Water in fuel ?

[redka]

Pretty sure we have some condensation accumulation with the etanol gas in a 4 wheeler. Someone did not put stabilizer in it last time and it has sat for several weeks and is not acting right. Fires then shuts off, won't stay running but a few seconds. This happened once before.
Question is...after I drain the gas from the tank and carb, can stabilizer be added to that gas, then use that gas? Or is it not useable?
Thanks for the help.

 

[bpattie]

Pretty sure we have some condensation accumulation with the etanol gas in a 4 wheeler. Someone did not put stabilizer in it last time and it has sat for several weeks and is not acting right. Fires then shuts off, won't stay running but a few seconds. This happened once before.
Question is...after I drain the gas from the tank and carb, can stabilizer be added to that gas, then use that gas? Or is it not useable?
Thanks for the help.

personally I would not reuse. If you suspect you have bad fuel I would toss it.

 

[jaquetarr]

toss it, bad gas will not improve with additional additives.
might want to use some Chemtool or other carb cleaner thru to clear out deposits.
Brgds,
tim

 

[redka]

Thanks. I drained the fuel tank. Poured in a few ounces of fresh treated gas and let it drain through the carb drain line, then put in fresh gas, put a little bit in the cylinder. All it would do is fire and run for about 2 seconds and quit. I'd let it sit for about 30 seconds and try again, same thing over and over, run 2 seconds and quit. Sounds like just enough gas is getting to the cylinder to fire and that's all.

 

[kthompson]

If you have a manual choke you might try playing with it to see if you can keep the engine running until it levels out.

 

[redka]

If you have a manual choke you might try playing with it to see if you can keep the engine running until it levels out.

It does have a manual choke, and I did try that, but no improvement. Thanks.

 

[chipsndust]

You may have already done this, but if not, I would try a new spark plug.

 

[Richard]

Sounds like just enough gas is getting to the cylinder to fire and that's all.

I had something vaguely similar last summer with my backpack blower. I fiddled with that thing for 2 days....

I finally realized I wasn't getting any air blowing out of the exhaust when I was pulling it.

Long story short, a mud dauber had made a nest inside the 1/2" tube of the exhaust. I poked a screwdriver in there....broke up the nest and the machine runs like a bandit again.

We always talk about how important it is to get fuel & air INTO the engine but we don't talk as often about how important it is to get the spent air OUT of the engine.

Might be worth looking into?? (I don't see your location, could be warm or could be north pole for all I know)

 

[redka]

chipsndust, yep it's got anew plug, but it's black now, needs to be cleaned.
Richard, Yep we have mud daubers. I'll check the exhaust. I just now edited my profile to show I'm in middle GA. Thanks.