Carb or EFI Cleaners

[YellowMoomba0]

Hey everyone, I wanted to ask if any of you use fuel additive type carb / efi cleaners. The labels on these products promise you a nascar engine after one tank of gas, but Im not so sure. I definately use STA-BIL for the winter time storage.

Engine Nut, whats the truth about these products and should we use them?


Thanks in advance for replies.

[Brian Raymond]

I know that Indmar has done testing with Sta-bil only. The other fuel additives and cleaners are not recommended. Brian Raymond

[Engine Nut]

Brian is right about additives. Generally speaking if the claims that the manufacturer make sound too good to be true ... they are.

With most of the fuels today containing ethanol, some of your fuel system maintenance and handling procedures may need to be modified.

First, I would recommend having a spare fuel filter or two. The ethanol in the fuel is a better solvent than the old additive (MBTE) or the gasoline itself. This means that any crud sticking to the bottom and sides of your fuel tank may get loosened up and sent through the fuel line and get cought in the filter. Having a spare filter and tools to change it might just save your day.

Second, there is a different school of thought on storing a boat for the winter with ethanol in the fuel. Normally we would recommend adding Sta-bil to the fuel and leaving the tank full of fuel during winter storage. With gasoline containing ethanol, we recommend stabilizing the fuel with Sta-Bil and running the tank as empty as possible. Ethanol in the fuel attracts water, with less fuel in the tank there will be less ethanol to attract that water. When you fill the tank in the spring, any remaining fuel will get mixrd with the fresh fuel and should be able to get burned up when it goes through the engine.


Larry Engelbert

[Wolf-]

Originally posted by YellowMoomba0
I definately use STA-BIL for the winter time storage.

Thanks in advance for replies.

Gasoline manufacturers claim that their fuel is treated to last for 60 days of storage. At 30 days it can already start to damage engine parts. Depending on how old that gas was when you bought it, you may only have 2-3 weeks before it breaks down. I throw Sta-bil in if I KNOW it will be 2 weeks until I use a particular tank of fuel. It sounds like overkill, but $3 is better than rebuilding a carb.

For the EFI guys, you probably won't have to be as over cautious as I am.

This applies to that 5 gallon container you have in the backyard for the mower and weedeaters as well.

[Engine Nut]

Wolf, you must have read your Indmar Owner's Manual. We say the samething about stabilizing fuel if it is going to sit for two weeks.

Larry Engelbert

[Wolf-]

Originally posted by Engine Nut
Wolf, you must have read your Indmar Owner's Manual. We say the samething about stabilizing fuel if it is going to sit for two weeks.

Larry Engelbert

There's a manual???
All kidding aside, I learned from cleaning up and rebuilding RV generators as a kid.
I got paid good money to rip them apart and clean out 6-8month old varnish.
Onans were my friend.

[smokedog2]

Interesting on the full v. empty gas tank. I stored full last year to reduce water absorption but I think empty is a better choice. Pretty much all gas has some amount of ethanol in it any more.

SD2