Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

[Jacalore]

Boat has sat since last summer with half full tank of gas. The fuel filter looks like salad dressing. Can this fuel be saved with treatment, or does the tank need to be drained?

 

[OllieC]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

When in doubt.....drain it out.....

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Judging by your description of the filter, I say drain it out.
Any fuel treatment out there that claims it can turnaround a bad tank of gas is bogus.
If the fuel was merely stale, filling the rest of the tank with 91/93 would bring the old stuff back to life, but it sounds like you have more on your hands than just stale gas.

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Stabilizer works with fresh gas only... won't do anything for bad gas.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Lets do the math ....
saved 1/2 tank of gas 25 gallons at 3.40 per gallon = $85.00
Or
Get towed back to dock in a rain storm with the boat filling up with water, crying babies, and pssed off wife then rebuild carbs then pump out old gas anyway = $ unable to determine actual cost because repercusions will last a long time.

I know what I would do.

 

[Jacalore]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Ok, thanks guys. I was hoping against hope... Altho, I sorta expected your responses. Thanks again.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

But, DON'T put it on your salad!

 

[Jacalore]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Haw! Don't quit yer day job, Kev!

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

I would take some samples to see if your gas in the tank is normal looking or if it's just more dressing. Could just have a dirty filter. If it looks good I would consider using in yard equipment and what not. When did you change your filter last?
6 months isn't really that bad IMO but the filter part scares me/.

 

[Jacalore]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Just bought the boat. Previous owner said boat sat with a carb problem since last August. Gas tank is 1/2 full. When I saw the fuel filter (salad dressing look) I assumed the long layoff added condensation to fuel. But, your point about gas in tank vs gas at filter has me thinking - the boat ran fine with inboard gas when I checked it out before purchase (carb/acceleration issue). To be clear, the engine ran fine at idle during inspection. I will take samples, see if anything obvious shows. Thanks.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Wonder what the inside of the tank looks like....

 

[laserbrn]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Ah man, I just got my engine up and running after someone (previous owner) ran old gas through it. I figured worst case scenario a carb rebuild, right? Wrong...stuck valves, broken pushrods, all a mess. After tearing it down and having the heads done, including a complete valve job, putting it all back together and jerking around with every little problem I could possibly have, I got it started yesterday. It's been just over a year.

I had to drain and dispose of 60 gallons of gas, so I know how much of a PITA it is to deal with, but I sure wish this engine was never run on that vile gas.

 

[Jacalore]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Oh man, that's a scary story! That's it, I'm draining the tank, regardless. Not worth it. Sorry about your ordeal, but thanks for bringing it up, point taken!

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Stabilizer doesn't do anything with fresh gas or bad gas. You have the same thing you started with and a couple oz of snake oil.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

Ask your local dock master who does "fuel polishing." It is a service that takes all of the crap out of the fuel and returns it to the tank..

Also how much fuel are you talking about?

 

[Jacalore]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

I thought fuel polishing was for diesel?

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

there are companies that clean gasoline too. can't say it would be worth it for 40 gallons. you can sometimes save some of the costs by taking the boat to them--but what is your time worth?

the fact that the boat has carb problems and you didn't buy that gas says dump it (not literally). If it sat from last summer (9 months) that doesn't mean the seller filled it with fresh gas in August. sounds like he let his e10 get funky.

lesson for others: always take fresh gas and your own tank to test a boat you are buying if it hasn't been run recently.

 

[Jacalore]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

When refilling with fresh gas, what treatment do you recommend?

 

[rbh]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

I wonder how long that filter was in before you changed it, maybe just plugged up?
If it was a water fuel separator filter it could have been just doing its job, but that's up to you to decide.


Any idea how old the fuel was?

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Can Gas Treatment Save Half Tank of Fuel?

When refilling with fresh gas, what treatment do you recommend?

Nothing, just burn it. Fuel comes with stabilizer in it, adding a couple oz of crap to it does nothing. On the plus side, stuff like Stabil and Startron also repels elephants - so you might want to use it for that.