Sta-Bil Preservative With 2-Cycle Oil ?

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Are you guys adding a fuel stabilizer such as Sta-Bil to your 2-cycle mix ?

I'm using the STIHL synthetic 2-cycle oil and for as much money as they charge for it, I think it should come with the fuel preservative already in it.
 
2 Stroke oil usually does have a little bit of fuel stabilizer in it but I still add more.

I have been using and testing both K100MG and Biobor EB fuel additives. Both are recommended for 2 and 4 stroke gas engines and both are good fuel stabilizers.

Original red Stabil is nothing more than naptha and red dye, don't bother with it.
 
I use 100% non-ethanol gas and Stihl 2 cycle oil (both the synthetic and regular at various times). It says on the Stihl website that it contains fuel stabilizers. I've kept gas for ~6 months before and have never had any problems with my 2-cycle stuff. I drain my trimmer every fall, run the carb empty, and squirt a few drops of oil in the cylinder before storage. I've had it (Stihl FS55R) for 8 years and it cranks on the 3rd pull every time.

I only use Stabil for the mower/ATV gas. My
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Originally Posted By: AMC
2 Stroke oil usually does have a little bit of fuel stabilizer in it but I still add more.

I have been using and testing both K100MG and Biobor EB fuel additives. Both are recommended for 2 and 4 stroke gas engines and both are good fuel stabilizers.

Original red Stabil is nothing more than naptha and red dye, don't bother with it.


Can you back up your claim about Stabil?

Can you explain why anyone would use K100G? Its MSDS indicates that it is mostly made up of strong solvent and alcohol: ftp://69.2.51.153/pub/MSDS/289590_K100MgGasFuelTreatmentSDS.pdf

The last thing I would want to add to fuel is more alcohol.
 
Yes I use a little bit. 2 cycle oils supposedly have some stabilizer in them too... but no idea how much/how good it is.

We don't have bad carb issues in any of our ope, so it seems to work ok. I do try to clean the intakes and carb on the 4-stroke equipment.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Stabil type products are snake oil



Funny thing is that I didn't know I needed "snake oils" until I started participating in this forum. Dozens of engines of all types and sizes over five decades of use and I managed to get by without the need for these magic elixirs.

I've had situations where I've found an old lawn mower that had been left unused for many years that wouldn't fire. Usually it was just a matter of pulling the main jet, cleaning it, reinstalling it, filling with fuel and away she goes. Not a chance that snake oil of any kind will clean a badly gummed up jet. I kind of doubt that storing a machine for several years with fuel treatment would have done much once the fuel had evaporated or gone rancid.

Best results to prevent carburetor fouling is to drain it completely and to drain the fuel tank as well for extended storage. I'm talking years not months. I regularly store machines for six months or longer with untreated fuel in the tanks. However, much of that time is with very cold temperatures which I'm sure helps prevent fuel degradation. For long term storage in hot climates, fuel shouldn't be left in carbs or fuel tanks. Drain the fuel and save your money.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself

Original red Stabil is nothing more than naptha and red dye, don't bother with it.

Can you back up your claim about Stabil?

Can you explain why anyone would use K100G? Its MSDS indicates that it is mostly made up of strong solvent and alcohol: ftp://69.2.51.153/pub/MSDS/289590_K100MgGasFuelTreatmentSDS.pdf

The last thing I would want to add to fuel is more alcohol.


Here is the MSDS for stabil storage. 90 to 100% Light hydro treated petroleum distillate = Naptha. 0 to 4% "Proprietary additive" = Playing it safe, not releasing the real ingredient but not enough of it to make a difference anyway. 0 to 1% other "proprietary additives" = Again not enough of anything to make a difference..... Pure B.S. to make you think you are buying more than naptha.

https://doc.jamestowndistributors.com/us...bilizer_SDS.pdf

K100 and many of the better fuel additives are mixtures of pretty potent solvents designed to disperse water, clean the entire fuel system and prevent the ethanol from solvating out of the gas, all the while keeping the fuel volatile and explosive. Fuel additives that add some type of oily lubricant to the gas may work well in some applications but they are not what we need for small amounts of gas, stored in less than ideal conditions, only to be used in relatively low technology small engines.

As for the whole adding more alcohol to gas thing.... Reading the pointless fuel tester's site too much are we?

For the love of god, when will that misinformation, ever stop being regurgitated and spread all over the net?

The whole premise of that article is inaccurate because they never talk about how generic of a term "alcohol" is. There are many types of "alcohol" in the world and even though they all may be referred to as the common name of Alcohol; the different types of alcohol are vastly different and have vastly different properties. Some types of alcohol will work as fuel additives, some will not. Without explaining that and going to into detail about which alcohols are helpful and which are not, the information in that fuel testers site is pretty much pointless personal opinion only. The part I DO think is accurate is that you do not want to add more ethanol to ethanol laced fuel. Again, Ethanol is but one of the many types of alcohol out there. Another example of this same over simplification is with the word "oil". Oil can mean a great many things and there are many different varieties of oil with vastly different properties. Peanut oil, mineral oil, body oil, sperm whale oil, motor oil, etc. All can be called "oil" but they are very different.

I decide to do my own research and learn more about fuel additives when Stabil storage and Starton enzymatic fuel treatment let me down. I had several gummed up carbs/jets with both products even though they have good reviews. My fuel related problems have went away since I switched to K100 and I am still trying out Biobor EB but all indications point upward enough for me to recommend it also.

When talking fuel additives, it is a hotly debated topic. I recommend you do your own research and not follow group think. If you think fuel additives are a waste of time, don't reply in every thread telling people they are a waste of money. Just move on and laugh the topics off if you wish. Dropping in to tell everyone that all fuel additives are a waste of time, snake oil is not helpful or appreciated. The OP's would not have bothered creating a post if they felt the same way.
 
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