Drewster67

1. How long can gasoline "sit" in your tank before it goes bad?.
2. Do fuel refreshers actually work?.
3. How about gas stabilizers?.
4. Are stabilizers the same as refreshers?

How long can oil sit in your block - unused before it goes bad?.

TIA

Rez

Good question drew. I'm a little curious about this too. Mine was sitting around for a while. My follow up question is: Can you top it off and run it through?

Lizard928

you can leave it about a year with a fuel stabilizer, any more is pushing it, you can just run the car after that, although I would recommend the next time you will the tank to run injector cleaner and high octane (94)

Red UFO

My truck has been parked for about 1 year and it starts right up. I start it every other month to keep the gas burning. My jeep is another story. 7 years sitting and anyweekend now I'm going to drain the gas tank and start over with the gas.

What are your plans Drew?

Drewster67

Thanks for the replies -

I was just curious - No plans on parking either one of my sharks.

8 days till the next track event. Firedbird East Track! Red, you signing up?.

ViribusUnits

1. Depends on the tank. Some are sealed in a fashion to prevent vapors form leaveing. This keeps the light aromatics in the tank. Gasoline is a mixtuer of chemicals. Some everporate faster than others. Tanks that arn't sealed by design, like from the early 70s or earler, or by accident won't hold the fuel as long. The parts the everporate faster are vital to helping the engine start up and run when it's cold, as only the vapors burn. Not enough vapor, and the engine won't start. Also, the longer they sit, the more gunk they can find and get into bad places.

2. Yes and no. I can't see how they could hold onto the light hydrocarbons, however, they replace the light hydrocarbons that tend to eveperate. Makeing the fuel more like the origional formula. I belive methanol is a favorate, as it will also disolve any water in the tank spreading the few ounces of water throughout the 20 gallons, rather than feeding the engine a pure slug of water.

3. Stabilizers , IIRC, are mostly detergents to keep the gunk disolved in the fuel, and to disolve any water in the fuel. I would also bet they have a very low vapor pressure, to try and hold onto as much of the gasoline as possible. It is possible that they MIGHT include a small amount of a unmissable fluid of a lighter density than gasoline to create a film accrost the top of the top of the gasoline. This film would then have to have a very low vapor pressure, and would form a barrer of sorts to keep the lighter componets in the tank. I don't know what a possible substance would be however, so thats just pure speculation on my part.

Oil can last an indeterminate time in the block. It doesn't wear out with age, so thats not an issue. However, if you let it sit fo a long while, you might want to change it before you run the engine because it will collect water in it. The water wll condince into it, but won't everate.You don't want your oil pump picking up water instead of oil. The water can everate off, but before it does, you'll have the pistions and everything else lubercated with water. That can't be good.

Red UFO

Drew,

I think I might go to the track but not race until I get another shark. I had incredibile bad luck in 03 and don't want to push it and end up carsless if I break something.

Translation = I'm a *****.

Old & New

It is reported that one should top off the tank and add stabilizer before putting it away for the winter.

ViribusUnits

Yes, topping off that tank prevents air from entering when the weather changes. Any air that comes in will bring water. The water will go sink underneath the fuel, and then it can't eveporate, and the engine will suck up a slug of water when you try to start it. Water just doesn't burn. So keep the tank full, no air gets in, no water gets in, and your OK.

The fuel stabilizer like I said is chock full of detergents, which also keep any water that gets in disolved, so you don't get a pool of water at the bottem of the tank. This also helps to prevent anything in the tank from rusting.

Ferris B

All of this leads to another question:

In looking for a shark to buy, I know of some that have sat idle for some time-- years. They are being refurbished top to bottom, or so I'm told. Given that they have sat w/ fuel in them, what will need to happen to ensure they will run well? Will draining the tank, installing a new fuel filter, filling w/ new fuel and injector cleaner do the trick? Or is there more to it?

ViribusUnits

Maybe more, maybe less.

Have they sat in a climate controled garage?

You might have to do nothing more than throw some injector cleaner, and fuel refreasher in the tanks and be good to go. Well, with a new battery too.

However, you also might end up replaceing the fuel, fuel pump, fuel injectors, fuel filter, rubber fuel lines, air filter, oil filter, oil, distributer cap, rotor, ignition leads, coil lead, various V-belts, timeing belt, coolent hoses, PS hoses, a/c hoses, vacuum lines, vacuum diaframs, mannafold seals, brake pads, tires, battery, and a few odd sensors and other odds and ends. And possibly the oil pan gasket.

Time can cause no problems, or it can cause alought of problems. It just depends on how long, and under what conditions. I've been sorting through this since I got my car.

Drewster67

Thanks VU for the insight - you (and everyone else) have been most helpful.

Thanks again

ViribusUnits

Btw, additional thought, I wouldn't try to start any of the cars w/o first throwing injector cleaner, and gasoline refreasher in the tank.

I have come to the conclusion that I dought that the varnish that plug injectors comes from the gasoline inside the injectors. I belive it's much more likely that it froms in the fuel lines, and/or tank, and then gets pumped to the injectors, and promptly make them stick or plug. Injevotr cheapers are designed to disolve the stuff, so, thus the conclusion.