A real life gas story.

[musch]

So last week, I was working on my saws, went to a local gas station, and got some fresh (I thought) PREMIUM gas, mixed it with the Husky synthetic 50:1, and went out in the woods to do some cutting.

After cutting up a couple trees, I took a load of wood down to the wood pile, and went back for more, and my 357 would not restart. Not for nothing.
The ol 66 started right up, and revved right back to normal.

So I brought the 357 down to the shop, tried some carb cleaner, checked the carb settings, changed spark plugs, checked the gas pump, checked the electical system, spark gap, fuel filter, everything I could think of.

I was ready to take this darn thing to a shop for "repair".

I put straight premium gas in the tank, from a DIFFERENT source, and it still wouldn't start.

It sat for a week (I was too busy this week) and just for kicks, started it up today. After pulling my arm off, the flooded engine literally poured gas out the exhaust, then ran fine. When I replaced the pure gas with new mix, it continued to run great, and run and restart as before.

Heres the kicker.
I went out to the woodlot, and filled my Dolmar with the same gas mix, and it did the EXACT same thing. would not start for anything, acted like the engine was flooded.
I immediately dumped the tank, filled with new mix, and after a dozen pulls, started right back up, and ran as usual.

This problem really perplexed me, and got me to thinking what others have said about premium gas sitting around. Something was drastically wrong with the "premium" fuel I got last week. Water? Stale? I can only speculate.
Needless to say, I will not be returning to that particular station.

Also interesting - the ol' 66 never hiccuped at all, ran on the crummy gas just fine.
I wonder if the newer saws, with the epa regs, are just more finicky.
I have gotten rid of all the premium gas from last week, no more "experiments" for me.

 

[Urbicide]

What brand of gas did you buy? Is it a "summer blend" by any chance? opcorn:

 

[Lou]

What brand of gas did you buy? Is it a "summer blend" by any chance? opcorn:

Out here the summer blends don't have ethanol. Winter, air quality, and mid west politicians are what mandate ethanol.

 

[MrGriz]

Could be that the "premium" you bought was sitting around for quite some time. With gas prices as high as they are, I wouldn't doubt that the high test is selling a little slower at some locations.

I would try buying from a very busy station that runs through a lot of fuel. I have had similar problems buying diesel fuel from a couple of places that don't sell much of it at all.

 

[MrGriz]

Out here the summer blends don't have ethanol. Winter, air quality, and mid west politicians are what mandate ethanol.

It's crazy in SE WI. The county I live in is mandated to sell a blend with at least 10% ethanol. I drive six miles from my house, across the county line, and buy the straight stuff for a little less money. You tell me if that makes any sense at all...:help:

edit: didn't mean to de-rail this thread...nothing to see here...move along...

 

[ropensaddle]

Could be that the "premium" you bought was sitting around for quite some time. With gas prices as high as they are, I wouldn't doubt that the high test is selling a little slower at some locations.

I would try buying from a very busy station that runs through a lot of fuel. I have had similar problems buying diesel fuel from a couple of places that don't sell much of it at all.

Good point I have seen this many times
bought some crackers at ma and pop store out of date a year stale
was at deer camp ended up eating the crummy things! I look for
dates now and I buy my diesel a high volume dealer also.

 

[Lou]

It's crazy in SE WI. The county I live in is mandated to sell a blend with at least 10% ethanol. I drive six miles from my house, across the county line, and buy the straight stuff for a little less money. You tell me if that makes any sense at all...:help:

Population density enters into the equation also. No doubt the next county doesn't require it. Sort of like speed limits I've been in sixty mph zones that I'm certain were there only to keep the mounties employed.

 

[musch]

This was NOT ethanol fuel. I always make sure of that.
Generally, I buy premium in a populated area, and this ONE time, I got it in the country, close to where I cut.
God only knows how long that gas was sitting around, or what condition the tank was in.

Just more proof that there are a lot of factors to consider when buying fuel.:chainsawguy:

 

[Tzed250]

I filled my Yamaha R1 up at a Sunoco station one time, along with some friends, only to find out ten miles down the road that the morons had mixed diesel in the premium tank. Bike ran like poop until I could refill. Jerks...

 

[Madsaw]

I always go to a station in town that has mulitple hoses for each grade of gas. You never know when they are slipping pure junk in the fuel tanks at the stations. I think the shops are going to see alot of fuel related issues in cars adn trucks in the near future. We have fuel in the barrel heree at the farm that was put in last fall, I think that is still better then the junk you can buy at some of these stations.
Tom how ar ehtings going up that way? Been busy here getting crops in. I am hopeing to cut would for the amish family next door monday. He got hurt by a down horse 2 weeks ago. Broke his lower left leg both bones in 2 places. His oldest is 17 and can only do so much. The close amish around here have been chipping in. I figured cutting would would be better then driving his horses up a tree.
Later
Bob

 

[TDunk]

I always go to a station in town that has mulitple hoses for each grade of gas. You never know when they are slipping pure junk in the fuel tanks at the stations. I think the shops are going to see alot of fuel related issues in cars adn trucks in the near future. We have fuel in the barrel heree at the farm that was put in last fall, I think that is still better then the junk you can buy at some of these stations.
Bob

Since March 15, our shop has put in 28 fuel pumps. Might just be a coincidnece, but i kinda doubt it. I have heard a theory that if the stations still have winter blend and it's a warm day, it builds-up to much pressure in the tanks. And if it has a weak pump, it'll kill it. I'm not sure if there's any ethonal in our gas up here or not.

 

[XJWoody]

Summer/winter fuel blends

I dread the winter around here... somewhere around mid-November, through around April, they switch blends to some oxygenated BS. (Dunno about Premium, talking 87 octane Regular here.)

Instant 3-5 MPG penalty at the pump for 5+ months in my low-performance Jeep 242ci I-6. I am not alone in noticing it either... A couple years ago it was a drastic change - I track my MPG over every tank as a sentinel of "things gone wrong", so I did the shotgun fix of Sea-Foaming the throttle-body, cleaning the K&N, replacing the spark plugs/wires/cap, fuel filter, and O2 sensor (The injectors, fuel pressure regulator, and cat convertor were recently replaced) A $100 November "tune-up" with NO improvement in MPG. I though maybe my 250,000 mile engine was just going soft, or maybe just me smoking pixie dust & hallucinating, but my tightwad boss noticed a decrease in his MPG as well. Come about April, the MPGs shot back up to their historical average, just like flicking a happy-start switch.

Consider the difference if every motorist gets even 1 MPG less over 5 months due to BS winter fuel blends. That's BIG MONEY being made, both by the fuel suppliers and the tax collectors. (In NC it's like $0.25 per gallon in state fuel tax)

I haven't noticed much difference in the local premium fuel yet, but if something seems suddenly bad with my OPE I'll be sure to cull that batch of mix-gas first before going too far off on a tangent. I may look into buying 100LL from the local airport, or race gas from Rockingham Dragway as an alternative to aged Premium pump fuel. It'll cost more, sure, but would be worth it if it's consistent.

 

[Lakeside53]

My truck does the same thing on the winter gas... pisses me off..

 

[Lou]

I bought a Gallon of Trick 101 octane racing gas Thursday. $6.25 a gallon. Small price to pay if it keeps the saw and weed eater operating properly. Has anyone found a source in the US for Alkylate, the stuff Troll talks about?

 

[fwgsaw]

avaition gas

I have a neighbor that mixes 50-50 av gas and reagular pump gas. He collects two cylinder John Deeres has about 80 of them. With just reagular pump gas he has a lot of problems with them not starting from sitting to long. But since he has been mixing he has no problems. Sometimes some of his tractors sit a couple years without running and they will fire up and run with the av fuel. According to my fuel supplier the new fuel starts to go bad after 3 mounths,wheather this is true or not I do not know.:chainsawguy:

 

[Trigger-Time]

3 years ago my JD lawn mower (OHV) bent push rods from
carbon build up........Have noticed its not running just right
so today I poured some Sea-Foam in a squirt bottle, at WOT
sprayed it in carb almost killing it several times (lots of white smoke)
Also done the Honda ATV. Let them sit for 5 min. Both missed and
popped around for about a min after restarting them.

I don't think it just in my head........Both run better, can't tell it
on the top end but can on the idle and mid range.

Anyone use Sea-Foam in a saw?

 

[103scooter]

it could be old gas, or maybe they just received a truck load and all the crap in the bottom of the tanks, was what you got.

 

[jhellwig]

I dread the winter around here... somewhere around mid-November, through around April, they switch blends to some oxygenated BS. (Dunno about Premium, talking 87 octane Regular here.)

Instant 3-5 MPG penalty at the pump for 5+ months in my low-performance Jeep 242ci I-6. I am not alone in noticing it either... A couple years ago it was a drastic change - I track my MPG over every tank as a sentinel of "things gone wrong", so I did the shotgun fix of Sea-Foaming the throttle-body, cleaning the K&N, replacing the spark plugs/wires/cap, fuel filter, and O2 sensor (The injectors, fuel pressure regulator, and cat convertor were recently replaced) A $100 November "tune-up" with NO improvement in MPG. I though maybe my 250,000 mile engine was just going soft, or maybe just me smoking pixie dust & hallucinating, but my tightwad boss noticed a decrease in his MPG as well. Come about April, the MPGs shot back up to their historical average, just like flicking a happy-start switch.

Consider the difference if every motorist gets even 1 MPG less over 5 months due to BS winter fuel blends. That's BIG MONEY being made, both by the fuel suppliers and the tax collectors. (In NC it's like $0.25 per gallon in state fuel tax)

I haven't noticed much difference in the local premium fuel yet, but if something seems suddenly bad with my OPE I'll be sure to cull that batch of mix-gas first before going too far off on a tangent. I may look into buying 100LL from the local airport, or race gas from Rockingham Dragway as an alternative to aged Premium pump fuel. It'll cost more, sure, but would be worth it if it's consistent.

Ethanol isn't the problem. We have 10% ethanol here year round. When the weather gets cold mine losses mpg. It is the tempature not the gas. Warm day and mpg goes back to normal.

I duno why everyone is so quick to condem ethanol. The only problems I have seen is where it run in something that never had it before. Then all it does is clean the junk that had been sitting in the tank for years.

Ten years ago no one had problems with fuel mileage. That is because no one cared.

 

[Mr. Firewood]

I have cam2 sitting around for the 4 wheelers and I just use that in my saws, about 6 bucks a gallon but at 111 octane you do notice a difference as the fuel ages

 

[MrGriz]

Ethanol isn't the problem. We have 10% ethanol here year round. When the weather gets cold mine losses mpg. It is the tempature not the gas. Warm day and mpg goes back to normal.

I duno why everyone is so quick to condem ethanol. The only problems I have seen is where it run in something that never had it before. Then all it does is clean the junk that had been sitting in the tank for years.

Ten years ago no one had problems with fuel mileage. That is because no one cared.

Gotta disagree with you on that one. We have both the 10% ethanol blend and the good stuff available here (depending on what county you fill up in). The straight gas does give better mileage.

Whenever I can, I fill up on the straght stuff and I can really tell the difference. I am on the road constantly for my business, so I log a lot of miles and keep a pretty close eye on the fuel consumption.