How long does it take for gasoline to varnish?

[Autospirit]

I could be wrong here, but it would seem to me that draining the carb for long term storage (via the plug) would increase the process of the residual gas in the carb going bad (greater air to gas ratio?).

Unless you disassemble the carb and clean it out, wouldn't it be better to just leave it full and use Sta-bil?

Though so far this winter I haven't had to worry about the dilemma because there have been plenty of decent riding days.

[Ride Red 123]

Decent riding days, do you live in a different colorado or something? First it was too snowy, then it was too cold, and now its too wet!!!

[Dust_Devil]

It takes about 3 weeks for gas to go bad these days.

STABIL!!! STABIL !!! STABIL!!!!

It's good stuff really, just make sure that after you add it to the tabk you run the bike for a while to get the treated gas in the system.

[coffee]

just leave it full and use Sta-bil?

Though so far this winter I haven't had to worry about the dilemma because there have been plenty of decent riding days.

Always use stabil in our bikes - even I can learn...

Of course actually using the bikes is best! 3 weeks sounds right, maybe 6? Seems to vary by state & time of year - winter vs summer formulations.

.

[stringer]

I could be wrong here, but it would seem to me that draining the carb for long term storage (via the plug) would increase the process of the residual gas in the carb going bad (greater air to gas ratio?).

Unless you disassemble the carb and clean it out, wouldn't it be better to just leave it full and use Sta-bil?

Though so far this winter I haven't had to worry about the dilemma because there have been plenty of decent riding days.

I use Sta-bil but I also run my carb dry. Sta-bil prevents the gas from turning to varnish. Draining the carb or running it dry ruduces the amount of junk left behind after the gas evaporates. I can't say the last part is realy needed, but I figure it can't hurt.

[stringer]

Always use stabil in our bikes - even I can learn...

Of course actually using the bikes is best! 3 weeks sounds right, maybe 6? Seems to vary by state & time of year - winter vs summer formulations.

.

Does anybody have any experiences with bad gas. I've had friends had bike's run rough and change the gas and plug and say that's it, but I have not heard any first hand stories damaged engines like I heard when I was a kid. Is it a case of "there's bad gas and then there's realy bad gas?"

I'm also curious as to how they keep gas from going bad at the pump. I talked to a station owner who told me he was pulling out the 100 octane pump because he doen't sell it fast enough. He only sells one tank full (the stations tank) a year. BTW, I don't buy there anymore.

[MxBaller621]

I leave my carb full the whole winter, my bike is in pieces at the moment. I always clean the carb out thoroughly though before I ride.

[enduro4231]

I use Sta-bil but I also run my carb dry. Sta-bil prevents the gas from turning to varnish. Draining the carb or running it dry ruduces the amount of junk left behind after the gas evaporates. I can't say the last part is realy needed, but I figure it can't hurt.

Can't be very good for a two stroke.

[coffee]

Does anybody have any experiences with bad gas. I've had friends had bike's run rough and change the gas and plug and say that's it, but I have not heard any first hand stories damaged engines like I heard when I was a kid. Is it a case of "there's bad gas and then there's realy bad gas?"

I'm also curious as to how they keep gas from going bad at the pump. I talked to a station owner who told me he was pulling out the 100 octane pump because he doen't sell it fast enough. He only sells one tank full (the stations tank) a year. BTW, I don't buy there anymore.

Bad gas experiences all the time!

My kids trail bikes used 3x a year gave me a huge amount of grief. Not enough to plug up the jets but they would run terrible until the old fuel was out of them - started using stabil and they run great all the time.

The bikes simply did not run well - or were tough to start - or both. No damage at all.

.

[j753301]

i work at a dealer as a tech and i have to say about 80 percent of our work in the spring(bikes) and fall (for snowmobiles) are carb cleanings.i live in ,mass and we have 10% ethanol in the gas and it goes bad in about 3 weeks.though some machines are different,yamaha seems to be the worst for it as they make there needle and seats out of different materials as the rest and seem to oxidise very quick. the gas in the tank will stay good if stabil is used,the small amount off gas in the bowl is the gas you need to worry about!the best thing to do is drain your bowl for long storage,period.reason is the ethanol in the gas evaporates quicker with this gas leaving behind the varnish and crap.the smaller the amount the faster it will go bad.i went to kawasaki school not to long ago and verified this with the trainer,alot of newengland dealers were also complaining of this!like i said the only way to combat this is to stabil the tank and drain the bowl.running it dry will not fix it, as there is still a small amount of fuel in the bowl below the main jet.

when we set up sleds for customers we know are not going to use there machine for a while like when we do a preseason and dont know when theres going to be snow we drain the tank completely do a carb job and refill with vp race gas,run the sled till its through the whole carb and deliver it like that. i have taken apart people sleds that never ran them after delivery or the whole year previous and thenext year they brought it in for a preseason and the carbs still had vp in the bowls and they looked new,with no varnish or green gunk at all!!!started and ran great!

[stringer]

the only way to combat this is to stabil the tank and drain the bowl.running it dry will not fix it, as there is still a small amount of fuel in the bowl below the main jet.

Good advice. Thanks.