Treatment for Gasoline with Ethanol.

[Guest]

So I tried to start the RF after it has been sitting for a few months. Engine would not start so I figured the carburetors were probably gummed up. After removing the rack of carburetors and taking the float bowls off, I found that everything was coated with a sticky green scum. This is my first riding season here in North West Florida and I had never seen carburetors that looked like this. Soaking and scrubbing the carburetors in carb dip removed all the green slime. Now that the carbs are clean, I am wondering how to prevent this from happening in the future? I was going to try non-ethanol gasoline since it is available near my house and perhaps some STABIL red or the STABIL orange ethanol treatment. I'm not sure if what happened was solely due to the ethanol in the gas and/or the weather here in Florida. Probably should have drained the fuel tank and the carb bowls before storage.

[GSCafe]

I use SeaFoam and Stabil. The former cuts through the gummy and keeps stuff clean, the latter helps with the ethanol and preventing gummy. 10% ethanol in CA gas is no bueno for carburetors but I dunno about it making green scum.

[chuck hahn]

Go with the pure gasoline and drain the carbs if you anticipate an extend setting period. Cut a butter dish down so it fits under the bowls and drain via the drain screws. Loosen them and drip till no more fuel comes out.

Some will advocate "just run it till it runs out of gas" as a method of draining the bowls. However, these folks dont take into account the rest of the fuel thats left in the bowls even after the fuel gets too low to keep the bike running. This "run it till it runs out of gas" if fatally flawed.

[RedBaron]

Best off as Chuck says, with non-ethanolated and draining for parking. If hell-bent on running ethanolated fuel I have noticed fair performance from Startron ethanol treatment and do recommend it to my customers if using ethanol fwiw, but better off not needing it in the first place.

[Steve]

Around here, we have no "pure" gas available, virtually all of it has some level of ethanol, up to the maximum of 10%, but we never know just how much is there. When I put an engine up for the season (this included the snowblower, away for the summer), I use red Stabil, but double the dose. I will run the engine for a while to make sure the treated gas is all through the carbs. In the case of one of the motorcycles, I will add the double dose of Stabil to a partial tank, ride the half mile to the gas station and fill the tank. I will then go "around the block", which might be 2, 5, 10 or 20 miles, depending on which "block" I choose, and the weather. That will ensure the treated gas is everywhere, then I will come home, change the oil and park the bike for the winter.

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[Grimly]

Green gummy stuff sounds like algae, which is a real nuisance in diesel storage tanks. The algae doesn't live in the fuel itself, but the water content of it and I'd guess the ethanol-containing gasoline being supplied is heavily contaminated in the first place, too.

[mrbill5491]

Last "pure gas" disappeared from here a few years ago. I use the Lucas ethanol treatment, so far so good.

[Wingsconsin]

Ethanol gas goes through a process called phase separation.
The solids in the fuel form this green sludge material that clogs jets.
It becomes hard and needs to be soaked or scraped off.
Here is a jet from the GS650 I did last year (and it ran a little).
Nearly all the jets were like this, as well as carb bodies and bowls...

[JTGS850GL]

And imagine what the inside of those small passages in the carb body looked like.

[tom203]

Use the blue Stabil (marine) - it's superior to the others, even their website acknowledges. Sometimes hard to find, like last fall. Just picked up a quart for $20 which will last me 3 years.

[woodsrider250]

^^ That or StarTron seem to work the best.

[AKC75]

Is this only for sitting for storage? I can't get pure gas anymore around here. But my bike does not really sit for long periods of time without being ran.

[JTGS850GL]

It's the sitting part that can really cause problems. As long as the gas is fresh then most gas related problems can be avoided. I try to purchase fuel from newer stations I know have higher volume. Less chance of water and stale fuel related issues.

[Sam 78 GS750]

Any new ethanol snake oil to look into come out in the last 3 years? Looking for something to use at every fill up to prevent issues... Or am I worried for nothing, and just dump some seafoam or stabil in if it's going to sit?

[jabcb]

I don’t add Stabil to the lawnmower or snowblower. I add Stabil to the gas can whenever I get gas. That’s easier because you know how much gas you just bought.


Check the label on the Stabil, Seafoam, etc. container. Once you open the container, it likely has a shelf life.


As Steve suggested, at the end of the riding season I fill the tank with fresh gas, add Stabil & leave the bike sit for a while, and then go for a 10 to 20 mile ride.