Sometimes I guess you have to touch the stove twice. Maybe three times.
I know better than to put ethanol in the tank of anything that might sit for a long time. Something like my ’75 Kawasaki two-stroke triple, ‘Lil Stinker. I let it sit for at least eight months, since last fall – which just kind of happened. This happens to most of us who have old bikes and old cars. We spend time dealing with everything else, such as life. We don’t think we’re going to be neglectful. We think we’re gonna ride that bike (or drive that car) tomorrow and – or this coming weekend – and just like that, it’s eight months later. That’s what happened to me. I left the poor old Kaw parked under a bedsheet in the garage, with about half a tank of pump gas in it. I knew that “gas” was E10 – ten percent ethanol, in other words – and I know the stuff can be bad news when left in the fuel system of old machinery like my ’75 Kawasaki that was not designed to withstand the effects of alcohol-laced “gas” left to sit and work on plastic/rubber and other materials for months on end.
I pumped it in anyhow, because the station that sells it is just a couple of miles from my house and I fully intended to burn it up by riding the bike.
That was last fall.
Now it is almost fall – again. I finally got around to paying some attention to ‘Lil Stinker. Got it started, no problem. The problem was it would not hold an idle. This suggested a clogged jet – possibly more than one (the engine is a triple, so it has three carbs). What could clog the jet(s) given the bike wasn’t being ridden? Well, have you ever let a toilet sit for months without flushing it? Probably you’re going to have to clean it. Something like that happened to the Kaw’s carbs. The ethanol in the gas reacted with the aluminum, plastic/rubber and composite parts of the carb, creating a mess inside the carbs. Small passages within carbs – such as the orifices in jets – get clogged by the mess. It doesn’t take much. Then the fuel doesn’t flow or the flow is interrupted.
Once I had the carbs apart, I was surprised the engine started and ran at all. It wouldn’t idle because there was essentially no fuel flowing through the idle circuit, due to the clogged passages. I could only keep the engine running by keeping the revs up and using the choke to richen up (more gas) the air-fuel mixture.
I probably could have avoided this by draining the tank last fall – and running the carbs dry, before putting the bike to sleep for the next eight months. Aye, there’s the rub. The assumption I made – that so many of us who have old stuff make at one time or another – that I was not going to neglect the poor thing for the next eight months (or eight years, which happens also). So I don’t bother to drain the tank or run the carbs dry (by running the engine with the fuel tap off, until the engine dies because the carbs ran out of gas). What I really ought to have done is not used ethanol-laced “gas” in the first place, of course. The only reason I did was because it was easier. E10 is everywhere. The station that has unadulterated, 100 percent gas is about 13 miles down the road via the main road that has a 55 MPH speed limit and the S1’s top speed is maybe 90 or so, all out. I didn’t want to ride it that far, that fast. So I just knocked around the back roads to the other station that’s less than three mies away from me.
I could have just taken the tank off and driven it the 13 miles into town. Or just used a jug to fill the tank – with real gas, though I’m hesitant about doing that with this tank because I had it professionally repainted to better-than-new and sloshing gas on the paint (thanks to the spillage-prone “vapor recovery” jugs we’re stuck with, thanks to the government) make me wince.
Regardless, I let the ethanol get me – again.
My penance (to get the bike running properly again) for having let it sit with ethanol “gas” in the tank is having to remove and disassemble and clean all three of the bike’s carbs. I must also replace all the gaskets and rubber/plastic parts, which have hardened brittle or just disintegrated. When you buy replacement parts for an old bike or car that was made before the government began adulterating the fuel supply with ethanol – this started in the ’80s – it’s important to buy replacement parts that are hardened (so to speak) to withstand ethanol-adulterated “gas.” The parts I used when I rebuilt the carbs last time were New Old Stock (NOS) Kawasaki parts, meaning the same parts that were used to put the bike together back in 1975. Which meant they were not made to deal with ethanol. That’s why my carbs are a mess right now, awaiting a cleaning and rebuilding (again) with ethanol-compatible parts.
On the upside, it’s easy enough to fix this – and kind of fun, in its own twisted way.
You have to be into this sort of thing to understand it!
. . .
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This article is a great reminder to go get spare parts like oil filters, spark plugs, brake pads, and of course, spare fuel system parts for vehicles you plan on keeping. It will be a good return on the price over time, but more importantly, you’ll have the parts that you hope you’ll never need.
I had this problem with my power washer. I think I had to clean the jets twice. Now I use only non-ethanol gas or tru-fuel in them. Mixing isn’t worth it.
Far as storing and using it, buy JustRite cans: https://www.justrite.com/safety-cans-and-containers/type-ii-safety-cans.
Interesting tidbit; I had 5 gal of pump gas in the jerry can, and one hot summer day I noticed it swelling. There wasn’t any good way to relieve that. I also noticed in the just right cans, when you pressed the fill bar, they’d exhale deeply. So I ended up putting an air vent in the jerry can. But since I only store non alcohol gas in them, they don’t do this. The vent very little. Wonder if there’s a way to distill the alcohol out of the gas. It evaporates at a away lower temp, it seems. Seems like with a black tank in the sun, properly vented, you could de-alcohol that fuel.
Screw those plastic abominations. I have a 2.5 Gal I use for ‘operations’. Then a 5 gal and a metal jerry can I use for storage. If you gas up on the road, when you get home, drain the pump gas and put it in your car then refill with real gas.
You shouldn’t have to do this, but it’s the way the field is striped today.
Eric, one possible solution for you is 100LL. If you have a small airport in the area, you can fill your jugs at their pump. I have burned 100LL that has been in an aircraft wing for over 12 years, no worries. For over a decade, I have been using it in my 2 stroke yard equipment, lawnmowers, chainsaws, and a gen 1 Hayabusa.. anything that sits unused for periods of time. One of my jobs is disassembly and transport of non flyable aircraft. We defuel 100s of gallons per year, and disposal fees are ridiculous. So I am lucky to have access. What we don’t use goes to the local automotive museum to keep their tanks full and carbs clean.
Thanks, Enemy – it is something i need to look into. I have a pilot buddy; I will ask him about it.
Weed whacker and the leaf blower get run dry as I’m pouring out the gas, leave the gas cap off allow the plastic tanks to dry completely. Snow blower, drain it via the side screw on the float bowl and I made a perforated cone out of paper to cover the gas tank fill hole. That’s a metal tank I want it completely dry & that paper cone with tiny holes keeps the bugs out while it breathes out the last of the gas vapor.
I’m out in the sticks so no Karens around to bitch about a few cups of gas on the ground behind the shed.
The Harley gets pure 92 for the last fill of the season, with StaBil and a couple ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil. Last run before storage at least a 30 minute scoot then that’s it.
Winter in Central WA is like flipping a switch – Fall 50s-60s ends one day & you’re done till, at best, late Feb. Last year it was November 5th and done. Could ride? Some days yes but the roads get the deicer chems and salted sand around many intersections.
Reminds me I have to do the same for my snowblower. Had more snow than usual last winter and I ran out of the $25/gallon ‘puregas’ so had to get the ethanol polluted stuff from the local gas station. I keep hoping for a failure of the corn crop so that there won’t be enough to adulterate the gas with.
For motorcycle and equipment this may be the way…
https://youtu.be/HdDEL7WLN5U?si=lgNwRFhPvzy2SUJZ
Look at the string of problems caused by reluctance to deal with fake government gas cans. Who voted for anything close to this nonsense? An NPT tap is required to PROPERLY enlarge the hole on black plastic VP cap to accomodate a real brass adaptor. Original threads are some obscure euro spec. My VP can sits in the backseat without a whiff of petro. Two round trips thru commiefornia paid for it in fuel cost saving. Use amazon for such hacks as retail b&m stores in US carry nothing useful for anything real. Amazon dies its best to hide stuff but keep searching and its there.
I’ve looked at VP containers, is the cap fitting for the plastic hose a leaker? What did you replace it with, threaded hose barb? Info please!
And the real hell of it is, ethanol in gas is completely unnecessary.
Not only does it eat your alloys carbs, but it will suck up moisture and rust your tank. And even if it don’t rust to the point of leaking, you’ll start getting jets and passages plugged with rust particles. All my carburetor stuff ends up getting the tanks cleaned and lined with Red Cote, a good elastomeric sealer which fixes even badly damaged tanks.
I’ve thought about coating float bowls internally to avoid that ethanol slime/slurry but haven’t tried it yet.
Unfortunately every gear head has this problem, the carbureted toys sit too much.
Even the expensive non E gas goes sour, in some of mine I keep aviation gas which es even more expensive and requires retuning to run right, but it is synthetic (or so im told) and keeps for years.
I’m facing the same unpleasant task with my Suzuki DR650 — I can smell that the gas has gone bad. Fortunately it’s a thumper, though.
It’s telling how few gearheads really exist here now when the article about Trump is being commented 10:1 vs this article about Ethanol and Carbs.
Personally I’m more outraged by having to rebuild thee carbs than worrying about what the orange oaf is going to do.
I better go check on my bikes and spend a bit of time today to go cycle some fresh fuel through them and see if I’m in for some rebuild action myself.
Well, “Barney” – here’s the deal:
There is ethanol in the gas because of politicians; there is apt to be more ethanol in the gas because of Trump, who is pushing E15. And we’re all paying a lot more for gas, because of Trump. So there you go.
I would love to be able to just write about and talk about cars. But this is impossible – unless you prefer to not discuss the effect that politics ad politicians have on cars.
Hi Eric,
Given that the Midwestern Corn Lobby also has tremendous influence with Congress Critters, what are the odds that they had a role in the decades long system of putting ethanol in gasoline, and government calling it “Clean” and “Environmentally friendly”? After all, I wouldn’t be surprised if they also had a role in the use of high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar in much of the food (Bread, candy, cookies, sodas, etc.) we buy at the grocery store.
Morning, John!
Yup. Ethanol-adulterated gas is another example of both rent-seeking and enshitificaton. We get a lesser product and the entities that sell it make bank on it. Cue the Lee Greenwood song.
Need to get you a farm tank since you live out in the sticks and fill up with ethanol free gas (throw some PRI-G in there too). That 300 gallon fill up will sting your wallet though. Theft is a problem in some areas.
Anon
I have been considering that, Anon –
The problem is while I can afford the 50 gallon drum, I can’t afford to fill it. At least not all at once. The cost to do so is about $225 at current per-gallon prices. Key to long-term storage of gazzuline is no (or as little a possible) air in the drum. Sealed tight. (Also kept cool and steady cool.)
Both Project Farm and Taryl Fixes All have done tests on fuel stabilizers showing they don’t do much to keep the “pep” in the gasoline however Project Farms testing showed the Stabil brand did prevent corrosion in carburetor metals.
My solution to the long drive for ethanol free gas is to fill 5 gallon jugs with it combined with Stabil brand. I then use a battery powered transfer pump with an automatic shut off so even if I can’t see the gas it will shut off automatically.
All my small engines only get ethanol free gas. The bike gets the ethanol sludge. Come early October I drain all the “gas” from it, fill it with stabilized ethanol free gas and ride it for a another month or so.
Amazon apparently sells adapter kits to use better nozzles and pumps. A few examples.
https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Transfer-Auto-Stop-Adapters-Gasoline/dp/B0DH2RBN55
https://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Kit-Yellow-installed-receipt-convenient/dp/B0DNVD2S6N
Thanks for the info. I just order the replacement kit, it will be helpful with the worst month of hurricane season coming up.
Hi Metal.
Just remember to verify it’s compatible with the screw thread on the gas can or you might be in a pickle.
Will do!