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Bad glow fuel? - 2/10/2012 2:23 PM   
sonerai


 

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From: lilesville, NC, AMERICAN SAMOA (USA)
Status: offline 		I have a gallon of cool power glow fuel and I suspect it is bad. I have had it for approximately one and one half years. It has been out of the sunlight, but it has set on a concrete floor. I suspect it has experienced condensation. Is there a way you can remove the water or somehow refresh it by adding new fuel to it? I have three more gallons from the same case this gallon came from. They stayed in the cardboard case and off the floor and out of the sunlight and have not been opened. All of the fuel is in plastic containers. Will the three other gallons be ok? The plane I run this fuel in runs inconsistent. It will run, but may just shut down anytime in flight. I flew it back when this gallon of fuel was new, and it ran fine then. Thanks-Gary in N.C.

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RE: Bad glow fuel? - 2/10/2012 4:38 PM   
Sport_Pilot



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From: Acworth, GA, USA
Status: online 		If you kept the cap tight it should be good.  Leaving on a concrete floor should make no difference.  Why do you think it is bad?

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RE: Bad glow fuel? - 2/10/2012 7:27 PM   
sonerai


 

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From: lilesville, NC, AMERICAN SAMOA (USA)
Status: offline 		Sport Pilot, The plane I am flying shuts down erratically during idling or flight. It didn't do that when the fuel was new, it ran fine. It's been almost a year and a half since I have flown it. I have a strong opinion it is the fuel. Maybe I should try a new gallon of fuel, I just didn't want to open a new gallon until I was pretty sure it is bad fuel. Thanks, Gary

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RE: Bad glow fuel? - 2/10/2012 7:42 PM   
cutaway


 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: sonerai
Is there a way you can remove the water or somehow refresh it by adding new fuel to it?

No. Water, methanol, and the glycol based synthetics are miscible. Without a chem lab you won't be able to separate them.

I routinely add splashes of old/unknown fuels into new stuff to get rid of it. Just don't go too heavy and spread it out over many gallons.


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RE: Bad glow fuel? - 2/11/2012 3:24 PM   
1QwkSport2.5r



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From: Cottage Grove, MN, USA
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quote:

ORIGINAL: sonerai

Sport Pilot, The plane I am flying shuts down erratically during idling or flight. It didn't do that when the fuel was new, it ran fine. It's been almost a year and a half since I have flown it. I have a strong opinion it is the fuel. Maybe I should try a new gallon of fuel, I just didn't want to open a new gallon until I was pretty sure it is bad fuel. Thanks, Gary

Do you have another plane and/or another engine to test it on? I find an easy way to determine if fuel is bad is try it in more than one engine. If one runs on it properly and the other doesnt, using the same variables, then something is amiss with the engine and not the fuel. If they both run poorly, then you have your answer.

I also advocate doing this testing on a test stand instead of the plane. If the engine runs on the stand properly using said fuel, but not in the plane perhaps something has changed. Fuel tank loose and vibrating or bad fuel lines, etc.

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*Real* glow fuel is made with Methanol, Nitromethane, and Castor oil.

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RE: Bad glow fuel? - 2/11/2012 3:40 PM   
aspeed


 

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From: Ruthven, ON, CANADA
Status: offline 		Some other threads were saying a fair bit of water in glow fuel doesn't hurt anything.  Even 5%.  I have had a lot of stale fuel problems because of running .049's and .15's all year. One quart gives almost a years flying. I saw a full tank of fuel in a tank go to about a quarter in about 2 years,(too lazy to empty it) so I suspect the methanol and nitro is evaporating out, giving the stale fuel.  A glass jar also did this with some 40% that I mixed up too.  A metal container is better than plastic too.  I just run a .40 control line plane to use up my stale fuel, It is hard to start but doesn't need to idle. Like cutaway says , you can mix it sparingly with other fuels.  You could also add methanol/nitro mix to freshen it up, but you wouldn't know how much oil is really in the fuel.  Sometimes diesels need a little shot of ether to freshen up in this way.
As far as getting water out of fuel, and I will add that I haven't tried it, You could try freezing it in the freezer and filter it through a coffee filter when the water settles to the bottom.      I don't think this will cure stale overevaporated  fuel, but may get water out, (maybe not, but you will have filtered fuel anyway)   OK let's hear some other opinions and experiments on the freezing/filtering idea now.  I can't do it now I'm on a holiday.


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RE: Bad glow fuel? - 2/11/2012 4:05 PM   
Sport_Pilot



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From: Acworth, GA, USA
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quote:

ORIGINAL: sonerai

Sport Pilot, The plane I am flying shuts down erratically during idling or flight. It didn't do that when the fuel was new, it ran fine. It's been almost a year and a half since I have flown it. I have a strong opinion it is the fuel. Maybe I should try a new gallon of fuel, I just didn't want to open a new gallon until I was pretty sure it is bad fuel. Thanks, Gary



It is more likely you have some debris or congealed oil in the carb than bad fuel.  If you kept the fuel capped it should be good.  It would take a lot of moisture to make it go bad.  The only time I have had bad fuel is from the methanol evaporating leaving a lot of oil and nitro.  I would clean out the carb and make sure you have no holes in the fuel lines or tank first.

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RE: Bad glow fuel? - 2/11/2012 10:26 PM   
aspeed


 

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From: Ruthven, ON, CANADA
Status: offline 		I usually run the motor at full blast and put my finger over the carb if the motor hasn't been run in a while to suck any congealed oil through.  I do it on weedwackers and lawnmowers too. A towel over a car carb.

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