I winterized my boat last fall, added staybil to gas tank. When I uncovered the boat today I noticed gas cap was not screwed on tank. I checked gas the color was yellowish - green. should I not use it, Is it bad ?
What color was the gasoline stabilizer? Usually they have a tint. As long as it is clear thru the tint, it could be good. I would recommend you drain 3-4 gal off the bottom of the tank, into a Jerry can. let that sit a half hour and siphon 1 gal off the bottom of the Jerry can into a clear container. If you see water or a cloudy mixture on the bottom of the clear container the gasoline above that may be usable. Discard the cloudy stuff, and anything excessively colored.
Here is my standard recommendation....
Collect a sample of the fuel in a jar.
Fresh fuel is Clear and Light Yellow in color and will loose its foamy "Head" when shaken in less than 5 seconds.
If it has water in it, it will be Milky/Opaque looking.
If it is badly Oxidized and full of "Gum", it will be a Darker Amber/Rusty Color and hold a "Head" for 30 seconds or much longer.
Test it before you blindly dispose of it!
Adding fresh gas to dilute it at least 1:1 will often clear up any problems.
A Green tint is sometimes from the color of the glass jar.
Is it easy to drain the tank? If in question, I would drain it and try using it in stuff like my lawn mower, weed eater, etc. Even if I had to cut it with fresh gas, I could probably redeem it over the summer.
I usually remove the fuel gauge sender in the fuel tank and siphon the gasoline using one of those "shake-shake" siphons. Normally I stick a piece of 1/2" copper pipe in the end of the siphon hose and stick the copper pipe thru the garboard drain into a Jerry can.
anyone suggested he put muffs on and fire it up? stablizers come in various colors....fire it up....... if it does not run or runs badly... that's a clue, then drain it.......
Asking about gas is like asking what oil to use. A hundred opinions. Of course only mine is right like everybody else's. My ritual is this: Never use last years gas. Dump in a buddy's truck if he wants it. Store your tanks near empty so the ethanol fuel won't suck as much water out of the air. Nothing gets that last bit of water and sludge out of your tank as well as a fresh load of ethanol fuel. The fresh alcohol absorbs the water. If you left it full you got no where to go.
Leaving the cap off wouldn't stop me from using the fuel if the boat was covered and no snow or rain water was able to get in. If it was left open to the elements I don't think using it would be my first choice, I would be checking the fuel as suggested above. How many gallons are we talking about here?
