Date: 29-03-24  Time: 01:24 am

Author Topic: Green fuel  (Read 1515 times)

Hugh Jass

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Green fuel
« on: 16 November 2018, 12:30:17 pm »
So my Fazer sits by the side of the house doing nothing.
It's tatty and only gets a few rides a year. I think I last put some fuel in it in July or something like that.I needed to go out yesterday and the wife had left the lights on in the car and it had a flat battery.
So I went up to the bike and it started up first thing! I know I haven't toutched it since August.But on riding off it was sluggish and didn't want to ride. Then the more I rode it it seemed to get better, but if I accelerated hard it felt like it was running out of fuel.
So I am figureing it needs a carb clean, but I shone a light in the fuel tank and the fuel was green!Not a tinge of green, no! It looked more like limeade or something, it's bright increadable hulk green!!! I can see through it, but it does look bright green.
What the hell is in modern fuel that it goes green like that?Can petrol go mouldy?

agricola

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #1 on: 16 November 2018, 05:26:48 pm »
Yes, modern petrol goes off. You may be lucky by just draining the old crap out, filling with fresh, and going for a good blast, that may clean the crud out of the carbs. I always fill up with super unleaded as no ethanol in it

YamFazFan

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #2 on: 16 November 2018, 06:53:30 pm »
I always fill up with super unleaded as no ethanol in it
+1. I don't use a lot and the storage is a bit of a concern to me too.
Just use the ordinary unleaded in the car. It doesn't last long enough to deteriorate and as it's fairly modern I'm confident that the fuel system is ethanol safe. Although mainly it's significantly cheaper on a tank-full.
But....10% ethanol is coming soon isn't it?. We're currently on 5% I think. Bloomin EU!. Ooops that's another thread :lol


Just to add, I've always thought that the ordinary unleaded goes a yellow colour when it gets old. That's how I've seen it anyway, but maybe it varies.
« Last Edit: 16 November 2018, 06:58:03 pm by YamFazFan »

tommyardin

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #3 on: 16 November 2018, 06:54:33 pm »
so super unleaded has no ethanol, wish I had know that earlier.

coffee

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #4 on: 16 November 2018, 11:49:42 pm »
Yes, modern petrol goes off. You may be lucky by just draining the old crap out, filling with fresh, and going for a good blast, that may clean the crud out of the carbs. I always fill up with super unleaded as no ethanol in it
[/quote



does ethanol do some damage then?
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Millietant

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #5 on: 17 November 2018, 03:39:36 am »
The old fuel left in my FJ's carbs turned bright luminous green and also turned into sticky goop - I had to pull the carbs off, clean out all of the jets and passageways and the chambers, it was a pig of a job, but the bike wouldn't run properly until I'd done that.


Yes, modern petrols are less "petrol" than ever and are really sensitive to storage time. Personally, now, if I'm going to store the bike (or leave it for a while), i fill the tank with Super, add a bottle of Wurth fuel stabiliser and then run the bike for about 15-20 mins (about 20 miles), to make sure the stabiliser is mixed in and circulating all around the fuel system before the bike is prepped for storage.


No more problems !

YamFazFan

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #6 on: 17 November 2018, 10:42:05 am »
does ethanol do some damage then?

Not in a modern vehicle it shouldn't. Their fuel system's are designed to be compatible with it.
Ethanol is basically industrial alcohol. They add it to fuel in order to be able to claim that a portion of every litre, currently 5% in the UK, is 'renewable'.It's a product of farming and fermentation. That in itself is a controversial matter, but that's another subject.
I first became aware of the detrimental effects of ethanol in fuel on some vehicles through reading The Vintage Motorcycle Club monthly journal. A lot of their members claim it's been attributable to a number of breakdowns such as fuel lines leaking and tank sealants dissolving etc...

YamFazFan

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #7 on: 17 November 2018, 10:49:47 am »
By the way, does anyone know why the site is taking away paragraph gaps inserted when typing replies and closing the text all up together?.
Quite irritating >:
Ah hang on I think it might be my device that's doing it :lol
 
« Last Edit: 17 November 2018, 10:53:08 am by YamFazFan »

YamFazFan

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #8 on: 17 November 2018, 11:05:59 am »
I seem to remember reading somewhere that when they introduce 10% ethanol fuel in the UK they are going to put warnings on the pumps advising people not to use it in older vehicles.

agricola

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #9 on: 17 November 2018, 11:29:42 am »
Yes, modern petrol goes off. You may be lucky by just draining the old crap out, filling with fresh, and going for a good blast, that may clean the crud out of the carbs. I always fill up with super unleaded as no ethanol in it
[/quote



does ethanol do some damage then?


Yes. Ethanol absorbs water. Leave modern fuel in your tank for a period and the water absorbed will settle to the bottom of the tank, and rot it. Ethanol is compatable with modern internal combustion engines, they are designed to cope with it ( believe that if you wish). As a rule of thumb, any bike manufactured after, say the mid noughties, should be compatable. Befotre that, Id advise to use super unleaded every time. Ethanol rots seals and gaskets in non compatable engines. I always fill my 2009 FZ6 fazer with super


Having said this, always ask your filling station to confirm that their super is ethanol free. I once read somewhere that in the south west, that is not always the case

YamFazFan

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #10 on: 17 November 2018, 11:47:16 am »
Having said this, always ask your filling station to confirm that their super is ethanol free.

I can just imagine the reply you'd get from the girl behind the counter in my village.....'You wot???' :lol

darrsi

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #11 on: 17 November 2018, 11:48:28 am »
And yet if i don't put Isopropyl Alcohol in my tank over winter it suffers badly from carb icing.
I do notice a difference when i've ever used 95 octane fuel before, so i nearly always use 97, and 99 every now and then, but once the temperature drops if i don't mix 200ml of IPA in with a full tank of fuel it's simply the difference between having a bike that runs absolutely fine, or otherwise runs like a complete shitter. I've had this confirmed by my mechanic as well, when i first got the bike around 10 years ago, and last year when i stupidly forgot to do it and he confirmed it again when it started running rough.
It's only about £16 for 5 litres and that's enough to easily get me through the cold spell.
 
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.

darrsi

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #12 on: 17 November 2018, 11:52:52 am »
Having said this, always ask your filling station to confirm that their super is ethanol free.

I can just imagine the reply you'd get from the girl behind the counter in my village.....'You wot???' :lol


My local garage recently started doing super unleaded and i asked him what the octane level was and he paused then said 96, which i knew wouldn't be the right answer.
It was actually 97, but it wouldn't hurt to have it written on the pump.
More people are born because of alcohol than will ever die from it.

YamFazFan

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Re: Green fuel
« Reply #13 on: 17 November 2018, 02:56:07 pm »
Having said this, always ask your filling station to confirm that their super is ethanol free.

I can just imagine the reply you'd get from the girl behind the counter in my village.....'You wot???' :lol


My local garage recently started doing super unleaded and i asked him what the octane level was and he paused then said 96, which i knew wouldn't be the right answer.
It was actually 97, but it wouldn't hurt to have it written on the pump.
It was still written on the pumps until fairly recently I seem to remember. I look that sort of thing up online nowadays. You usually find the answer you're looking for.

I can't remember if the octane rating used to be signed on the pumps back in the days of 2/3/4 star rated petrol though.