Does 2-stroke oil get old
05-26-2008 | 03:36 PM
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From: Roseville,
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Does 2-stroke oil get old
Simple question but does 2-stroke oil get old. If you have say 5 year old oil sealed in the can or plastic bottle is it still good after years on the shelf.
05-26-2008 | 08:39 PM
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
I don't know the answer to that one. And unless I did get an answer from someone with some kind of qualified knowledge (like someone who works for a company who sells two-stroke oil or somewhere in the industry that would give them professional knowledge), I would weigh the value of my plane vs. the chances of using old oil. If I had some old model that was already a beater and was maybe on its last legs anyway, I guess I would use old oil. But if it were some new, 40% model that I had like six or seven grand in it, I wouldn't chance it.
05-26-2008 | 11:58 PM
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From: Roseville,
CA
RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
The oil we buy new is probably a few years old by the time it gets to the shelf anyway. Makes sense if 2-stroke oil is Dinosaur in a can it should last many years. Now how about gasoline how long does it last before geting gunky. I heard the stabilizers like stbil don't work on California gas - someone could be pulling my leg.
05-27-2008 | 10:18 AM
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
Many 2 stroke oils mixed in gas are stabilizers to some extent. That applies most to those oils that remain in suspension indefinately. Those that do not, and there are many, can't be viewed in the same manner.
How long before gas becomes unusable is dependant on various storage factors. I've had gas remain usable after mixing for 7 months or more but it was tightly sealed and stored out of direct sunlight. Engines ran well when the old fuel was later used. Others have had gas deteriorate after only a month or two. Botoom line is not to by more gas than you know you will use in a flying season. Even at todays prices you probably don't want numerous containers of gasoline sitting around in your home storage areas.
Buying no more than 5 gallons at the beginning of a flying season should leave you with enough gas to do a lot of flying but not so much that any remaining at the end of the season would be difficult to dispose of in other IC engines if necessary. If you use the entire initial quantity simply buy less the next time around.
How long before gas becomes unusable is dependant on various storage factors. I've had gas remain usable after mixing for 7 months or more but it was tightly sealed and stored out of direct sunlight. Engines ran well when the old fuel was later used. Others have had gas deteriorate after only a month or two. Botoom line is not to by more gas than you know you will use in a flying season. Even at todays prices you probably don't want numerous containers of gasoline sitting around in your home storage areas.
Buying no more than 5 gallons at the beginning of a flying season should leave you with enough gas to do a lot of flying but not so much that any remaining at the end of the season would be difficult to dispose of in other IC engines if necessary. If you use the entire initial quantity simply buy less the next time around.
05-27-2008 | 07:03 PM
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From: Schenectady,
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
Hi.
I have oil that is several years old, both sealed container, and in containers that are used infrequently. No problem with either oil source.
So, go ahead and use it. You will not have any problems. (I also fly 33% and larger acft., 3W engines mostly)
I have oil that is several years old, both sealed container, and in containers that are used infrequently. No problem with either oil source.
So, go ahead and use it. You will not have any problems. (I also fly 33% and larger acft., 3W engines mostly)
05-28-2008 | 03:43 PM
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From: Roseville,
CA
RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
I have a Desert Aircraft 50 which uses regular gas and a CRRC GF26i that uses high octane gas. Can I use the same High octane gas and oil mix for both engines or should the DA50 always use regular gasoline.
05-28-2008 | 10:46 PM
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From: Lakeland,
MN
RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
If you are going to run high octane in any engine, just make sure they are tuned correctly. The higheer octane rating means that the fuel has a higher restance to detonation. I run non oxy 93 in everthing I own and only need 100 in 1 engine I own. Sure I could run 100 octane in everything and keep only 1 fuel, but it costs more.
I highly doubt that CRRC GF26 requires higher octane than 91 but I would run 93 in both of them. Non oxy preffered.(No ethanol)
Adam
I highly doubt that CRRC GF26 requires higher octane than 91 but I would run 93 in both of them. Non oxy preffered.(No ethanol)
Adam
05-28-2008 | 11:04 PM
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
In the aviation industry, we have re-test dates on each batch of oil, be it turbine oil, hydraulic fluid, radar coolant and even grease. Sometimes the batch test results come back good and sometimes they fail. IMHO, I would step up to the plate, part with a few bucks and buy some new oil....
05-29-2008 | 12:45 AM
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
ORIGINAL: HornetFitter
In the aviation industry, we have re-test dates on each batch of oil, be it turbine oil, hydraulic fluid, radar coolant and even grease. Sometimes the batch test results come back good and sometimes they fail. IMHO, I would step up to the plate, part with a few bucks and buy some new oil....
In the aviation industry, we have re-test dates on each batch of oil, be it turbine oil, hydraulic fluid, radar coolant and even grease. Sometimes the batch test results come back good and sometimes they fail. IMHO, I would step up to the plate, part with a few bucks and buy some new oil....
Above are the words of a professional. Oil's cheap. Models are not.
Ed Cregger
05-29-2008 | 07:43 PM
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From: Roseville,
CA
RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
Is it possible that the oil that tests bad was no good in the first place. Possibly recycled oil products that already had there vescosity broken down before and had not been recycled/filtered properly for use again. That's probably a good reason to stick with better quality oil and not cheap stuff where you don't know exatly what your getting.
05-29-2008 | 07:47 PM
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From: Roseville,
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
Where can you get the oxy or non ethinol gasoline. Which gas stations carry it. So I can run the high octane gas in my DA 50 with no carbon build up. I thought higher octane would cause the engine to detonate easier causing more power.
05-29-2008 | 11:03 PM
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
Basil, just the opposite. A higher octane rating gasoline will reduce or eliminate the pre-ignition in a high compression engine. I run 93 octane gasoline in all of my RC engines. Only the ZDZ80RV requires higher octane. Some people say that 89 octane is all that is needed for the ZDZ. I have been doing this for about 4 years because I hate the idea of 2 gas cans.
05-30-2008 | 11:32 AM
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From: Roseville,
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
On this new engine I got the CRRC GF26i they say that 98 octane is ideal, but doesn't seem like a high compression engine. It generates 13 lbs of thrust and the prop is easy to flip to start. I wonder if the octane rating where it's made is different of there just off on there requirments. Right now I am using chevron 93 octane, it's the highest octane I can get around here, wuuld that also be good for the DA50 and the CRRC pro.
05-30-2008 | 11:54 AM
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
First, try finding 98 octane at the corner gas station. It might be a long search, but the usual pump gas generally is just fine for all of the engines typically used for r/c.
If you want fuel without methanol/ethanol additives you will have to look for aviation fuels (not recommended) or racing fuels. C-10 is a 100 octane racing fuel that contains zero methanol/ethanol additives. It's not cheap!
Typically there's no issue in running a higher octane fuel in anything. It just costs more than needed when used in an engine of lower compression. High octane fuels will not change the carbon development in your engine. The oil type, ratio, tuning, cooling, and muffler will be the controlling factors. Using more oil containing detergents to rinse cylinders goes far in reducing carbon development and extending engine life. Racing oils typically have lower detergent levels. Engines using more oil have been proven in both the lab and the field to last 3 to 4 times longer than engines using less oil.
Considering that for 2 bucks or so you can obtain a bottle of Stihl or Echo 2 stroke oil just about anywhere, wouldn't that be easier than fretting about the old oil? Both work great up to about 50-1 and will get you flying today.
If you want fuel without methanol/ethanol additives you will have to look for aviation fuels (not recommended) or racing fuels. C-10 is a 100 octane racing fuel that contains zero methanol/ethanol additives. It's not cheap!
Typically there's no issue in running a higher octane fuel in anything. It just costs more than needed when used in an engine of lower compression. High octane fuels will not change the carbon development in your engine. The oil type, ratio, tuning, cooling, and muffler will be the controlling factors. Using more oil containing detergents to rinse cylinders goes far in reducing carbon development and extending engine life. Racing oils typically have lower detergent levels. Engines using more oil have been proven in both the lab and the field to last 3 to 4 times longer than engines using less oil.
Considering that for 2 bucks or so you can obtain a bottle of Stihl or Echo 2 stroke oil just about anywhere, wouldn't that be easier than fretting about the old oil? Both work great up to about 50-1 and will get you flying today.
05-30-2008 | 12:52 PM
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
ORIGINAL: Pat Roy
First, try finding 98 octane at the corner gas station. It might be a long search, but the usual pump gas generally is just fine for all of the engines typically used for r/c.
If you want fuel without methanol/ethanol additives you will have to look for aviation fuels (not recommended) or racing fuels. C-10 is a 100 octane racing fuel that contains zero methanol/ethanol additives. It's not cheap!
Typically there's no issue in running a higher octane fuel in anything. It just costs more than needed when used in an engine of lower compression. High octane fuels will not change the carbon development in your engine. The oil type, ratio, tuning, cooling, and muffler will be the controlling factors. Using more oil containing detergents to rinse cylinders goes far in reducing carbon development and extending engine life. Racing oils typically have lower detergent levels. Engines using more oil have been proven in both the lab and the field to last 3 to 4 times longer than engines using less oil.
Considering that for 2 bucks or so you can obtain a bottle of Stihl or Echo 2 stroke oil just about anywhere, wouldn't that be easier than fretting about the old oil? Both work great up to about 50-1 and will get you flying today.
First, try finding 98 octane at the corner gas station. It might be a long search, but the usual pump gas generally is just fine for all of the engines typically used for r/c.
If you want fuel without methanol/ethanol additives you will have to look for aviation fuels (not recommended) or racing fuels. C-10 is a 100 octane racing fuel that contains zero methanol/ethanol additives. It's not cheap!
Typically there's no issue in running a higher octane fuel in anything. It just costs more than needed when used in an engine of lower compression. High octane fuels will not change the carbon development in your engine. The oil type, ratio, tuning, cooling, and muffler will be the controlling factors. Using more oil containing detergents to rinse cylinders goes far in reducing carbon development and extending engine life. Racing oils typically have lower detergent levels. Engines using more oil have been proven in both the lab and the field to last 3 to 4 times longer than engines using less oil.
Considering that for 2 bucks or so you can obtain a bottle of Stihl or Echo 2 stroke oil just about anywhere, wouldn't that be easier than fretting about the old oil? Both work great up to about 50-1 and will get you flying today.
05-30-2008 | 02:05 PM
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From: Roseville,
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
I'll do a search for non-ethanol gas in CA. Will the R/C motors run better on it than the gas you can get anywhere that has ethanol.
05-30-2008 | 03:33 PM
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RE: Does 2-stroke oil get old
ORIGINAL: Basil Yousif
I'll do a search for non-ethanol gas in CA. Will the R/C motors run better on it than the gas you can get anywhere that has ethanol.
I'll do a search for non-ethanol gas in CA. Will the R/C motors run better on it than the gas you can get anywhere that has ethanol.
Short summary .... run what you have available in your area and rebuild the carb every few years or when necessary .... and don't worry about it between times. People really make way too much of this gas and oil thing!!
