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Fuel question

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by dpframing, Nov 7, 2012.

  1. dpframing

    dpframing "Nobody tells me what to do, not even me."

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    Here is an odd question. Would fuel for a 2-stroke outboard motor which had been mixed 50:1 with oil do any harm to a Prius Gen II engine? Originally the gas was regular unleaded mixed 50:1 with Castrol 2 stroke outboard oil. I have 4 gallons mixed already and would like to use it instead of storing it for the winter. I have 3 gallons left in the car's gas tank, so it would mix with that. Thanks.
     
  2. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Personally, I would not recommend you burn that in your Prius. If I were you, I would buy some STABIL and mix that with your premix, then go ahead and store it for the next season. If you follow the directions, the fuel will be good for next season. I have used that product many times to store gasoline and never had a problem with the fuel going bad.

    Sta-Bil 32 oz. Fuel Stabilizer 22216 at The Home Depot

    In reference to your question about harm to the Prius. I would think you would run the risk of fouling the spark plugs. As far as the rest of the engine goes, I could not advise. However there are other's a lot smarter than me on this board.

    Ron
     
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I would be concerned about the possibility of potentially fouling the fuel injectors.

    I don't think that spark plug fouling is a significant issue. Suppose the engine was worn to the point where it was consuming 1 quart of oil per 1,000 miles. The Prius would consume ~20 gallons of fuel to cover 1,000 miles, for a ratio of 80:1. Even at that rate of oil consumption, you probably wouldn't have a big problem with the spark plugs.

    The OP mixed four gallons in a ratio of 50:1 so that implies oil content of 1/3 quart. When this mix is combined with 3 additional gallons of fuel, the mix would become 84:1.
     
    dorunron likes this.
  4. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Thank you Patrick for the additional information concerning the fuel injectors. I had considered mentioning them also, but I figured you or someone else would add more info.

    Ron
     
  5. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Its not worth risk unless someone has expert guidance.
    Most lubes have some additives metals (but I don't know about the Castrol stuff you mix in).
    These metals and possibly sulfur if present could get onto catalytic converter and poison it a little bit.
    With time you probably get some of this happening anyways but why risk.
     
  6. PriusGuy32

    PriusGuy32 Prius Driver Extraordinaire

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  7. Joe 26

    Joe 26 Member

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    I agree with the above posters. It is not worth the potential repurcussions to save a couple of dollars.
     
  8. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The thing I would be concerned with is the catalytic converter as oil does damage these quickly. So that's a do not use from me.
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I googled "how to dispose of contaminated..." and it autocompleted with "gasoline". The results were pretty mixed. The most concrete answers were to "contact your local hazmat", or gas station. A very common answer was to use it up, a small bit at a time, either in your car, or a lawnmower, or for some sort of lantern. Also very common was to use it as a weed killer, or just pour it out on an asphalt driveway, a bit at a time.

    A bit disconcerting, doesn't seem to be a lot of official choices.
     
  10. bugly64

    bugly64 Junior Member

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    I would not risk it.
     
  11. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Agree totally. No way would I use that in any modern car.
     
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  12. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    ...when you said "concrete" you were quite close to possible answer....believe a lot of used oils go to cement plants, whereas cement requires an enormous amount of energy to manufacture. I don't know if there is some valid way to recycle contaminated gasoline in the same way. But here we can take our used oils and other solvents batteries etc. to a hazmat collection center, which is open almost every day for residents to drop off. Our county is quite well organized in this respect. Other places I have lived there is less opportunity to dispose household hazmats.