Bad Gas Robs Performance

January 18, 2010  
Filed under Feature

Copy by: David Cerotzke

Of all the necessities that can spoil, gasoline crosses very few minds. The truth: gas, like many of the perishables in our pantries, goes bad. While an excellent, albeit non-eco –friendly weed killer, bad gasoline has no real purpose. If left to stagnate overtime, refined petroleum starts to break down. In sensitive engines, those tuned for performance or with higher compression, the aged fuel ages the performance of the machine.

Ideal targets for this poison are any seasonally used equipment, boats for example. Symptoms of poor fuel quality make their presence known; usually in he form of poor power, excessive smoke, or pinging. The latter of these occurs as the degraded fuel combusts too early; causing not one, but two explosions within the cylinder. Without intervention, this pinging can cause serious engine damage with costs in the thousands of dollars.

In older engines or any other motor fitted with a carburetor, the performance lags more severely. Bad fuel in this equipment causes popping, sputtering, and stalling. Popping refers to a backfire from the carburetor, usually out through the air intake. Such an occurrence will cause the motor to slow or stop completely as the fuel low is interrupted.

If the problem remains un-resolved, its effects spread through the motor. The next victims of the putrid petroleum, the spark plugs, can seriously inhibit the efficiency and functionality of a machine. The improper combustion of the fuel leaves a carbon residue inside the cylinder. The coating soon spreads to the spark plug, effectively coating the tip and armature. The carbon coating on the plugs prevents the correct ignition of the fuel robbing fuel economy and horsepower. These effects remain long after the stale fuel has burned through the engine and usually require the replacement of all of the spark plugs.

All of these ill effects can be easily prevented with the use of a fuel stabilizer. This concentrated liquid mixes evenly into gasoline and prevents its decay. In the case of most vehicles, simply adding the stabilizer to the fuel tank before storage completes the process. In the case of carbureted engines, the substance should be added to not only the tank, but also to the carburetor itself. In either case, once the addictive has been employed, it remains necessary to run the engine. This brings the stabilized gasoline into the fuel system and prevents any erosion from unsterilized petroleum.

In short, the preservation of fuel protects the owner’s investment in equipment. With the current prices of gasoline, protecting these investments and preventing the consequences saves repair costs and allows for trouble free use.

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