Gasolene and additives

[rw48]

I wanted to start a discussion on what is the best gas and additives to use. I try to get premium gas but it is very hard to get anything without added ethanol. I know I'm not the only one who has that problem. And how do we know for sure what we are getting and how fresh. I see that there is an additive for fuel with ethanol. Does that help? I try to use synthetic oil with fuel treatment added or I use some fuel saver additive. One of the threads mentioned "Mechanic in a bottle". Where can I purchase this and does it work?
I'm trying to get some old chainsaws going. What is best way to clean carburetors that may have had fuel dry in them?

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[ILikesEmGreen]

That MIB aint no joke. I've used about 2-3 small bottles this year getting various things cleaned up and reconditioned. Can use it as an additive in fuel or pull it from empty tank into carb and let sit few hours to overnight and then gas up the tank and run. Ultrasonic cleaner if you want the ultimate.

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[fearofpavement]

Additives do have some benefit but the best solution is to hunt down some non-ethanol fuel. It is pretty widely available and around here more stations are carrying it all the time. It can cost $1 per gallon more than regular gas but is worth it in my opinion. I pay about $4 per gallon for ethanol free 90 oct.

Clean a carburetor by disassembling it and soaking the metal parts in carb cleaner or clean in an ultrasonic cleaner. The rubber parts can sometimes be cleaned up but often replacement is the solution. carb kits run from about $3 to $10 depending where you acquire them.

 

[GrJfer]

Star tron by starbrite. Keeps fuel fresh and ethanol free for up to two years.

 

[rw48]

Thanks for the advice. I'll check out the starbrite star tron.

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[redfin]

The only non-ethanol I can by in near me is av-gas. And I only run that in the saw I keep on my work truck because it gets run very infrequently.

If you have the same issue your best bet is to buy high octane and only mix what your going to use or buy the pre-mix quarts.

Edit: I have been using Startron for many years in my 2-stroke outbaords and have had zero fuel related issues.

 

[XSKIER]

I think that Shell V-Power works pretty good. I've had good results leaving it in my sleds for a year without any extra additives, it has enough in it already straight out of the pump. No tarnishing inside of the carbs, no rotted fuel lines, no phase separation, and no "old gas" stink after a year. This year I put them away with e free 90 and stabil, I'll let you know next year how it works out. My OPE never sits that long, in the fall I put moto-mix in my blowers and trimmers for a little extra peace of mind.

I've never seen any results with sea foam, but most who buy it swear by it.

 

[farmer steve]

after reading several of these diffrent threads and from personal expeirence i stll think the best thing you can do is run what the mfg. recommends. granted non-ethanol gas is the best to use but if you can't get it, use mid or premium grade fuel. the neighbor man blew up his 1 yr old ms 290. i asked what mix.what he told me was quite a cocoction.(he rebuilds tractors for a living). my dad does the same thing mixing this and that and his saws never seem to run right. i have been running the stihl utra hp (grey bottl since it first came out with no problems. i can't say to much about cleaning up older saws that have been sitting for a while.just my 2 cents.

 

[mopar1rules]

I've never had any luck with Seafoam. Stuff is garbage IMO.

 

[Ron660]

I use K & W carb/choke cleaner if it doesn't want to start or hasn't been cranked in several months. I currently use 93 non-ethanol with a JASO-FD oil (Motul 800) with no issues. I use to use Stihl HP oil (JASO-FB - lower grade quality) which gave me more carbon buildup.

 

[Rokon]

Here is some useful info to find non-E fuel in the US & Canadia:

http://pure-gas.org/

 

[banana boat]

You guys are over thinking things, just run fresh super unleaded with a brand name quality oil and if you might not use the saw for a while drain the fuel and idle the saw dry.

 

[Subieman406]

vp 110 race fuel mixed with royal purple 2 stroke mix for my personal saws
if im storing my saw for the season i drain everything out then spray fogging oil thru the hole intake while running it to empty after that i spray a little fogging oil down thru the spark plug hole and turn engine over by hand to coat cyinder and crankcase with oil film and put spark plug back in and put away never had a issue yet

 

[sunfish]

Fresh gas & quality oil is all ya need, but...

Plenty of non-eth out there if one takes the time to look. It's not advertised here and the clerks know nothing, but Conoco 91 is eth free & is what I run.

Higher octane makes less power!

...

 

[Subieman406]

yes higher octane dosnt make more power or clean anybetter then regular it helps with performance engines and higher then normal compression ratios and to prevent knocking or pre ignition which ever somone wants to call it thats about it and can reduce power in some applications i run mine where im at because the nearest fuel station with out eth is 30 miles away and the tanks in my area dont get mixed or turned from what i have heard so i just get the vp gas on sale and it last me a year or a little more and it is better quality then i can get in this town this is just my choice in fuels because of the fuel im limited with best octane i get is 91 at the pump with eth in it and somtimes dirty if you are pulling from the bottom of the tank at the pump
just facts to know on octane good you posted that sunfish i dont think i gave a good enough explanition why i run the vp

 

[Subieman406]

and sorry i run the (vp 100) so the octane is rated at 96 motor octane and i just mix my own 2 stroke oil
sunfish i know you and is there a octane thread on AS if not we should start one

 

[sunfish]

and sorry i run the (vp 100) so the octane is rated at 96 motor octane and i just mix my own 2 stroke oil
sunfish i know you and is there a octane thread on AS if not we should start one

96 is probably fine. I tried some 100+ octane racing fuel a few years ago and noticed a power loss, even after tuning for it. My saws seem to run best on 91 non-eth, but none are real high compression. My best guess is one would have to be above 200 psi to take advantage of 100+/- octane. Stock saws run fine on 89 octane.

 

[lambs]

l use e-free at a BP station I found on pure-gas.com. It's 89 octane and about .40 a gallon more than their e10 89 octane. And I mix it with Stihl Ultra. But I have no worries about fuel line issues. I always empty the saw tank and run it dry when I'm done for the day. If I have gas getting a little old, I put it in gas tank on my truck and drive off to get a fresh batch. Doesn't hurt a thing.

 

[Knobby57]

yes higher octane dosnt make more power or clean anybetter then regular it helps with performance engines and higher then normal compression ratios and to prevent knocking or pre ignition which ever somone wants to call it thats about it and can reduce power in some applications i run mine where im at because the nearest fuel station with out eth is 30 miles away and the tanks in my area dont get mixed or turned from what i have heard so i just get the vp gas on sale and it last me a year or a little more and it is better quality then i can get in this town this is just my choice in fuels because of the fuel im limited with best octane i get is 91 at the pump with eth in it and somtimes dirty if you are pulling from the bottom of the tank at the pump
just facts to know on octane good you posted that sunfish i dont think i gave a good enough explanition why i run the vp

Last I check when pumping from any tank it pulls from the bottom of the tank even when said tank is full. Seem kind of silly to put the pickup not at the bottom . I always giggle when I hear someone say never run something low on fuel it will suck up all the dirt on the bottom of the tank.



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[rw48]

I sure appreciate the advice. I'm getting some mechanic in a bottle and ethanol treatment at Walmart today. They had an online offer that delivered to store. I have found a gas station that sells 91 octane that is ethanol free. Not a real busy place by the highway but they do pretty good business. I'm going to try some of the other advice on getting some older saws going. I have a Stihl ms290 that works good but also a few poulans I want to get running to use as backups. As well as some older ones to play around with. Good hobby to keep out of trouble lol.