SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB500/550

Fuel stabiliser

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JezzaPeach:
I think I’ve seen posts using soaking in diesel to help remove the laquer on carb rebuilds. Certainly not a cure all, I’ll keep testing it as given a low annual mileage and I don’t have the other ingredients separately.

K2-K6:
It does appear to have some merit,  just not the magical qualities that the bumff projects.

This quoted from another site but closed discussion;-

"Generally speaking, the oxidation that occurs happens catalytically. Once a trace amount of a type of decomposition known as radical formation occurs, it's a downhill cascade. Stabilizers (which btw are not detergents) act as dead ends for these catalytic cycles. You can look up what exactly a radical is, but generally speaking all you need to know is that it's highly reactive and leads to all sorts of pathways that don't normally happen and leads to sever decomposition.

The mechanism, no matter what the stabilizer is roughly the same. The radicals are still there, just occupied in the form of the stabilizer, which doesn't propagate a cascade to further degrade whatever it's in.

All sorts of things can trigger the initial degradation; from oxygen, to light, to thermal decay.
Stabilizers are used in everything industrially. An example of such stabilizers that's extremely common even in the food we eat is something called BHT, which is also used as a common stabilizer in many solvents."

From which you can see the aim of using something. 

JezzaPeach:
Interesting many thanks. I will test my old pals who did a Chemistry degree on this!!
I think one problem on mine was the pet cock was ‘letting by’ so as fuel evaporated, more was replacing it making the build up worse.

gtmdriver:
The FHVBC tested a lot of fuel stabilisers when E5 was first introduced and found a handful that actually worked. I use Ethomix from Frost Restoration and drain the system before I lay it up for the winter.

Laverda Dave:
Intresting thread. I have never used any form of stabeliser. I run the engine with the fuel switch off until the float bowls run dry and the engine dies. If I am intending to lay the bike up (3 months +) I'd drain the fuel tank. One tip I was given that has never failed is to fill up using premium grade fuel, either Shell or BP appear to work best I've found. Using premium petrol seems to allow the bike to stand for months on end with no ill effects (running the float bowls dry though). My Morini started third kick this week having been laid up since March.
One bike none of the above applies to is my 1999 VFR, I don't know if its because of it being fuel injection but it can be laid up for six months and it starts on the button using normal pump fuel.

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