How well is your favorite fuel additive protecting your system against the ravages of Ethanol-blended fuels and water contamination?

You'd might be surprised at the results! The following tests were run using some popular fuel additives to gauge their effectiveness.

See the results for yourself.

Test Method ASTM D-665/NACE TM-01-72 specifications:

The corrosive properties of gasoline and distillate fuels are evaluated through the NACE TM-0172 test.

In this test method, a polished

carbon steel pin is immersed in a mixture of the test fuel and corrosive water.

The mixture is stirred and is maintained at a prescribed temperature for 4 hours.

After the test period the specimen is examined for rusting.

The corrosive properties of the test fuel are obtained by evaluating the corroded area of the carbon steel coupon.

This test is highly reproducible.

Fuel Products Tested:

BG Supercharge II

Sta-Bil

Star-Tron

SeaFoam

To start with the basics, let's look at what "alcohol" fuels really are. Too often, this basic information is not explained, and thus leads to many misunderstandings. So for the sake of this article, I will cover some of the basics of ethyl alcohol, and its use in blended gasoline fuels.
So what is "alcohol-blended" fuel? Well is it really 85-90 octane gasoline mixed with (usually) a low percentage of ethanol, a fermented solvent.
Ethanol is the liquid of choice to mix with gasoline due to it's low toxicity and ready availability.

Sulfur in Fuel Causes Electronic Failures: A Growing Epidemic. This article is in PDF Format.

JASO four-stroke motorcycle oil specifications. This article is in PDF format.

Gasoline Additives.... Snake Oil Or Future Solutions? Great article from American Iron Magazine. Presented here in PDF format.

For the technically gullible, or those that believe in miracle fuel pills-don't buy any magic beans just yet....

Ethanol-blended fuels, and their use and effect on motorcycle engines.

Q: Can you synchronize carburetors off the bike? I've been told that many guys can do this when they rebuild carbs. THis doesn't quite sound right....is it?

Q: Also, most manuals state that you are supposed to set the engine idle between 950 and 1050 rpm. Is there a way to sync the carbs with a higher idle setting? It just seems to me that the idle speed shouldn’t make any difference when syncing the carbs?


A: It is impossible to accurately synchronize your carbs on-the-bench! And synchronizing the carbs at idle (950-1050 rpm) is the only way to go. Here is why.....

As we all know-platinum spark plugs are the current “must have” for many motorcycle enthusiasts. Platinum is validly promoted as the best material because it has many distinct advantages over pervious spark plug conductors. Namely, it offers superior durability. It is this excellent resistance to heat-induced corrosion (thermal degradation), which makes it such a great choice for electrical use.

As I continue to comb through the internet archives of age-old “Tech Tips” I am always amazed at the prolific information regarding leaking fork seals, and the many methods that have been developed to repair them. What I often wonder to myself is “Does anyone ever think to do anything (proactive) to prevent this? What I mean is that with good preventative maintenance, (namely changing fork fluid), it is entirely possible to prevent this type of damage from occurring in the first place. By my own observations I’d say that fork seal repairs take place more often than fork oil replacement! So to help those here who have never thought about why and how this type of effort might prove beneficial, I will rely on my background in petroleum fluids to explain the details.