Stabil

Seriously, too much stabil is a possibility? I might have done that. I suppose I could drain the entire tank, dump that into my car, and refill the magna with fresh.

I didn't think too much stabil would be a problem; worst case just a waste of stabil. Is that not true?

Is there such a thing as too old stabil? That might be another factor.

2 comments:

  1. I'm not a big proponent of Stabil. This is pretty much all IMHO,
    but I think Stabil treated gas is much more likely to gum up carb
    passages than untreated gasoline because Stabil does not keep the
    gasoline from evaporating from the carb bowls. After the gasoline does
    evaporate, you're left with a sort of Stabil goo. Stabil is supposed to
    keep gasoline from chemically breaking down. When a bike is in winter
    storage and the gasoline is cold and should break down much more slowly
    than if the gasoline was being stored in a warm climate. My winterizing
    of a bike involves draining the float bowls, and that's it.

    So in answer to your questions: Yes, there is such a thing as too
    much Stabil. Yes, Stabil can get too old (they recommend a max 2 year
    shelf life).

    As to your bike not starting: Stabil might be a contributor or it
    might not. I think it's just as likely the choke circuits have some
    problems and aren't enriching the mixture as much as they should. I'd
    try a bit of starting fluid (ether) to get the bike running initially.
    A short squirt into the air intake should be enough to get the bike
    running for a few seconds and hopefully enough heat will get into the
    cylinders that the gasoline will take over. You do not want to run the
    bike for extended periods on ether, just enough to get it running. If
    it doesn't start on ether, look towards iginition/battery.

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  2. >If it's got a vacuum-operated fuel-valve, it should have a "prime" position
    >rather tahn an "off" position. Turn it to "prime" and the fuel should
    >flow.

    It should, but it doesn't. Remember the "New" Magna engineering moto:
    "Low Tech, or No Tech." ;-)

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