alcohol

[Archaelas]

I've heard of people putting rubbing or isotopic alcohol in their fuel tanks. What is this all about and is it something that is helpful or should be done?

[Uncle_Bob]

Maybe for winter storage? It absorbs and breaks down moisture, along with your rubber hoses and gaskets unless they are certain type of synthetic rubber.

[Spiff]

Hmmm ... I don't know about this.

I wouldn't do this unless I heard it from a trusty mechanic -- who could also point to a manual or spec sheet -- that this was O.K. (and served a specific purpose).

But I wonder. I don't use gas stabilizer when I winterize my bike ... I just drain all the gas. So, I wonder if isotopic alcohol is the main ingredient of these gas stabilizers. Anyone have a can handy that they can look at?

Also, be aware that there are many different types of alcohol. Methanol is different from ethanol, etc., and each type might have a very different effect when put in a bike's gas tank.

[flynrider]

If you have a fairly modern bike, adding alcohol isn't too dangerous. Modern fuel systems are now built with alcohol resistant components, since much of the gasoline in metropolitan areas is laced with ethanol as an oxygenate.

Alcohol is used to remove water from the fuel system. Unlike gasoline, alcohol will absorb water and keep it in suspension until it is run through the engine and burned. I've never had a problem with water in my fuel, so I've never tried it. Although some of my fellow pilots at the airport sometimes use it to purge water from their fuel systems.

If you're going to try it, use ordinary isopropyl alcohol from the drugstore. It's safest as far as fuel system components go. Personally, if I suspect I have water in the system, I'd just drain the float bowls. That's where it will collect.