Fuel Question...Age?

[Bill Glaze]

Bob:
A newbie answer, but I've had it happen to me.  Old fuel, engine ran
erratically, wouldn't hold a needle, ran great on the ground, idle
somewhat erratic, several dead sticks.  Some quit at low speed, some
quit at full throttle.
Finally, after going about half nuts, I decided to do the easiest change
I could, which was, of course, the glow plug.  (Which was nearly new.)
End of problem.  Fuel was O.K. (kept in good, controlled environmental
conditions) and later found out the plug manufacturer had a bad run of
plugs which suffered for longevity.  They'd run awhile, and then
gradually go bad.  May not be your case, but between this group, we've
had just about everything prove out how Murphy's Law works.

Bill Glaze

John Ferrell wrote:

> I keep 0%-all Synthetic oil,  Red Max in jugs for quite a while(2-3
> years). I mix it down to 10 or 15% using the same 20% fuel with no
> problem. The Red Max red dye goes clear the first summer in the fuel
> shed.If you think it is losing methanol or nitro that would just make
> it oil rich, not usually a big problem. I never have got around to the
> matter of water testing. I have sometimes thought about testing with
> controlled amounts of water in the fuel just to see how much makes a
> difference. It has been my experience that when an otherwise good
> engine starts getting picky about the fuel, it is running warmer than
> it used to. In my case it was bearings...That is, as I recall... John
> Ferrell
> 6241 Phillippi Rd
> Julian NC 27283
> Phone: (336)685-9606
> johnferrell at earthlink.net
> Dixie Competition Products
> NSRCA 479 AMA 4190  W8CCW
> "My Competition is Not My Enemy"
>
>      ----- Original Message -----
>      From: Bob Pastorello
>      To: NSRCAMail
>      Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2003 5:50 PM
>      Subject: Fuel Question...Age?
>       I know this is a newbie kind of question...but I've never
>      run into this before.  Sealed (good caps, tight) jugs in the
>      dark, Mag 1/10% mix that I use all the time.    Ran my 1.60
>      fine on the ground, but couldn't get a needle, and sounded
>      lean at high end in flight; even dead sticked a couple
>      times.    Changed to a jug of fresh Ritch's Brew 15% (should
>      have been about the same nitro) and it ran a lot better, had
>      needle range, didn't try to overheat. What can happen to
>      sealed jugs, kept in temp.controlled, dark box....??
>      Bob Pastorello, Oklahoma
>      NSRCA 199, IMAC 1320, AMA 46373
>      rcaerobob at cox.net
>      www.rcaerobats.net
>
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