bofrcr

hello guys! I'm wondering how many brands of oil have stablizer in them? the Lawnboy ashless does,, but I've got 3 bottles of Klotz RC model lube synthetic,, and some amsoil,, do they have it? the Klotz web site doesn't say,, and is the stablizer important? I had been running 100 octane av gas for years,, but my son is trying to talk me out of running it,, says it's not worth it,,(??),, I wouldn't be above buying a stabilizer additive,, auto gas just doesn't last,, like av gas does,,(3 years from what I hear) opnions? thanks!

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

So just how much gas do you buy at a time? 500 gallons or more? I can't understand why anyone would want to store gas for up to three years. If you mix up 2 or 3 gallons at a time how long will it be before you need to tank up again? Most gas will easily last 3-6 months if maintained in a sealed container and out of direct sunlight. Just about all the newer gas cans are air tight and don't vent vapors to the atmosphere anymore.

The stabilizer isn't needed unless you plan on storing a lot of gas for very long periods of time. As for the avgas, ever wonder why your plugs foul so often or why they have all that silver-grey stuff on them? I presume you're using the avgas as a model fuel and not in your car. The oil used for the mix is a stabilizer all by itself to a limited extent.

rcbill

My Feedback: (1)

I agree with Pat Roy. But the appropriate sized container and mix straight gas from the pump with any good 2 stroke oil (I don't consider lawn boy oil). I burn a lot of fuel in the summer so I mix 5 gallons at a time and pour it into a two gallon plastic type container. I have holes drilled in the cap with 2 fittings and my hand pump connected to them. It's sealed pretty good and I keep it out of the sun as much as possible. I don't use any boosters or stabilizers. Haven't used them for at least 10 years and have never had any problem. I burn the same gas in all my yard equipment. When I was 16 years old I worked in a lawn mower shop and we used to get engines in all the time that turpintined up. Since that time I believe the gas is better refined and additives they add before the pump are also improved. "This is just my story.... and I'm stickin to it" Bill

bofrcr

ok,, ok,, now everybody take a deep breath now,, no,, I'm not doing 500 gallons at a time!,, sheesh! and as for av gas,, that's HOW LONG it's supposed to be good for!! not that I've ever had any that long,, supposed to be some kind of faa requirement or something,, I don't really know,, all I'm doin' guy's is trying to get a little insight to this issue,, everybody chill!!

rcbill

My Feedback: (1)

Hey!! Don't complain. At least now you have some inight.... Isn't that what you asked for??? Bill

bofrcr

nope,, not complaining a bit,, and yes,, I do,, thanks

JoeAirPort

My Feedback: (41)

Oil threads typically get pretty dramatic.....

bofrcr

LOL,, seems I'm finding that out,,

altavillan

My Feedback: (1)

I think it would be hard to find a 2 cycle oil without stabilizer additives. Probably 90% of it is sold to weekend warriors doing yard work. They, like me, want the gas to stay fresh as long as possible. Well in my case, so my wifes lawnmower weedeater and hedge trimmer and blower start for her each and every time. Nothin makes her madder than an engine not starting. Nothin gets me to the hardware store quicker to get her a new one either!

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

Fuel stabilizers for our little models is a waste of money. It's not needed.

If you have fuel sitting around from last year--dump it into your car next time you go to the gas station and top off the tank. 1g or 2g of fuel with a little 2-stroke oil--and dumped into a 10g or 20g tank--- isn't going to harm your car engine. Not a bit. 4oz of oil in 20g of gas isn't going to explode your car engine. Even if you happened to dump 5g of 2-stroke gas into your car. Thats 20oz of oil, at the most. 20oz of 2-stroke oil in 15 or 20 gallons of gas isn't going to hurt the car.

Or dump it in the lawn mower. Won't hurt it. And if it happens to miraculously foul a plug--just clean the plug. Your not wrecking a model--it's just a lawnmower.

I buy 3g at a time. I have a 2g can and a 1g field jug. I fill both and put the oil in. Use the fuel from the 1g jug and refill it from the 2g can. That way, I only have to lug around a little 1g jug at the field (bad back). But I got 3g if I want to fly every day one week or travel around and not worry about filling up. 3g of fuel will last me about a week if I fly 5 or 6 times every day. Thats happened only twice in 4yrs. Work gets in the way. [:'(]

Even if I happen to NOT fly and I worry that my fuel has gone stale after a couple months--I just dump it in the truck. Been doing it for 4yrs.

altavillan

My Feedback: (1)

RC pilot I would like to see you dump 5 gallons of 1 year old gas into your car and see how far you get. I buy it in bulk 300 to 1000 gals at a time. I have a covered fueling station and the sun don't shine on the tanks. After about 3 months my engines start pinging and running bad. So I get 300 in the summer and larger amounts in the winter. My RC engines get fresh gas no more than a month old in the winter 2 weeks max in the summer.
The post is asking for advice and what others might know. Your telling him what he should do is out of line and your advice is nonsense.

bofrcr

,,,this is gonna get interesting now,,

F.Imbriaco

My Feedback: (56)

IMO, putting gasoline mixed for model aviation in my vehicle is a bit risky when you consider how delicate & costly the catalytic converter is and the myriad of sensors in today's cars ; unless your driving a pre -1975 vehicle. I don't care how well it's diluted- no way in my car. The lawnmower and snowblower see their fair share of it , though.

Tired Old Man

My Feedback: (1)

I just use the old gas to start the burn piles. The oil in the stuff really lowers the volatility and gives me enough time to get away when throwing in the match. Straight gas go boom!! if I let the vapors spread too long.

Altavillan,

Unless the guy is buying a whole lotta gas at a time stabilizers just won't serve any purpose. In 1 to 5 gallon lots he should be able to use it up before it degrades. The stuff in most gas stations that have any kind of patronage gets turned around every few days, with some stations re-filling twice a day. I know because I used to fill the stations. Now if he lives out on a farm somewhere in Ohio then he just might have a bulk tank and need stabilizers for the other stuff running the gas.

As for dumping 5 gallons of mixed gas all at once into a car, that's silly. What's wrong with only doing a little at a time?

skiman762

I doubt anyones gonna go bankrupt from buying a bottle of sta-bil
If it lets you sleep better at night use it
It isn't going to hurt a thing

Rcpilot

My Feedback: (78)

I disagree.

He asked about fuel stabilizers in gasoline. Regardless if he's on a farm out in the middle of Nowhere, Ohio--for the purposes of MODEL AIRPLANES (which is what this particular discussion forum is all about) fuel stabilizers aren't worth it.


I wouldn't have a problem putting 5 gallons of old gas in my truck.

NOTE-- I DID day that you should top off the tank. I wouldn't run my car on straight 2-stroke gas. But 5 gallons in a full tank ain't gonna hurt a thing.

I've never dumped 5 gallons in my tank. As I said, I only buy 3 gallons at a time. The most I'd ever put into my tank would be 3 gallons if I bought it, mixed the oil in it, and never went flying.

I also didn't mean a YEAR old. I DID say, "from last year" I guess if you want to get down to semantics, I said a year. But we both know what I meant ----> Old Gas. I've put PLENTY of 2-stroke gas in my tank and it was sometimes as old as 6 months. Never hurt a thing.

I'm not out of line at all. LOTS of guys put old 2-stroke gas in their cars and 4-stroke lawn equipment.

rc bugman

My Feedback: (30)

Hi,

In my opinion, a few gallons of gas with 2-stroke oil in a car or truck tank won't cause a problem. In the last few years, my research fleet is loaded and taken to remote locations. After a week of intense aerial sampling, we usually have 5-15 gallons of 50:1 oil/gas mix in reserve when we decide to quit. The surplus fuel gets poured in the truck which pulls the 16 ft trailer loaded with planes, research equipment and other stuff. We have poured in as much as 50% of the tank capacity with 2-stroke fuel. On the trip home, the gas mileage improves by 10-15%, the truck runs great and that truck (a 2001) has never had a problem. We are pushing 80K on it. If anything, the excess oil will add a bit to the carbon on the pistons, but I doubt it.

Elson

Jezmo

I don't think modern automotive engineers have come up with a way to keep oil from getting past rings, valve stem seals, etc. and making it's way into the combustion chamber. How much oil is "too much" in the combustion process? My personal opinion is, "considerably more than a couple of gallons of two stroke oil at 50:1 poured into a full tank of unleaded". The catalytic converter can handle way more than that and I am quite sure the O2 sensors can too. (They are the ONLY sensors in the exhaust stream) The MAP sensor, MAF sensor, IAT sensor, Crank Angle sensor, Baro sensor, nor any others I may have missed are going to ever even touch the fuel so they are out of the equation. I'm going to get the popcorn, Flame Suit ON!!!!!!

Edited to add: Like Elson said he's poured a bunch in his trucks with NO ill effects and that's been my experience as well. These cars are built knowing there will be some oil in the combustion process.

AmpAce

Getting back to your oringinal question, I don't know which 2-stroke oils have fuel stabilizer in them, but probably most of them do. Even though I suspect this, I'm still a strong believer in Stabil. I religiously use it in almost all of my mixes, plus in straight gasoline where it will have to sit around for more than a couple of months. I have mixes for chain saws, trail bike, outboard boat motor, and gas R/C aircraft engine. I also use it in straight gasoline, for my 351 Ford v-8 powereed Jet boat, which sits around a lot, and various generators, lawn tractor, garden tiller, pressure washer, etc, that burn strainght gas.

I've noticed that if I don't use it, and the fuel sits for more than about 3 months, the engines become much harder to start, and run poorly, until the old fuel is used up. I once had to overhaul a chainsaw carb and fuel system, where the fuel had beem sitting in it, and the fuel tank for years. Talk about a sticky varnished up mess! I finally got it cleaned up and working decently, but it was no fun. The saw would not begin to run on the old gas that was left in there.

Anyway, even though the Stabil is kind of expensive, I think it's good insurance for your fuel system, if the fuel is going to be sitting for more than 3 months or so. This would include use in model aircraft engines. The other option is to do like some have said, and just dump the fuel out or into a vehicle where it is diluted, when it gets to be that old. I'm always afraid of causing hard starting and carburetor crud, by trying to stretch the life of the fuel, rather than dump it, so I just add a bit of Stabil.

My $.02!

AmpAce