Two-Stroke Fuel Question

S

Smallwheels

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Today I planned to do my first trip that would take more than one tank of fuel. I have the Golden Eagle 32cc Tanaka motor with a tank capacity of 23 ounces. I bought an MSR fuel bottle that holds 22 ounces (2 more than recommended on the side of the bottle).

I prefilled the MSR bottle with two-stroke oil and started my ride to a local bicycle shop to get a spare 26 inch inner tube. After finishing at the bicycle shop I rode to buy fuel. I filled up the MSR bottle for 55 cents and stowed it in my back pack.

When the first tank was dry I refilled it with my spare bottle of fuel. For some reason the fuel didn't have that green tint to it at all. It was as clear as could be for gasoline. Why did this happen? The two-stroke oil did not leak out of the bottle. It had a very tight seal. I used the same bottle of two-stroke oil and will not use it all up for a long time. Shouldn't the fuel have been the same color as all the previous tanks I've filled?

To be safe I used my little syringe to add the proper amount of oil to the fuel tank so that the fuel looked green. I figured that if I was putting too much in, there would be fewer problems than putting in too little.

The motor ran fine for my trip. Could someone explain why the fuel in the fuel bottle didn't look green in the first place?

This is the most I've ridden the bike in one day. Most of the time it is just used to go to get groceries five miles away or to go to buy vitamins or get bicycle parts which is about six miles away. The trip was fun, but even my top of the line Thudbuster suspension seat post didn't stop my butt from aching a little. Perhaps I'll get a giant gell pad for the firm cruiser seat. I'm sure that would help some.
 
Gas is often dyed. I think they usually use either green or orange. I think it's used to mark it for taxes/tracking purposes. That could be the reason you saw a difference. As long as you are very comfortable with the idea that you put in the correct amount of oil, I wouldn't worry about it. (But extra oil probly won't hurt.)
 
Fuel Color

I've never seen green gasoline before. I had seen that color fuel in the fuel tanks of friends who owned two stroke Vespa scooters. They had to mix their fuel with much more oil, therefore; their fuel was much darker green.

I bought my fuel from a convenience store that is part of a chain of stores. It was the first time getting fuel there. Wouldn't the chain get their fuel from the same source? It still makes me wonder why my fuel didn't look the way it usually does.

For my first two gallons of gasoline I bought one gallon and mixed the two-stroke oil from the pre-measured bottle into the plastic fuel container. Whenever I needed to add fuel to the bike I would refuel on my patio. The fuel always had a green tint to it.

Since reading about two-stroke fuel not lasting very long I decided to just run the tank dry and refuel at gas stations and with the spare fuel bottle. I calculated how much two-stroke oil to add to each tank. I have a syringe that holds six milliliters (ml). I put in approximately 15 ml. which is .48 ounces. That makes a 50:1 mix ratio recommended by the manufacturer.

One thing I can think of is that the formulation for fuel has changed for winter and my previous gallon purchases were of summer blend fuel. Maybe not. I'm just guessing.

Since this is a two-stroke fuel question thread let me add another; can a higher quality two-stroke oil allow one to use a smaller amount of oil in the fuel mixture?

I went to the Amsoil web site and it says that one of its oils (I don't recall the name of it) should be mixed 100:1. It is designed for small engines. My motor is run at 50:1. I am using a Yamaha synthetic blend now.

Has anyone used any scented two-stroke oils? I have been to scooter rallies and some of the riders used oils with a different scent. My favorite was strawberry.
 
You may well have hit it with the fomulation change idea. They don't do that here. We get our gas mostly by barge, but sometimes it comes by truck through Canada, that's why I'm familiar with dyed gas.

I have heard of people who decreased oil in the mixture when changing to synthetics, etc. But it seems to me that it would be safest to stay with your present mix.
 
I had wondered the same thing recently because my summer gas was green but now my gas is yellowish-clear in the fuel line. I had always thought it was the 2 stroke oil mix that was making it green, but it seems like it would be the gasoline dye.
 
More Fuel Questions

Let me add another fuel question to my thread. Who has used Sta-Bil with their two-stroke fuel mixture?

Earlier I said that I recently learned that two-stroke fuel can't be let to sit for much longer than a month before it doesn't work properly. So I decided to just refill my little tank at the gas station instead of buying a gallon and mixing it to keep at my home. Then I remembered there was a product called Sta-Bil which is used to keep gasoline viable for a long time in storage. On the bottle it says it works for two-stroke fuel too.

Has anyone here used it with their two-stroke fuel? If so, please tell us about how well it worked. Did you mix it as directed on the bottle, or did you do something different?

If it works OK then I will again buy a gallon of gasoline and mix it at home to keep for refueling my motor.
 
I have used Sta-bil for years on my lawn equipment, and it's worked fine. After I mow the lawn for the last time, usually in November here in Texas, and then pull it out again in April, it starts right up no problem. The same goes for my 2-stroke weedeater.

I use Sta-bil it in my gas/oil mix for my 2-stroke bike engine, and I think it works fine. However, I have not let it sit for more than a week or two so far, so I am not sure how it would be if it sat for a month or so. Although, I am sure nothing beats fresh gas right out of the pump.
 
Gas Preservers

Sta-Bil works fine.

I know gas gets "old."

I have forgotten to use it so many times with the Lawn-Boy, I am ashamed to admit it. But, every spring, I add a bit of Seafoam to my carb and tank, and the mower coughs to life for another season - some 15 or 20 years on this one.


As to letting mixed gas sit. This year I let mix sit for long periods over month. Seems not to affect bike mix and mower sits all winter, so who knows? I will add Sta-Bil this year to both, however.

I have had a few people say Amzoil is best mix, but I would not stray from mfgr mix ratio unless very good reason to do so, and I would never vary mix when engine is new or after many hours. these things are chrome lined and made to work the way the mfgr indicates.

Caution is best prevention.
 
When I was having engine problems, (turned out to be spark plug wire,) I suspected water in the fuel, and so bought a bottle of sta-bil because it said it helped with water in the fuel. I continue to use it even though my fuel mix never sits for a month. I have found no problems at all using it. I mix Valvoline two stroke oil at six and one half oz. (6 1/2 oz.) per gallon of regular gasoline. I also add one oz. of Marvel Mystery Oil to my mix, but only because I bought three cans at a yard sale for fifty cents a can. I think it's normally five dollars and something a can. I almost always ride WOT, and have no problems yet. (knock wood.) Top speed so far is 39.5 mph in a power dive,( down a steep hill with full throttle). Boy did that make my bottom buzz.
 
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