Bad gas

S

samba123

Member
I understand the issues with leaving gas in your tanks untreated for extended periods of time but has anyone filled up their tanks at a local gas station and used it within a few weeks time and had engine issues becuase the gas you bought at that gas station was pumping out bad gas? Just curious as my buddy is having motor performance issues and he's wondering if he purchased bad gas the last time he filled up... I am thinking it's rare to have a gas station dispense bad gas but wondering if outboard motors are more sensitive to octane and fuel quality than cars and trucks that may not have any issues running same fuel. Curios to know if anyone has had any experience with this subject.

Basically his motor idles fine but as soon as he puts throttle down to get up on plane the motor looses power and vibrates and he can't get on plane. No water in fuel tank and fuel water separator was replaced a few month earlier. Plugs look fine. Can the symptoms he is experiencing be due to bad gas? Gas was only sitting in his tank for approx 3 months when he last filled it up.
 
17 ft sea ranger said:

Seafoam

I guess it shouldn't be a surprise , but I went to pick up a can at crappy tire and it's $16.99 now. Last time I bought one it was $12.99 :mad:
www.sportfishingbc.com
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$8.97 at Home Hardware today.
 
samba123 said:
I understand the issues with leaving gas in your tanks untreated for extended periods of time but has anyone filled up their tanks at a local gas station and used it within a few weeks time and had engine issues becuase the gas you bought at that gas station was pumping out bad gas? Just curious as my buddy is having motor performance issues and he's wondering if he purchased bad gas the last time he filled up... I am thinking it's rare to have a gas station dispense bad gas but wondering if outboard motors are more sensitive to octane and fuel quality than cars and trucks that may not have any issues running same fuel. Curios to know if anyone has had any experience with this subject.

Basically his motor idles fine but as soon as he puts throttle down to get up on plane the motor looses power and vibrates and he can't get on plane. No water in fuel tank and fuel water separator was replaced a few month earlier. Plugs look fine. Can the symptoms he is experiencing be due to bad gas? Gas was only sitting in his tank for approx 3 months when he last filled it up.
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_Was this a marina or a regular gas station?? If a regular gas station I have my doubts -if bad gas you usually hear other complaints
 
samba123 said:
I understand the issues with leaving gas in your tanks untreated for extended periods of time but has anyone filled up their tanks at a local gas station and used it within a few weeks time and had engine issues becuase the gas you bought at that gas station was pumping out bad gas? Just curious as my buddy is having motor performance issues and he's wondering if he purchased bad gas the last time he filled up... I am thinking it's rare to have a gas station dispense bad gas but wondering if outboard motors are more sensitive to octane and fuel quality than cars and trucks that may not have any issues running same fuel. Curios to know if anyone has had any experience with this subject.

Basically his motor idles fine but as soon as he puts throttle down to get up on plane the motor looses power and vibrates and he can't get on plane. No water in fuel tank and fuel water separator was replaced a few month earlier. Plugs look fine. Can the symptoms he is experiencing be due to bad gas? Gas was only sitting in his tank for approx 3 months when he last filled it up.
Click to expand...
Yes you can get bad gas. Especially if you’re buying premium at a station that doesn’t go through a lot of premium.
 
i get bad gas after drinking Lucky.

yes i got some gas at Browns Bay marina a few years ago and almost instantly had issues.
 
It is human nature to connect the last thing you did with a problem arising. I am sure my fuel pump failure (which resulted in performance issues) was connected to accidentally listening to Nickleback. I won't do that again.

Something as simple as a pinched O-ring or a rusted hose clamp on a fuel fitting can let an engine idle fine but suffer from performance issues. If you go into it thinking it was the freshly bought "stale" gas you might jump right past the issue.

 
Year or so back a friend of mine was convinced Oak Bay Marine Group sold him bad gas.... Oh the cost of a lift pump...oh the cost of a HP pump....all new injectors....the monsters.... The thieves.... He was going to sue.....

Turns out the factory original spark plugs were fist sized balls of rust. Gas was just fine.
 
yes i got bad gas once from my local chevron 94. guess they dont sell a lot of premium. cleaning out the fuel filter cartridge over the side fixed the problem easily in seconds.
 
zurk said:
yes i got bad gas once from my local chevron 94. guess they dont sell a lot of premium. cleaning out the fuel filter cartridge over the side fixed the problem easily in seconds.
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This is the second time you have stated you clean out a fuel filter "over the side".
If in fact you clean fuel filters/separators into the chuck, it is not just illegal, but horrifically misguided.
Please never do this again, nor speak of it.
 
gunnerlove said:
It is human nature to connect the last thing you did with a problem arising. I am sure my fuel pump failure (which resulted in performance issues) was connected to accidentally listening to Nickleback. I won't do that again.

Something as simple as a pinched O-ring or a rusted hose clamp on a fuel fitting can let an engine idle fine but suffer from performance issues. If you go into it thinking it was the freshly bought "stale" gas you might jump right past the issue.

Click to expand...
I accidentally listened to Nickleback once and ended up with a job as an insulator the next day. Grey jogging pants covered in Acoustical sealant. It was terrible.
 
Rain City said:
I accidentally listened to Nickleback once and ended up with a job as an insulator the next day. Grey jogging pants covered in Acoustical sealant. It was terrible.
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It’s ok. RC. i feel your pain. I too was exposed to Nickelback on the way to Calgary around 1997. i ended up hanging drywall and shopping at thrift stores to avoid wear and tear on my “good”joggers. i was eating pizza by the slice and filling up milk jugs of beer at U brews which they do in Calgary. God… i had tie dyed chip and pepper shirts, velcro shoe attachments. I was scouring pawn shops looking to upgrade my drywall tools. I started craving gas station beef jerky…..i woke up for work one day at 11 am surrounded by Wildcat beer cans; still wearing my “good” jacket provided by my drywall supplier and i knew i had to make changes…
 
RiverBoy said:
It’s ok. RC. i feel your pain. I too was exposed to Nickelback on the way to Calgary around 1997. i ended up hanging drywall and shopping at thrift stores to avoid wear and tear on my “good”joggers. i was eating pizza by the slice and filling up milk jugs of beer at U brews which they do in Calgary. God… i had tie dyed chip and pepper shirts, velcro shoe attachments. I was scouring pawn shops looking to upgrade my drywall tools. I started craving gas station beef jerky…..i woke up for work one day at 11 am surrounded by Wildcat beer cans; still wearing my “good” jacket provided by my drywall supplier and i knew i had to make changes…
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What's wrong with Wildcat beer--good bang for the buck-taste isn't everything!!
 
Gong Show said:
This is the second time you have stated you clean out a fuel filter "over the side".
If in fact you clean fuel filters/separators into the chuck, it is not just illegal, but horrifically misguided.
Please never do this again, nor speak of it.
Click to expand...
because dying in the ocean is preferable to cleaning a fuel filter cartridge over the side ?
uuh...suuure buddy.
i'll just be over here cleaning out my fuel filter. you do you and just drift around in the middle of the ocean hoping for rescue.
 
If you are carrying a bucket, bailer, or even a yoghurt container, you have the answer.

Even if you are doing this, and please stop, do not write about it on a public board where there are people who love to denigrate harvesters and want to shut us down watching us. We had this discussion amongst the commercial fleet decades ago, yes there are idiots still doing it, but the vast majority have changed their ways for the better. Better for the fish, better for our image.

Your answer would be fine if you left out the "over the side".

I have survived many breakdowns and mechanical issues at sea, without the internet and screens. Did just fine thanks and never missed an opening.

Keep your ignorance to yourself.
 
because a tablespoon of contaminated fuel - which is going to evaporate 5 minutes after it hits the water - is a massive environmental issue. oh noes.
Keep your ignorance to yourself.
 
Fritz said:
So was it bad fuel that wrecked your lift pump?
Hahahahahahahahagahahagahaha
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When I worked as an auto mechanic many many years ago it was always shocking to me how many people brought their cars in on a tow truck only later to be told that there was no fuel in the tank.
I’m not saying that this is the issue but I would investigate the simple things first. I have run my main engine using a kicker fuel tank to ensure that other issues were removed for testing. There could possibly be contaminants or highly emulsified water in the fuel (not impossible). The statistics now say percentage wise the mass majority of engines quitting at sea are due to poor fuel, however mainly water. If you truly suspect the fuel why not remove the variable? And change/inspect your filter, and hook the engine up to a known source of decent fuel? One of the same ding dongs that claimed bad fuel at the marina also had an 8 year old racor filter.
I see Chevron’s 94 mentioned here and I use it for my chainsaws which sit a lot. Never had any issues. It’s the last bastion I think of the true ethanol free gasoline. Ethanol is the devil and it’s going to be in all Marine gas very soon. Because dead boaters are good for the environment?
 
Fritz said:
When I worked as an auto mechanic many many years ago it was always shocking to me how many people brought their cars in on a tow truck only later to be told that there was no fuel in the tank.
I’m not saying that this is the issue but I would investigate the simple things first. I have run my main engine using a kicker fuel tank to ensure that other issues were removed for testing. There could possibly be contaminants or highly emulsified water in the fuel (not impossible). The statistics now say percentage wise the mass majority of engines quitting at sea are due to poor fuel, however mainly water. If you truly suspect the fuel why not remove the variable? And change/inspect your filter, and hook the engine up to a known source of decent fuel? One of the same ding dongs that claimed bad fuel at the marina also had an 8 year old racor filter.
I see Chevron’s 94 mentioned here and I use it for my chainsaws which sit a lot. Never had any issues. It’s the last bastion I think of the true ethanol free gasoline. Ethanol is the devil and it’s going to be in all Marine gas very soon. Because dead boaters are good for the environment?
Click to expand...
I just got back home from Calgary, my jeep fuel economy was stuck at 10 l/100km. Sometimes it would go up to over 12L/100km.
So I was quite happy to go to Co-op gas station to get a tank of good gas, only to find out they have to now have to sell ethanol in all their grades.
New law started June or July 5th. Courtesy of you know who.
(JT)...
On my way home got 8.36 L/ 100km. Not any where near what I'm supposed to get for highway driving.
P.s. didn't get to go fishing in Glenmore reservoir. Family kept me quite busy this year.
 
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