fuel stabalizer and E10 gas problems.

skunk21

Active Member
May 22, 2007
1,203
2
36
Taxachusetts
I wanted to pass on some info that I just learned about, hopefully it may help stop some costly problems for us who store our stangs for winter or keep gas in our cars for lengthey periods if we only use them for good weather.

it started when this past june when I got hurt at work and my motorcycle had to sit for awhile. I did the usual added fuel stabilizer to the fuel ran it and put it away. I have done this for years w/o issue. well 2wks ago I pulled it out to use, it fired right up but would not run on idle. finally got it to idle but sounded like garbage. I called my dealer whom I have used for years, and they knew right away that the carbs where gunked and why..

They have had a rash of gunked carbs and even some bikes they stored for customers. they at first couldn't understand the problem until a yamaha boat rep shed light on the issue finally when they started getting small watercraft customers in. the problem with new E10 ethanol fuel (not to be confused with E85fuel) the new additeve to replace the unhealthey mbe or whatever it was. E10 which really started to become the norm in gas late last year, the problems started showing up in the boating industry wide spread, they found that the fuel stabalizers where not stabalizing the ethanol and the ethanol was breaking rather quickly and clogging the carb jets and sticking floats, also starting to affect the fuel injector flows and plugging some of them has well.

they now use a product from starbrite called startron fuel additve that cleans and stabilizes the fuel. starbrite has a website they mostly make stuff for boats but make the fuel additives for gas and diesel engines. I read on it and about the E10 issues. I looked up what dealers sold the stuff and they list walmarts having it in boating sporting goods area, and consumer auto parts in my area.

I can tell you guys right now. I went to the dealer when they called me to look at my carbs my bike only has 8,000 miles and is babied and my carbs where F'ED up!!!!! cost me $300 to get them fixed!!! I'm now worried even though I have efi about my injectors, lines etc. and even the carb guys should worry . I'm making the switch over to this stuff. even they hope it work becuase right now it's all they have but they haven't any problems since, yamaha tested it before recommending for use on there boats and water craft, he even showed me the tsb from yamaha showing this recommened change to this product and to tell customers how to store all watercraft and motorcycles. I'm sold.

just wanted to pass it along.
 
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My gas was in my bike for couple of months. they said the ethanol breaks down really fast the old or the stabalizer commonaly used is keeping the gas itself fresh but not the ethanol. the gas in my mustang can be in the tank for over a month before its gone, since the car sin't my dd and goes out in nice days-weekends. the starbrite additive vs regular stabile that most of use will keep the gas and ethanol fresh while the gas sits summer or winter. the older non ethanol gas wouldn't break down has fast and stabile would work fine, it's the ethanol from what I was told and seen in my carb is the issue.

I leave my tanks full to the top so i don't get condisation. lost a tank the otherway from rust on the inside.