket of @%& until it got dosed with meths.

[babyblade250rr]

Hi all,

Does anyone here use fuel additives in their bikes?? if so whats the best to use and how frequently? also has anyone heard of power pills apparently some sort of tablet you can drop into your tank that conditions the fuel if so where do ya get them from???


cheers

[imdying]

Waste of money mate.

[moT]

old fuel is all good when i couldnt ride my bike for 6 months it just sat around and it was sweet when i started it back up

[JimO]

well i drained it out and put good stuff in starts first pop now