The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Fuel System Cleaner

Any thoughts on the use of some of the popular fuel system cleaners in our stovebolts. Although I have had good results using carb cleaner sprays on dirty linkages, wondering if any of you have used the fuel system additives to clean internals to keep floats, accelerator pumps and needle valves clean and working properly. The float occasionally sticks on our 1952 1/2 ton Chevy 235 with a Rochester carburetor and floods. This happened twice this past summer although the flooding stopped after working the throttle. Wondering if a fuel system cleaner may help this problem. Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.
Chuck 52

I always had good luck with seafoam.

I've tried the magic potions over the years. Pouring stuff down the carb throat while running or adding stuff to the gas tank. Never works - always ended up disassembling and cleaning the carb.

Sticking floats is usually dirt in the fuel. Use aux. filters.
George

Avoid ethanol as much as possible, try not to let it set for long periods of time with ethanol.

I found the opposite situation, but gas is produced regionally with a lot of variation so both our cases are anecdotal

Old days gas go bad after a while for me but the Modern ethanol blends in Saskatchewan let me abandon my trucks for over a year
I get in and crank and it’s fires up after the pump primes the carb
My old farmall starts even better it doesn’t care at all
Ethanol is a very stable molecule it cannot decompose spontaneously without heat or light so it makes sense
Ethanol can also be used instead of formaldehyde to preserve tiny things In glass jars but it’s not as great
Something else in the gas is breaking down and causing issues but it is not the ethanol
If ethanol could go bad you wouldn’t want to drink old whiskeys at the liquor store
-s

The Techron stuff that they used to put in Chevron gasoline in the old days had a good reputation. So I use the bottles of Techron that I can add when filling up. And I can buy it at Costco.

Chuck 52 The best fuel system cleaner I have ever used is propane,most of my AD'S are on it straight. Now it takes some management cause if you run it out kind of inconvenient but you can save it with a 20 lb. cylinder. LPG is clean,no fuel pump,carbs are simple,you can have fuel at home,NEVER cold natured,oil stays like new,no sludge have used it for 40 years. all of my AD'S are on it,along with my 04injected GMC does both !

Wally Montana If you recall mobil had an upper cylinder lube that came in like a little oil can,my Dad liked it,that's been 55 years ago .

Thanks to all. Appreciate greatly the sharing of experience and advice. Happy Thanksgiving! Chuck 52

Carb King's term "deathanol" is a good one. The stuff is hygroscopic (absorbs water) so if it sits for any length of time in a gas tank anywhere except maybe the Mojave desert, it's going to get corrosive. That white powdery residue that clogs up carburetor passages in one that sits idle for a while is caused by moisture. I wonder how it got there? I've had pretty good luck with using Sea Foam in the gas tank of my Harley when it doesn't get ridden for a few months in the winter, but I also run non-ethanol gas whenever possible.
Jerry

Thank you, Jerry.
Very fortunate to have no-ethanol gasoline available here in West Michigan. With having four stations within 10 miles in each direction I have not had to use ethanol in many years. With our pickup generally running well with the exception of the very occasional flooding situation probably just a bit of cleaning needed for our carburetor. Again, thanks to all and hope your Thanksgiving was joyful. Chuck 52

Our turkey turned out dry and tough, desspite taking all the usual precautions to prevent that from happening- - - - -rumor has it that Butterball skipped an important step (that the PC Patrol won't let me mention) this year!
Jerry

So that dry, tough turkey cleaned your fuel system? Let's not go there.

As someone who spent his entire career in the petroleum industry (and lived in SK) I must interject. There is a reason ethanol is not allowed in aircraft engines. Ethanol is hydrophilic - it absorbs moisture from the ambient air. Ethanol is also highly corrosive; it literally digests any rubber components in antique vehicle fuel systems. My company spent millions replacing virtually all their pumping equipment after the ethanol blends dissolved the seals into swollen blobs of goo. After witnessing this, and being an airplane pilot, I won't let ethanol fuel touch any of my vintage cars, especially if it's going to sit for any length of time. To find stations that dispense ethanol-free gas in your area visit this web page: https://www.pure-gas.org/

Our Costco quit carrying the Techron. Our Walmart has it.