ORIGINAL: Flyboy Dave

I fried a K&B .61 this season using some old fuel fuel, it was pink....it had
turned brown. I used it by mistake. You can believe it or not....your choice.

I had two buddies there watching my Ultra Stick fly. I noticed there wasn't
a smoke trail from the engine....I said it outloud. Before I throttled back to
land and richen up the mixture (I thought) the engine died. When I retrieved
the plane it was devoid of compression.

I haven't taken the engine apart, been busy....I just put another engine in
the plane.

My recommendation....dump the fuel. Been there....done that.

BTW....I'm not a "fuel retailer".

FBD.


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You're not one of those guys that sets the needle valve once and then never touches it again, are you, Dave? <Just kidding, Amigo>

I use old fuel from time to time, but not if it changes color. I've used seven year old fuel with success, but the fuel had been stored in the cardboard box it was shipped in, in my basement where the temperature was a constant 65 degrees. If my fuel has ever been opened, it is tossed after a year.

Yes, I've heard of folks using older, partial bottles of fuel without a problem, but I hate sticking piston rings. Lots of folks aren't aware of the fact that castor oil can go rancid over time. How can you tell if it is rancid? Frankly, I don't know. I suspect that it turns dark brown, but I'm not sure. Maybe there's a chemist or a lab tech in the crowd that can enlighten us. I hope so.

Sorry your engine fried. I love my K&B .61's like they are my own children. Fortunately, the fix is simple enough. But you know that, I'm sure.