[zeromotorsports]

How can you tell if you got some bad methanol? Other than your car not running good.

[AP64]

Check the specific gravity, and test it with distilled water.

[treecitytornado]

Check with a hydrometer.

[DAD]

john

That didn't look like bad methanol?

Honest Dad himself

[zeromotorsports]

All 3 cars were stumbling

[DAD]

Bad methanol should be bad all the time and not come and go I thought it was an ignition problem the way they started mixing up the cylinders. Is the fuel left over from last season? Go on Ebay and you can find just the hydrometer for about $30.00 or go by a scientific supply house in town. Kinsler will sell you one but they are expensive.. One problem with methanol a little water will make it ck out like it has Nitro in it instead of water, the engine will tolerate about 5% or so but that track official might not be as lenient.

Dead batteries will sure do that!

Honest Dad himself

[red70racer]

You have to do a little detective work here
Where did you buy your fuel? If it is bad fuel, has anyone else that bought from the same source have issues? Are the containers subject to moister via bad caps etc. ? and last sabotage (which I doubt seriously)
In all the years I've done this I've only had bad fuel once and as someone else said it ran crappy all through RPM range

[TQ29m]

A simple "water test", will tell you in a heartbeat, of course a hydrometer should be next on your list, but here's the quick and easy test. I use a Jiffy, peanut butter jar, cause we usually got a few empty one's around. Put about 4oz of water in it, and an equal amount of your suspect, lid on, shake it up, and before you can set it down, it should be clear as a bell, if it stays cloudy, it's either got something else in it, or it's really bad. You can, after a fair amount of time using it, also tell by the looks and smell of it, if it isn't as clear as moonshine, I'd not use it, if it has a sticky feel to it, it's bad, if it doesn't evaporate quickly, or leaves a watery residue, it's bad. Either way, buy a hydrometer, and ck every gallon you buy, if the guy is selling good stuff, he won't mind you getting about 4oz out of a new barrel. Bob

[DAD]

Originally Posted by TQ29m A simple "water test", will tell you in a heartbeat, of course a hydrometer should be next on your list, but here's the quick and easy test. I use a Jiffy, peanut butter jar, cause we usually got a few empty one's around. Put about 4oz of water in it, and an equal amount of your suspect, lid on, shake it up, and before you can set it down, it should be clear as a bell, if it stays cloudy, it's either got something else in it, or it's really bad. You can, after a fair amount of time using it, also tell by the looks and smell of it, if it isn't as clear as moonshine, I'd not use it, if it has a sticky feel to it, it's bad, if it doesn't evaporate quickly, or leaves a watery residue, it's bad. Either way, buy a hydrometer, and ck every gallon you buy, if the guy is selling good stuff, he won't mind you getting about 4oz out of a new barrel. Bob

Bob

That is also the test for checking Moonshine. I learned about it when I was about 14 years old. My dad had a friend from Tennessee that would bring him a couple of Mason Jars of Shine ever so often. Dad kept it in the deep freez (that stuff was tough). Well whenever he would get a taste he would mark the jar. A couple of friends of mine and I decided to try it out and I knew about the mark on the jar. So we took our taste and I carefully filled the jar back up to the last Mark with water. I thought that I had pulled one over on him. He didn't tell me about that test. He came home one night and headed for the freezer and I'll be darned he shook that old Mason jar before he took his nip and I'll be darned it came up cloudy. Then he yelled for me and proceeded to ruin my day. That test will also give you a heads up on Nitro or other things that don't belong there.

Honest Dad himself