Amsoil fuel stabilizer vs Startron

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How does it compare to say Startron fuel products. Startron makes a big deal about how it does 50 good things for your engine and fuel as well as dealing with ethanol etc. I guess my question is how good is Startron at what it claims.....

I figure if I keep an eye on my fuel system etc it should be OK to use the Amsoil stuff in the marine applications. I just won't expect it to do much more than stabilize the fuel.
 
I guess Stabil makes a marine version fuel stabilizer that I saw a a Fred Meyer store today. It says it addresses the ethonal issue in marine environment.
When I use up my Amsoil stuff I might try it.
 
Originally Posted By: oilboy123
I guess Stabil makes a marine version fuel stabilizer that I saw a a Fred Meyer store today. It says it addresses the ethonal issue in marine environment.
When I use up my Amsoil stuff I might try it.


AST vs Sta-bil

I think the marine Sta-bil stuff is mostly marketing.
 
Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada
Originally Posted By: oilboy123
I guess Stabil makes a marine version fuel stabilizer that I saw a a Fred Meyer store today. It says it addresses the ethonal issue in marine environment.
When I use up my Amsoil stuff I might try it.


AST vs Sta-bil

I think the marine Sta-bil stuff is mostly marketing.



You could be right. If so I think they used a different dye.
 
At the Stabil web site, the marine formula says it has more than 4 times the fuel system cleaner and 2 times the corrosion preventer than regular Stabil. The Marine formula is used at half the rate as the regular. Do the math....you get more cleaner in the Marine formula, but who knows about the stabilizing part. Both say they work in ethanol fuel.

When my workplace switched to E10 last year, Marcelus (Stabil Tech.) told me "Both will work fine. If you use a lot of gas, use Marine STA-BIL as it gives more bang for the buck." He didn't say anything about the Marine formula being superior for ethanol...one way or another. Does that mean anything?

I can't find my notes, but according to my fuzzy memory Stabil, Star Tron, and Sea Foam are upwards of 90% Naptha, AMSOIL AST is 70% Naptha(someone correct me with a MSDS check). This isn't all bad, because the proprietary component of anti oxidents, etc. could still be doing something. Pri G seems to be different, with less reliance on Naptha (40%??).

I WISH WE HAD MORE THAN JUST OUR ANECDOTAL STORIES TO COMPARE PRODUCTS. I.E., are the few complaints about Stabil and Fuel Power due to exceptional circumstances?
 
I never have used a stabilizer and never had any problems. I had a Honda quad that the gas in the tank lasted 3.5 years with out any problems because I used it only to spray the weeds with roundup in the spring. I sold it this spring with same gas .
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself

I WISH WE HAD MORE THAN JUST OUR ANECDOTAL STORIES TO COMPARE PRODUCTS. I.E., are the few complaints about Stabil and Fuel Power due to exceptional circumstances?


While I understand the sentiment, isn't whether it works or not what's important? The fuel was either well stabilized and caused no deposits, or it wasn't and there were deposits. Simple as that. Does knowing it has 46.5% naptha vs. 65.3% help YOU know how well it will stabilize in some way?

On Sta-bil marine - "4 times the fuel system cleaners"? I don't care about fuel system cleaners, those come in separate bottles. When I buy a stabilizer, I care about how well it stabilizes. Anti-corrosion is a valuable feature for a stabilizer when equipment is stored with fuel in it versus fuel sitting in a plastic jerry can.

I know that I won't be buying Sta-bil again because it wasn't working, even in equipment that was stored "dry". (My whole account is in my AST vs. Sta-bil thread I linked to from an earlier post).

I don't know that AST is the best thing out there, but I do know that it performed better than Stabil. And "better" doesn't mean 1ppm better results on a lab test or 2.64% less naptha on the MSDS. It means that with Stabil I had to tear down a nearly new carb to get the machine to run while on AST it started right up as if it was never stored (other than the oil smoke).

(I'm also not debating dry vs. wet storage as I know that's religious. I choose dry because I don't want fuel accidents in my attached garage or basement if there are float valve or other failures during storage).
 
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I actually had a partial bottle of Stabil turn to brown jelly after sitting on shelf in my garage for several months.

I use SeaFoam now. Ridiculously priced in Canada. Over $13.00/can. I buy it in the U.S. for $8.50.
 
I thought that AMSOIL was in the process of coming out with a fuel stabilizer to address ethanol, but I didn't think their current stabilizer product did this.

Did I miss the release, because I just talked to one of my reps today?
 
Amsoil tech told me it works for ethanol but is not made specifically for marine ethanol problems. Or something some such.

I am not aware of any new Amsoil product. You might know something I don't.....
 
I hope we can keep this discussion going and all learn from it.

Craig in Canada: I understand your argument. I could counter by saying that I have used Stabil for over 20 years with no problems. That's what perplexes people like me with inquiring minds that want to see some data/tests.

- Ethanol fuel is already a great cleaner. I don't understand why Marine Stabil has MORE cleaner in it.

- The link below says not to use additives that increase the alcohol content (water absorbing power)in E-10 fuel. Recently people here are touting Sea Foam, which has Isopropal Alc. ????

boraticus: Stabil has a 2 year shelf life after opened. Maybe you bought an old bottle off the shelf, it sat too long, or your lid was not on tight? Just ideas.

Oilboy123 re..."not made specifically for marine ethanol problems". Phase separation and "marine problems" are very controversial topics. You read anecdotal stories of E-10 "eating" aluminum carbs, water sitting in tanks by the quarts, etc.. Its my opinion that most E-10 problems can be solved by changing fuel management practices....but I have never had an E-10 problem, yet. Who's to say.

OTHER COMMENTS: The Star Tron site seems too gimicky. The PRI-G site used to have tons of marketing hype with official looking tests, charts, "proof" of the superiority of their product over others. It seems to be gone now.

FYI, GOOD READ ?:

Below is a link to a company hawking E-10 water detector kits. They have an agenda. But this page seems to have some logic behind it and it has a wonderful CHART COMPARING FUEL ADDITIVES. Very interesting are the chart comments (withdrawal of info) about Schaeffers additive. Schaeffers is a huge additive manufacturer....it doesn't add up. I suppose "lawsuit" was brought up.

http://www.fueltestkit.com/is_gas_additive_safe_with_e10_list.html
 
ethanol is very hydroscopic. Ethanol is a great cheap cleaner also, but when it asorbs water, it tends to lose its great properties. In a marine environment, of course, you have more exposure to water.

Startron is 99% Naptha. Naptha is a common ingredient in gas/diesel fuel injection cleaners. I have wondered what the mystery enzyme is.

I heard anecdotal stories on how great Startron is on gasoline-powered marine engines on E10 at the local marina.
 
Originally Posted By: UG_Passat
ethanol is very hydroscopic. Ethanol is a great cheap cleaner also, but when it asorbs water, it tends to lose its great properties. In a marine environment, of course, you have more exposure to water.

Startron is 99% Naptha. Naptha is a common ingredient in gas/diesel fuel injection cleaners. I have wondered what the mystery enzyme is.

I heard anecdotal stories on how great Startron is on gasoline-powered marine engines on E10 at the local marina.


Soylent green?
shocked2.gif
 
I have never used a stabilizer and never had any problems with long term 1 year + on Califrnia Gas so saying that I used XXXX stabilizer and never had any problems is meaningless.
 
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