Bad Fuel Question
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6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 13
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From: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Bad Fuel Question
Hello All!
Was out riding my 05' FXDI Super Glide over the weekend, and believe I picked up some bad fuel at a country gas station. I was out with my father-in-law and was having a great ride, until I filled up. Basically, after I filled up the bike would fire and run decent for about a minute or two, and then die.
After barely making it to an Autozone down the street from where I filled up (initially I though I had something plugging the fuel line and was looking to borrow some tools, but after talking with the counter rep at the Autozone in the same little town I filled up mentioned there was bad gas going around, which made sense). I purchased a bottle of Heet (red, fuel injector cleaner option) and threw the whole bottle in the tank (had about 2 gallons in the tank at this point - bottle treats up to 20 gallons). I waited about 15min, rocking the bike every few minutes before running down to the other gas station in the town and filled up the tank with 91 premium.
After waiting a bit longer for the Heet chemical reaction to start taking place, I was able to keep the bike running long enough to make it the 45min ride home. 24hrs later, with the same fuel in the tank, I took the bike for a ride and it ran decent. There was a little sluggishness on the top end, but otherwise no issues.
I have a few questions, since I'm pretty sure it's bad fuel, a lot of factors are lining up pointing to that as the culprit:
1.) Should I drain the fuel or run the rest of it through the bike?
2.) Would there be any major issues with putting the whole bottle of Heet in the tank? The counter guy said it would be fine...but he also told me water sits on top of gas...which is a real confidence booster.
3.) If for some reason, bad gas might not be the issue - I'm very interested in hearing opinions!
Thanks in advance!
Was out riding my 05' FXDI Super Glide over the weekend, and believe I picked up some bad fuel at a country gas station. I was out with my father-in-law and was having a great ride, until I filled up. Basically, after I filled up the bike would fire and run decent for about a minute or two, and then die.
After barely making it to an Autozone down the street from where I filled up (initially I though I had something plugging the fuel line and was looking to borrow some tools, but after talking with the counter rep at the Autozone in the same little town I filled up mentioned there was bad gas going around, which made sense). I purchased a bottle of Heet (red, fuel injector cleaner option) and threw the whole bottle in the tank (had about 2 gallons in the tank at this point - bottle treats up to 20 gallons). I waited about 15min, rocking the bike every few minutes before running down to the other gas station in the town and filled up the tank with 91 premium.
After waiting a bit longer for the Heet chemical reaction to start taking place, I was able to keep the bike running long enough to make it the 45min ride home. 24hrs later, with the same fuel in the tank, I took the bike for a ride and it ran decent. There was a little sluggishness on the top end, but otherwise no issues.
I have a few questions, since I'm pretty sure it's bad fuel, a lot of factors are lining up pointing to that as the culprit:
1.) Should I drain the fuel or run the rest of it through the bike?
2.) Would there be any major issues with putting the whole bottle of Heet in the tank? The counter guy said it would be fine...but he also told me water sits on top of gas...which is a real confidence booster.
3.) If for some reason, bad gas might not be the issue - I'm very interested in hearing opinions!
Thanks in advance!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 9,281
Likes: 1,139
From: southeast PA
If it was me, I would drain it and start over. Never used Heet but I always follow the directions on the package of whatever I put in the tank, forget what the guy who sells it says.
Check your plugs to see if anything looks not normal.
With fresh gas, if it still doesn't run right you can look at a dirty fuel filter or sediment in the tank, among others.
Check your plugs to see if anything looks not normal.
With fresh gas, if it still doesn't run right you can look at a dirty fuel filter or sediment in the tank, among others.
Supporter
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 15,788
Likes: 5,621
From: along the shore of Mishigami
I thought Heet was primarily an agent to dry the water up in gas, alcohol. You already have 10% ethanol in the gas. Drain/siphon that old gas out. Put in some top tier premium gas. Also check the vent in the gas cap for any spiders/clogs.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 15,990
Likes: 7,111
From: Sandy Eggo's North County
2.) Would there be any major issues with putting the whole bottle of Heet in the tank? The counter guy said it would be fine...but he also told me water sits on top of gas...which is a real confidence booster.
3.) If for some reason, bad gas might not be the issue - I'm very interested in hearing opinions!
Thanks in advance!
Don't rely on snake oil to fix your problem. Get into your bike and see what's what.
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