Save a few pennies and gas stored over the winter in fuel tank (farm equipment)

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If you have a gas powered generator that you use for emergancy power this may be of help. When buying fuel for the genset for winter, save a few cents a gallon, get the 15% gasahol instead of the higher priced "100% unleaded ". The reason being , during winter, gasoline in a gastank will absorb an amount of moisture, possibly causing fuel and carburator ice. Gas "dryers" use alcohol to absorb water in fuel mix, gasahol already contains 15%, so it tends to not show effects of moisture contamination in cold weather as quickly as non blended gasoline.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), November 18, 2000

Answers

Good point, Jay. I have a question along this line. Last year about this time with the Y2K scare, we store up a lot of gasoline. We have used some of it but still have a lot we are keeping for emergencies. When we stored it we put in the recommended amount of "gas dryer". My question is this good forever or should we put in more after a year?

-- bwilliams (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), November 18, 2000.

After a year, gas dryer will help, but you should rotate your stock, replenishing it with new fuel. I have heard of gasoline rejuvination additives, but have no personal experience with them. I try to not store gasoline for longer than 9 months.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), November 18, 2000.

All gasoline sold south of where I live to California is gasohol, but some of my older equipment does not run very well on it. I have a 1975 F-100 4x4 which we use on the ranch as a tool truck, it just coughs and sputters on gasahol. I have a 350 gallon diesel tank for the tractors and a 300 gallon gas tank for the trucks, cars, saws and so on. I use gas stalilizer in the units that are used the least, lawn mowers, generator, weed eaters and such. I buy dry gas, (absorber) by the case and add it if I have problems, generally my problems come in the spring, that is when I get the most condensation in my tanks, I also have filters on the tanks with moisture/sediment bowls that you can see the water and particles in. If it is possible I would rotate your fuel as often as possible. I have a 50 gallon drum I use for a portable tank with a hand pump, I can fill it from the main tank and rotate that way.

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.netr), November 19, 2000.

Thanks Jay for the info on gasahol. Here in West Chester, my generator stays topped off with Amoco Gold(the old white gas premium) Being that I store it in a weatherproof garage, I never 'rotate' my gas. For the 40 and above crowd: I still have a 20 year old Coleman dual mantle in the basement with the old white gas still as fresh as the day Dad filled....he passed on in 1986. I wish Pennsylvania hadn't lost so much of it's farm heritage. I'd love to set up my old 350 c.i. Trans-Am for 100% alcohol. I'm at the mercy of big government.......we can't find gasahol here. I can see the laughs I'd get applying to build a still myself! Well all.....that's the word from PA. Glad to have read all the posts back and forth. Y'all have a beer on me, Steve

-- "Satellite" Steve in S.E. PA (satsteve@erols.com), June 12, 2001.

burning gas in a coleman lantern is alot different than running a sensitive 1 cylinder engine. I've had gas go bad in less than a years time, bad enough it couldn't run a non fuel-injection v8. If there's any air in the tank, gas won't last. Rotating gasoline stock is the smart way to go. You lose nothing by doing it and can be assured it will work when you need it.

-- nobody (nothing@nowhere.no), June 12, 2001.


Thanks to 'nobody' for your post! I NOW realize I omitted many things on my last note. I agree that 100 percent alcohol in a car involves not just modifying the hoses, fuel pump, and carburetor...I know it would be hell to start(as many of you posted) I agree it would be hell to run also. For nobody, I have a Holley that would need gasket work just to think of ethanol. I left out the most important thought: Give the farmers a break and cut off the big oil people. I didn't want to say that here. I saw that many have farms and can "hold" more than 100 gallons. Here in PA, I'm stuck with WWII 5 gallon cans. A follow up: In PA, We are stuck with MTBE. I see CA is going to dump that in the future. I agree with all that ANY fuel is better the fresher. I regret not digging my grave any deeper than I already did. Thanks for the reply 'nobody'...I appreciated it, Steve

-- "Satellite" Steve in S.E. Pa (satsteve@erols.com), June 13, 2001.

I left PA a year ago, in cali now. I haven't noticed mtbe stickers on the pumps here(usually in shock over the price) but I'll look closer next time. I had a t/a gta with the 5.0tpi/5sp and it was extremely sensitive to different gasolines. I spent about 9 years total in Chester and Montgomery county, also grew up on a farm up in Dauphin county. Had some stops for a year or 2 in ks, al, mt, va but spent half my life so far in PA. Had quite a few amish friends and have alot of respect for their lifestyle. I don't miss much about the s.e. pa area except the great hotdog place on 322 south of West Chester and the shows they had at valley forge convention center about every 3 months. Miss my ccw permit too, impossible to get one here.

-- nobody (nothing@nowhere.no), June 14, 2001.

To 'nobody' : You don't mean Jimmy Johns hot dogs do you? If so, it's still doing a good business. The Birmingham diner(truckstop on same north side of 322 closed a few years ago. The diner was hauled out to the Tahoe area I believe. The old stainless diner. That strip of road as you remember is actually route 202 and 322 until it hits route 1 at Chadds Ford. Funny how people remember places. Whenever I visit in CA, you'll find me in San Diego on Harbor Drive below Lindberg Field at Anthony's on the Bay having a Miller Genuine with lobster! Small world...BTW Traffic here is like traffic everywhere; all these people in a big hurry to go nowhere fast. Regards, Steve

-- "Satellite" Steve in S.E. PA (satsteve@erols.com), June 15, 2001.

nope not jimmy johns, though I've been there a few times and recall all the pictures and the train. The place I was referring to is down on actually 322(conchester hwy?). Think it's called 'doggy hut', small little diner. Doesn't look like much but if you like a good hotdog, go in there and order one with 'the works' You'd take 202s to Rt1 and head north then take 322e where it splits off down to Chester. It'd be down a few miles on the left next to a Wawa. I remember that Birmingham diner, good to hear it didn't get taken to the landfill. Those old diners are classics. There's a nice one still in operation up near Downingtown, would have to think a while to recall the name. Been in 100s of diners around the US and no I don't drive for a living ;) I became pretty familiar with West Chester area and southest pa in general as I used to set up tents for parties, etc all over. In regards to traffic, for the reputation southern cali has it's mostly alot better than the Philly area. A whole lot more room here, some of the interstates are 16 lanes in some places.

-- nobody (nothing@nowhere.no), June 15, 2001.

I have a teacher friend who works for Chichester. I'll have to ask him about what's down on the Conchester Highway(322). I may have passed that stand many times...but PenDot is just planning to add lanes to that strip between Rt. 1 and 95. You remember how 322 gets to be a keep up or be killed driving arrangement.

Question to all over fuels: Did that vapor injection(squirting water mist into intake to create steam/higher compression) kits prove to be junk? J.C. Whitney comes to mind as the prime dealer. I may be going back to the mid 70's.

Postscript to all: Saw the Midwest is adding 5 more 'stills' since California's market may be their goldrush! I believe I read the Midwest produced over 600 million gallons of methonol last year.

To Jay and all the farmers: I haven't forgotten my roots. I grew up an "orchard boy" running an old International "06" with a cully cutter and an IH-350 pulling a Hemi powered Blower/Sprayer. All I remember from those days was Winstons were 35 cents a pack.

Catch up with you all later, Steve

-- "Satellite" Steve in S.E. PA (satsteve@erols.com), June 18, 2001.



Water injection works for some applications. You'll be refilling the water tank as often as you fill your gas tank. You have to use distilled water, otherwise you'll get a build up of minerals on piston face, valves, etc. You need to add alcohol to the water to keep it from freezing in the winter. It works, but it's a hassle and not worth it for everyday use. The effect is more of a cooling of the combustion process to prevent pre-detonation and allows you to run with timing advanced without getting pinging. I played around with the concept years ago on a late 70s ford 2.3 that had been tweaked a bit.(in a Pinto, what was I thinking??) Mine were homemade copies of what was commercially available at the time. One used nothing more than a washer fluid tank ,vaccum tubing, acetylene torch nozzle in the the carb airhorn. Played around with it til it only drew water when carb vaccum was greatest. A better application used a vaccum solenoid switch and a aftermarket windshield washer pump. You could also use a switch activated by the throttle linkage. The key is that you only want water injection at higher rpms. Overall, yes I got a little extra power since I could advance the timing higher without pre-detonation, might have gotten a bit better gas milage considering the tweaks but no, it wasn't worth it. That engine also ended up with burnt valves about a year later, which I guessed was from running with the much advanced timing, it got ran pretty hard too. I doubt you could use water injection with late 80s and newer engines because of all the sensors involved. I wouldn't doubt that jcwhitney, eldebrock, etc still sell them.

-- nobody (nothing@nowhere.no), June 18, 2001.

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