Aspen Fuel

[steve66]

Hi, has anyone had spark plug issues after using Aspen 4 stroke fuel for prolonged periods?
I have just repaired 2 identical 2.3hp Hondas both owned by the same person bit he with identical issues . Basically both engines start perfect and stop dead after a few seconds.....no spluttering just dead stop. Checked plug and no spark. Replaced with new plug in both engines which cured the issue. . Never ever seen the same symptoms and the first engines I have seen solely run on Aspen

 

[Hacker]

Not boating, but I ran my lawnmower on Aspen 4 for 6 years with no problems

 

[masterofnone]

Our engineers dont like it, I do it doesnt clog the jets.

 

[thinwater]

Our engineers dont like it, I do it doesnt clog the jets.

Explain. What don't they like. Otherwise the comment is impossible to evaluate.

Obviously, it is more stable and less prone to forming gum. The solvency will be less (few aromatics), which can go either way. I could not find boiling point range information.

 

[PetiteFleur]

excuse my ignorance - what is Aspen?...

 

[steve66]

excuse my ignorance - what is Aspen?...

Aspen Alkylate Petrol | Alkylate Fuel | Aspen Fuel

 

[LiftyK]

Aspen is a long life fuel. Use it to stop gumming up after periods of non use of the engine. My mate swears by it despite the high price. I prefer to add Stabil to my petrol.

The comment about engineers not liking it is, I believe, humour. They don’t like it as there is less repair work to do. That’s how I read it.

 

[burgundyben]

My chainsaw and strimmer seem to like the Aspen 2. I dont use them a lot and despite months of sitting unused they start and run very well.

Not tried Aspen 4.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Thanks for your reply - I've always use Honda additive in my Honda 2.3 and never have any problems. Don't bother draining the fuel at layup and always starts 2nd pull in the spring. Also used on my Honda lawn mower without any problems. Also used in my strimmer.

 

[steve66]

Please note this thread is not in any way devaluing or criticising Aspen....Simply the exact same issue in two outboards that I have not encountered before with the common denominator being Aspen fuel

 

[thinwater]

Please note this thread is not in any way devaluing or criticising Aspen....Simply the exact same issue in two outboards that I have not encountered before with the common denominator being Aspen fuel

Agreed. I'm trying to understand how it is different in a practical sense, since there are limited specs and expereince out there (I'm a chem engr. so I understand about alkylates and gasoline specs).

 

[john_morris_uk]

My chainsaw and strimmer seem to like the Aspen 2. I dont use them a lot and despite months of sitting unused they start and run very well.

Agreed. I run all the two stroke garden tools on Aspen except for the ride on mower that’s four stroke.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

Please note this thread is not in any way devaluing or criticising Aspen....Simply the exact same issue in two outboards that I have not encountered before with the common denominator being Aspen fuel

The other common denominator is the owner. Perhaps he is doing something else with them that he has omitted to tell you.

 

[steve66]

The other common denominator is the owner. Perhaps he is doing something else with them that he has omitted to tell you.

Possibly

 

[davidwf]

My Lawn mower has used it exclusively for 4 years, no issues at all with it.

 

[JumbleDuck]

excuse my ignorance - what is Aspen?...

A mixture of long chain hydrocarbons and snake oil.

 

[john_morris_uk]

A mixture of long chain hydrocarbons and snake oil.

Snake oil?

I know it doesn't gum up my carbs in my several two stroke motors in the way that petrol and oil used to.

 

[BabaYaga]

A mixture of long chain hydrocarbons and snake oil.

My understanding is that Aspen and other alkylate petrol, besides any benefits to the engine, also contain zero or very low levels of benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons, harmful to health and the environment. Especially important in outboards, lawn mowers, chain saws etc where emission control is poor and the operator is likely to inhale the exhaust fumes.
So why do you say it is snake oil?

 

[thinwater]

I would not say it contains snake oil. But there is more than a little puffing in the advertising and the price. The actual cost of the fuel is probably 30% more than petrol AND there are no road taxes on it, so the actual cost of the content of the can is probably lower than regular petrol. It should cost no more than an inexpensive solvent.

Isn't the UK petol pool mostly ethanol-free? Just buy ethanol-free petrol. There is very little real-world performance difference vs. ethanol free. E10, on the otherhand, has some problems (which is about 97% of the US petrol pool).

 

[Slowboat35]

I too had never heard of it, and after a couple of minutes research can see why it is all but unknown.

What on earth would get into anyone's head to pay £7 per litre for premixed 2 stroke, or £25 for 5 litres? On Amazon it's even worse, if you can believe that, all but £40 for 5 litres inc delivery, which I struggle to understand as couriers delivering petrol seems as unbelieveable as the price. I looked at three websited before realising it wasn't a printing mistake, which I was of course certain it had to be.

I'm simply gobsmacked at the insanity of paying 5-6 times the going rate for anything - how the digamma do they get away with it?

Can anyone explain why anyone would submit to such a breathtaking ripoff? WHY????