Gas goes bad too fast.

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I have an engine drive welder and do not use it very much. Sometimes I use it daily for a while but then it can sit for a couple months until I need it again.All the gas around me has ethanol in it and I was told that it goes bad very quickly. I am afraid to fill the tank up and let the thing set any length of time. The jobs are difficult to determine the length of time the welder needs to run so I want to just fill it up and have a couple of 5 gal cans available to refill without leaving the job site. However it is very easy to end up with gas left in the tank at the end of the project and I can't afford it to go bad nor do I want to try running my engine on it.How are you guys dealing with having enough gas and not having any go bad?I really don't want to have to drain the tank after each job but I guess I could do that and use it in the lawn mower.Anyway I am just curious what you guys are doing.
Reply:I wouldn't know, but we have ethanol in our gas here in the winter time..... I just add a fuel stabilizer to it.  I think you can pick it up at an auto part store.The Lord has declared, "This is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"  Moses 1:39Link: My name is John, and I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.-- ColdCreekWorks.com --
Reply:Use Sta-Bil fuel stabilizer. Keeps the gas good for a longer time, just follow mixing directions. That's what I use in mine if I don't know how long it will be before the next use. After adding be sure to run it for at least 5 minutes(10 better) to make sure it gets in the carb too so that gas won't go bad. I still crank it up at least once a month to run it for a while anyway when it's otherwise not used.
Reply:+1 for Sta-Bil
Reply:sta-bil or av gas (2 year shelf life but you have to know someone at the airport for this) Or look around the marinas or even the gas stations for premium non-oxygenated. Non-oxygenated = no ethanol and it will last just as long as the plain old unleaded you know and love.
Reply:I use Seafoam for my small engines that I'm forced to put ethanol in. I also always use Chevron premium Techron high end gas if I can find it. The best thing would be to locate gas without ethanol in it and I provided a link below that could be helpful. http://www.seafoamsales.com/products.htmlhttp://www.fuel-testers.com/find_eth..._gasoline.htmlI recently purchased a product called Startron. Suppose to be good for up to 2 years.http://mystarbrite.com/startron/Good luck!
Reply:I'm not usually big on additives other than Stabil, but had a bunch of small engine problems last year.  My local small motor dealer recommended trying Startron:http://mystarbrite.com/startron/I was skeptical, but gave it a shot.  I now use it in all my small motors and put it in every gas can before adding gas.  I had a handheld Echo blower that wouldn't run right.  I rebuilt the carburetor 3 times, with no luck.  I ran a couple of tanks of gas with Startron through it and it now runs great.Lincoln Powermig 255Hypertherm Powermax 45Thermal Arc 161SOxweld 24R OA TorchStill Looking for an Old Round Top Idealarc 250
Reply:Originally Posted by ironmangqsta-bil or av gas (2 year shelf life but you have to know someone at the airport for this) Or look around the marinas or even the gas stations for premium non-oxygenated. Non-oxygenated = no ethanol and it will last just as long as the plain old unleaded you know and love.
Reply:+1 for Sta-Bil
Reply:Sea Foam or Marine stabil.  Seafoam helped several of my two cycles run better.
Reply:Sta-Bil it is.I should have thought of that as I use it over the winter in my mower. Just never thought of using it regularly.Thanks to all.
Reply:I would sugest sta-bil or startron.  Haven't used startron heard good things about it for ethonol though.As a side note oxygenated fuel and ethonol are two different things.Ethonol being made with corn, oxygenated having a higher level of oxygen in it to acheive higher mpg numbers.Sea Foam is also a great product.
Reply:I run my stuff dry that will be sitting for any length of time......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Another for Stabiluse it in the Boat and the Rv gensetEd Conleyhttp://www.screamingbroccoli.com/MM252MM211 (Sold)Passport Plus & Spool gunLincoln SP135 Plus- (Gone to a good home)Klutch 120v Plasma cutterSO 2020 benderBeer in the fridge
Reply:What do y'all suggest for the 17 gallons of unleaded in my duramax?
Reply:Originally Posted by AMC724What do y'all suggest for the 17 gallons of unleaded in my duramax?
Reply:ive run a 40 foot diesel skyjack boomlift 8 hours on a tank of gasoline. dont ask me how it happened, but know that it spit soot the whole timeLocal 597
Reply:Bob, I have had lots of trouble with ethanol gas, especially in small engines. Chainsaws, splitter, quad, etc. I have started putting in-line fuel filters on anything that does not have one, and shutting off the gas and running the carb dry everytime the engine will sit idle for a while. I also keep caps tight to avoid chances of the corn fuel sucking water out of the air. The frigging crap sucks.
Reply:Originally Posted by AMC724What do y'all suggest for the 17 gallons of unleaded in my duramax?
Reply:The Star Tron is what I've been using for the last couple years and it is great and not expensive as the other additives. One 8 oz. bottle treats 128 gallon and only costs $7.95. It gave me back 3 of the 4 MPH I lost on my rig truck when they went to alcohol.
Reply:Originally Posted by kcb37I would sugest sta-bil or startron.  Haven't used startron heard good things about it for ethonol though.As a side note oxygenated fuel and ethonol are two different things.Ethonol being made with corn, oxygenated having a higher level of oxygen in it to acheive higher mpg numbers.Sea Foam is also a great product.
Reply:Originally Posted by AMC724What do y'all suggest for the 17 gallons of unleaded in my duramax?
Reply:Put some 2-stroke oil in the tank, 50:1 or so.  This is the best fuel stabilizer I have ever used.  I know guys that run 4-stroke dirt bikes and if the bike for 4-5 months it wont start or if it does it will have idle issues (after many tear downs it's always a plugged pilot jet).  I've never seen a pilot jet plug on a 2-stroke, even ones that have sat for many years.
Reply:Originally Posted by anickodeSiphon out as much as you can and then dump in a quart of ATF and fill 'er up with diesel fuel.
Reply:Originally Posted by 76GMC1500 It's always hard to tell your boss he's messed up, especially when he's a bit sensitiveLolIn Oklahoma, they have 10% ethanol with a different nozzle, it's yellow.In Texas it all has 10% ethanol.Some exxons here in Tx have diesel with yellow handles.When we pulled into the station,I said "look they have diesel at every pump"I caught it as I was filling out my info on the receipt. The truck ran about 10 seconds. Then I called the boss.....Me "what kind of mood are you in?"Him "what did you f up?"Me "17 gallons of unleaded"Him " oh BS in that diesel."Me "yea"Him "well sh!t , ill call our shop and have them tow you in"As Im getting pulled into the shop, everyone is laughing.Got back to the shop, they pulled the be d and syphoned the tank.
Reply:im so paranoid about that at the pump , i double/triple check for diesel/gas at the pump. Bob , that flamed out chevy in my garage has been sitting unstarted for 2 years. Its pegged on 'E' . Im hopeing less than half a gallon in there . It smells like turpentine. Im worried more about the valve springs staying mashed now.  On all our small engines , im like zapster , run them dry ,poor them out...ive noticed on all our weedeaters , the fuel lines either harden or soften and ruin within a year if u dont poor the gas out wen done.        thermal arc 252i  -  millermatic 350P -   miller XMT, cp300ts, 30a 22a feeders, buttload of other millers, handfull of lincolns, couple of esabs  -   Hypertherm 1250 G3
Reply:Originally Posted by 76GMC1500Put some 2-stroke oil in the tank, 50:1 or so.  This is the best fuel stabilizer I have ever used.  I know guys that run 4-stroke dirt bikes and if the bike for 4-5 months it wont start or if it does it will have idle issues (after many tear downs it's always a plugged pilot jet).  I've never seen a pilot jet plug on a 2-stroke, even ones that have sat for many years.
Reply:Just did a search and found that a lot of the 2-stroke oils sold now have fuel stabilizers added. Since I've been running off a large supply of Redline for quite some time, that wouldn't apply.
Reply:I am a fan of Marvel mystery oil, i have been using it as fuel stabilizer in my buggy and mower and I had no problems these last few years. cost is half of seafoam (seafoam is a way better cleaner though IMO) I put some in whenever I add gas and its cheap enough for the smaller toys your not gonna go broke.Hobart Handler 190 Century 90amp on FluxCraftsman 200amp buzzbox
Reply:With the newer gas it doesn't matter if it's got fuel stabilizer or not it will go bad at least in a fashion. I've seen it more and more the last few years that old gas just won't burn. The first time I saw this it through me for a loop. A guy brought in a generator that wouldn't run. I went through the carb and it looked like new but I couldn't get it to run at all. The gas smelled ok due to the stabilizer he'd put in it. I finally drained the old gas and put in new and it ran perfectly.  I've gotten to testing the gas by putting some on a safe surface and trying to light it if I suspect that could be a problem.   Thus to me the main benefit from the stabilizers that I've found is the prevention of carb fouling.   On another story. I had a old mower that ended up being parked for several years. I knew it would need a carb rebuild when I went to get it started and was prepared for a really bad carb considering that it hadn't been stored properly and for so long. But when I went into it I found it coated in a fine coating of oil and in great shape. That particular mower I was forced to run Marvel Mystery oil in due to the intake valve sticking when it got hot. The Marvel Mystery oil had preserved the carb when the gas had evaporated out.   I've been doing small engine repair for 30+ years now on a commercial bases so I see a lot of carbs. I've seen them that have been stored dry as well as with stabilizers plus without. Dry stored carbs tend to get condensation in them which causes corrosion of the aluminum bodies. Some of the worst carbs I've had to try to rebuild have had water in them either from the gas tank or from being stored dry for a long period of time.   Thus based on my experience I'd say that Marvel Mystery oil is about as good as any other method of storing a machine. Fuel stabilizer is just about as good but not a cure all. I'm still experimenting with the Startron so I've not got any real world experience to recommend it one way or another.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:I use Stabil brand EVERY time I fill a can. Then I know everything that gets filled, is stabilized.Thanks to all who already use Stabil brand. And to those who don't, STOP using all that other crap, USE STABIL!!!I snow plow the at manufacturer plant!"Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:I don't post on here very often. I'm a retired mechanic for what it's worth. Here are some links to web sites with information that maybe of use to everyone. Some of the information is old news. I hope it helps.http://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsphttp://www.fuel-testers.com/fuel_add...reatments.htmlhttp://www.goldeagle.com/brands/stabil/default.aspxhttp://www.businessweek.com/print/li...514_058678.htmhttp://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/faqs/conversion.php  Good luckEd