Bullseye,
Can you more clearly define "short shelf life" on an opened bottle of Stabil(how old was yours that "went bad")?? I've got some I bought a bottle last Spring and planned on using it this Spring. Thinking maybe I need to buy "smaller" bottles of it that won't sit around for a long time before I use them up!!
I no longer have any Stabil to read the labels, but I think in has a two year shelf life. Back in a second...
From the goldeagle.com faq page:
Q: What is the shelf life of STA-BILョ Fuel Stabilizer?
A: The shelf life of all STA-BILョ brand products is 2 years after the bottle has been opened, provided it has been tightly capped and stored in a cool, dry place. If the product has not yet been opened, you should use the color of the fluid as an indicator. If the product is still bright red, it is fine to use. If the product has turned to a very dark red (or brown) color, we recommend purchasing a new bottle. It will not harm anything if you use an old bottle of STA-BILョ brand, it just may not be as effective.
When mine went "aged" it started to get little dark red to black 2-3 mm pieces in it. I thought it might clog a filter so I ran it through a coffee filter and poured it in the cars. Here's another tip: Next time you replace a coffee maker keep the basket that holds the filter. The Mr. Coffee type filters are an inexpensive way to filter fuels and solvents. Haven't had good luck filtering paint with them.
Some Spring, had to use the snowblower to clean the driveway this morning. I'm itching to cut our grass with our Honda and Deere.