Technical Empty gas tank over winter

So as winter approaches it’s time to think about car storage again.

Normally I keep my cars full of fuel, and try to only buy ethanol free gas.

One of my cars is almost totally empty, like I don’t think I’d make it to the gas station without running out of fuel.

It’s only going to be parked for about 6 months.

Should I fill it up or leave as is?


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Just me, but I would fill it up and put a good fuel stabilizer in the tank with the fresh fuel and run the car for a few minutes so the stabilizer gets into the rest of the fuel system. Others may disagree.

 

Empty = sweating.

 

..............and sweating=rust!

 

^^^^^^^^^What they said. I leave my gas powered welders, concrete saws, compressors and the vehicles I don't drive much full all the time with 100% gas and Stabil in them. I don't have any problems starting any of them when I need them.

 

Here's some deodorant.

 

Keep driving it.

 

Full tank and some kind of fuel treatment has always been my plan.

 

While not specifically about cars , rather about gasoline powered engines , I'll offer this . I have an older brother who is the atypical fastidious, anal engineer. Every year when it comes time to store things , he goes through a regimen of preventative care , cleaning this , draining that , changing this , adding that , you get the idea . Me , I park ' em , maybe throw a cover on & walk away . over the last 50 years , I've had to fix more of his stuff than I have my own , a few years ago , in desperation , he asked how I got away without problems , I told him I didn't worry things to death !

 

Great advice from all as usual.

I’ll probably have to go for one last cruise before the snow flies and I’ll fill it up and add stabilizer then.

Funny about engines,
My dad is very particular about oil changes, fuel, stabilizer, tune ups and so on. I talked to him yesterday and he was changing the oil in his snowblower, even though he didn’t use it at all last winter.

His neighbour however keeps his snow blower and lawnmower outside. Sometimes he flips the recycle box on top of the snowblower to keep some of the rain off. They get “stored” on the grass beside his shed with as much gas as they had when he finished using them.
And he never has a problem!


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Here in the upstate of South Carolina we are fortunate that we can drive our hot rods & customs year round, sure there are some days the weather prevents it but all in all no hibernation for my cars. HRP

 

Mine in Ohio are stored at 50 degrees over winter. No issues with sweating.
But if I stored in an area that changed temperature with the weather I’d fill the tank up and forget it.

 

A small amount of fuel is more likely to evaporate and be reduced to varnish than a larger amount.

Even after being mixed with good gas, varnish particles can migrate and be deposited on valve stems and guides and cause valves to stick. Then other bad things can happen.

 

I've heard about winter in school..and something about white stuff covering the ground,never saw it on palm trees.Todays refining processes yield a very clean fuel,hydro fracturing and desalter systems are amazing. Fire it up once in awhile,fill it up if you want..

 

https://b3cfuel.com/
we use and recommend this product at my p/t job in the turf/mower business. no issues.

 

Be careful using some brands of stabilizers. Many times, in my lawn mower business I have to remove tanks and drain them and clean the carburetor. Got a lot of pink goo out of them, kinda looked like jello! These mowers were from these people that go to great lengths to “ Winterize” their mower! I know these are lawn mowers , but engines are engines and gas tanks have no idea what they are on! Just my experiences with that pink fuel additive.






Bones

 

Find a buddy that has an airplane. Fill your gas jugs with 100, no lead avgas. Fill your tank, run the engine til exhaust smells sweet, fuel system will be pickled for years.

 

I'm not going to claim expertise, but from previous reading, it appears that some 100 octane aviation gas has significant amounts of lead in it, potentially messing up catalytic converters if you have them and poisoning the atmosphere even if you don't, as well as being a carcinogen. Also, using aviation gas in a car is illegal the same way using farm diesel in a road vehicle is illegal-because it doesn't have road taxes added. Will you get caught? Likely not. But, you and your supreme deity know. .

 

Shell premium has no ethanol and with a shot of Stabil it will be good for the winter. We always put a dose of Stabil in the gas cans and fill them with premium for the snow machines, lawn tractor, outboards,snowblower etc. When their season rolls around they always start up and go. The reason we treat every can before we fill it is that we don't have to dose the equipment and do a head scratch of how much or was it done.
A lot of homebuilt aircraft owners use the Shell premium because there is no ethanol to cause carb freezing, We mix Shell premium in with our Avgas to reduce the lead fouling.

 

Thats what I found in my brothers stuff , pink goo.

 

Who in the world has a catalytic converter on their ride. I certainly don't and my Hobby members don't.
The avgas is for storage only, it's kind of expensive to use otherwise.

 

I'm with 2old2fast. I've been driving for 50 years. Up here my cars are stored at least 6 months a year. Empty. Full. Half. Never once had an issue. Should also mention I've never used a fuel stabilizer. Not even in my boat that may sit for 2+ years.

 

We are , unfortunately, vulnerable to Very effective marketing........you never knew you needed product X until you were convinced by advertising ...

 

Well, I don't either. But,states have cazy laws and I didn't look up every state. Maybe somebody does.

 

I do have one vehicle in storage that has catalytic converters,
It’s ot for this board but is does have a rag top, V8, t5, 600 Holley, headers, dual exhaust, 8.8 posi, clutch fan, historic vehicle plates and insurance, just like many of the cars we talk about here, LOL


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Catalytic converter?great idea,the banger smells like the old days,that should cure that issue..

 

My car will go into storage next week- it’s heated and never below 50 degrees- it will be about 2/3’s full- I haven’t ever used stabilizer . When I drive it out next spring- I’ll just fill it up with hi test and good to go. Years ago I stored in my neighbor’s unheated attached garage when he went south for the winter- always filled it up before it went in and started it up and let it warm up about every 2 months- no stabilizer and never had a problem

 

I go thru this every year with my buddy. He's got such a ritual for every gas powered piece of equipment he owns. Takes him weeks to get everything put away for winter. Where I make sure the tank is 3/4s to full, then shut the fuel off and run them till they stop. I do the stabilizer with the fuel cans as previously mentioned too. Come spring time I rarely have a problem, where my buddy seems to always have problems.

With the old car I do the same thing, drive it in the garage, shut the fuel off and let her run till she stops. In the spring after cranking the engine to build oil pressure, a quick shot of gas down the carb and she always comes back to life. Is it the best - maybe, maybe not. But it works for me,

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In So Tax we drive all year but I still use 1oz of marine stabilizer with every fill up. My choice because of our shitty gasoline. In 7 yrs I’ve never had a problem and I have a glass filter bowl.

 

When I was in the business, people asked me the best way to store an engine driven machine for the winter. My answer..... don’t store it, use it all winter, is the best answer. Second best, if you can’t use it at least run it to operating temperature once a month. Just my experiences.






Bones