[ihc] RE: Caligasification

["Jim Grammer" <jgrammer@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Mon, 16 Aug 2004 18:26:42 -0700
>From: John Hofstetter <hofs@domain.elided>
>Subject: Re: [ihc] Octane selection

>On Aug 16, 2004, at 11:51 AM, Steven Stegmann wrote:

>> John,
>>
>> I keep hearing that gas won't keep but practice just
>> doesn't bear it out.  Today's gasoline is so much
>> cleaner that the gunk we used to get...

>Well, Steve, that may be gasoline in Missouri, or even in Maryland, but
>that is not gas in California. Our gas starts to smell bad in a mower
>tank in a couple of weeks, and if left in the mower carb, it will gum
>it up to the point of requiring disassembly in order to get the mower
>back to running again.

>Gas in a small gas can gets a bad smell, turns color, and deposits gum
>on the inner walls of the can. Personally, I use a lot of Stabil gas
>stabilizer because it's not always convenient to empty everything
>before we leave for the winter.

Hofs is absolutely right. Winter gas is worse than summer gas, but it all
sucks in CA. Makes a carb need a rebuild annually without fail, even in a
regularly driven vehicle. It'll be interesting to see if our new ethanol
substitute for MTBE gives any different long term results, but I'm not
holding my breath.

Interestingly, the varnish is slow to dissolve in Berryman's carb dip, but
spray brake cleaner cuts right through it.

Old gasoline is for starting BBQ fires, at least that's what I use to fire
the IH-BQ. Very impressive initial flare, I keep expecting CDF to come
across the highway to investigate :)

Jim