# Any way to test for bad gas? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [January 1, 2021, 9:19am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758 "2021-01-01T09:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 3:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/41 "2021-01-05T03:12:48Z")
> [@jtsanders](#): > > Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll look for it. Well don’t bother. It appears the B&S stuff is discontinued. For whatever reason don’t know. So maybe back to Stabil or Honda or something. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 3:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/42 "2021-01-05T03:13:44Z")
My frustration with E15 and E10 fuel has led me to bore and annoy readers here several times. I have learned that on 4 strokes using E0 w/sta-bil and shutting off the fuel flow and letting the engine run until it dies from lack of fuel is helpful and when the bowl can also be drained when finished there never seems to be a problem. I have a Chinese 13hp generator that is 16 years old and with a fuel shut off and bowl drain it has never failed to start on the first or second pull of a rope starter. As for cleaning carburetors the four strokes have an emulsion tube and/or a primary jet and those pieces are prone to becoming plugged in a matter of a few weeks on even a minor amount of ethanol in the fuel. I happen to have sitting in front of me the part number for a bootlegged after market carburetor for my 11.5 hp Snapper engine that I replace back in the summer and once installed it fired up on the second pull of the rope and ran better than when it was first bought 18 years ago. The gaskets needed to clean the old carburetor were priced at $60 locally while for $13 and a 3 day wait I got the complete Chi-Com backward engineered carb. As for 2 stroke carburetors I have totally given up and bought a 40v power pack and drive unit for all my weed-eater type equipment. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 3:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/43 "2021-01-07T03:58:15Z")
A new spark plug for each snowblower, a little seafome and life is good till it snows for the final test. A little cleanup and path for the barkydog in the back yard with the big boy and drive with little baby, , seems all is fine, but still will get a turkey baster for debris in the tank @oldtimer-11 Mistaken it is a ccr 1000, only 32 years old now! ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 4:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/44 "2021-01-07T04:41:17Z")
I used a CCR 1000 for years, our church rented a school building auditorium and classroom for almost 20 years and the town that we rented from left the little Toro in the front hall because the maintenance man did not work weekends and I used it to clean the sidewalks. Only 3 Hp but did a great job.about 160of sidewalk, about 50’ of it 8 ’ wide . You are right though, you can’t use a single stage on the grass. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 3:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/45 "2021-01-07T15:32:15Z")
Email marketers sure know how to target their audience. I live on the Space Coast of Florida, got an email today advertisement for a 24V electric snow blower. ---
**Author:** ![Jerome-Silverman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71e660/32.png) [@Jerome-Silverman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Jerome-Silverman)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 4:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/46 "2021-01-08T04:43:03Z")
Small engines have had CDI electronic ignition since the 1970s. Looks like magneto except no points. The electronic ignition will fire a plug that is so fouled that you can not see the spark gap. The fouling is caused by carburation problems. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 6:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/47 "2021-01-08T18:31:35Z")
My mtd blower has power more motor. New carb last yr. dead this past week. Had no spark. 2 shops swore up/down it was fuel issue. Sneered at my coil theory. New coil and it fired on first pull. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 7:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/48 "2021-01-08T19:59:12Z")
> [@Cavell](#): > > My mtd blower has power more motor. New carb last yr. dead this past week. Had no spark. No idea what a power more motor is or who makes it, but no spark is a pretty good indication of a coil issue. A couple years ago I had one go out on my Briggs after 600 hours. The clerk said usually these are a lifetime part. Like a lot of parts though, they can look the same but not be the same. ---
**Author:** ![B.L.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/848f3c/32.png) [@B.L.E](https://community.cartalk.com/u/B.L.E)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 1:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/49 "2021-01-13T01:08:52Z")
> [@B.L.E](#): > > You lucky guys who live where it snows! I have to drive 700 miles to experience snow, and then, it’s often man made. > [@MikeInNH](#): > > Move to the town I grew up in (Pulaski NY). You won’t think it’s lucky after living through a winter like the one in 78 where we had over 300" snow. D’OH!!! It snowed in Austin last Sunday! Good thing it wasn’t a weekday, traffic grinding to a halt, schools closing, national guard called out, disaster area declared, yada yada yada… ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/9/8/9817b7271619169a57a38519243a1622054ae0cc.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 1:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758/50 "2021-01-13T01:12:13Z")
> [@B.L.E](#): > > D’OH!!! It snowed in Austin last Sunday! Good thing it wasn’t a weekday, traffic grinding to a halt, schools closing, national guard called out, disaster area declared, yada yada yada… A few years ago in Nashua NH they hired a new School Superintendent from the south. We had a 2" snow storm and she canceled school. Only school district in the region that closed down. She never made that mistake again. The town I grew up wouldn’t shut down for anything under 6". If they did they’d have over 20 snow days. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/any-way-to-test-for-bad-gas/173758.md?page=2)