T&T: Old Gasoline

[Rob Dorsey]

Wayne,

Actually that 12 year old fuel is great stuff with myriad uses. You can
start a year's worth of barbeques with it, it's great for pouring down fire
ant holes, perfect for burning off dry brush and vacant lots, can be used as
a solvent to clean dirty, oily tools and stuff and could, if one were into
such things, be sold in 2oz containers to "huffers" who might prefer the
vintage smell and who knows what psychotropic effects. One thing, however,
you cannot do with it is run an engine, ANY engine! EEEEEK! Sorry for the
histrionics but...Darn and Goggone Man! You are very lucky to have not
varnished up parts of your boat that you really don't want varnished. 

Suggestion: Get rid of it. (See possible alternative uses in paragraph
above.)

Best and Good Luck,

Rob Dorsey
MB Best Revenge
http://BestRevenge.us

-----Original Message-----
From: trawlers-and-trawlering-bounces at lists.samurai.com
[mailto:trawlers-and-trawlering-bounces at lists.samurai.com] On Behalf Of
Albin43SDtr
Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2007 2:04 PM
To: trawlers-and-trawlering at lists.samurai.com
Subject: T&T: Old Gasoline

'Lo All,

I hadn't used the dinghy on the Celestial for some time - almost 2 years!
So, yesterday, I dropped her into the water to see if she would run. The
engine is an 8 HP (2 stroke)Tohatsu. The fuel was purchased for our trip
long ago to the Dry Tortugas - in the spring of 1995! I had stocked up on
fuel for that trip, thinking that we would do lots of gunkholing , but even
after that cruise and several others, there is still a little more than a
tank full.

I always pull the fuel line off, then run the engine at high idle RPM until
it quits due to fuel starvation.

An aside.....there were 4 bees' nests under the cover - one mud dauber's and
three hornets'. The hornets were very unhappy, but didn't sting me. Good
thing, as I am allergic to (some) bee stings and have to keep bee sting kits
around. Be careful of the critters!

Anyway, yesterday after I connected the fuel line, it took some pumping on
the bulb pump to fill the carburetor. Pulled out the choke. First pull. The
engine sputtered and died. Second pull, ran roughly and smoothed out as it
warmed up and as I slowly pushed the choke in.

I ran the boat around in the bayou for some time. The engine ran OK on the
old fuel, but the boat would only get up on a plane at about the speed that
it goes with two people on board. It definitely would not run at its normal
speed/RPM. I can only assume that it is because of the old fuel. I might try
some octane booster. I didn't mess with the carburetor needle valves, as
this engine has always run very well
- and I didn't have a screwdriver with me......

Just thought some folks might like to know how, at least one engine, runs on
12+ year old non-ethanol gasoline.

YMMV.


Take care and be safe.

Wayne
Celestial
Albin43 Sundeck
Panama City, FL area
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