what to do with fuel for winter

duffer

duffer

Senior Member
i know there has been alot of talk about this but winter is close. So what would Henery Ford have done? And what do you do? Do you drain tank all the way and leave the cap off or fill it up all the way and put some kind of additive in it?
Reasons for what you do?
 
I have drained the tank before for storage, and sprayed some fogging oil in and replaced the cap, it works. Just add fresh gas to go in spring.
 
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I would rather fill the tank with kerosene than ethanol gas with a stabilizer. Clear gasoline with a stabilizer would be an option though.
 
So what's the best way to apply oil onto the inside of the tank? It's been mentioned that the top is most prone to rust so would you use some kinda sprayer/mister setup?
....and what about behind the baffles?
 
I know for some it's not possible, but I drive, or at least run, my cars every three weeks by the calendar. Works for me.
 
Fortunately, we can drive almost all year here, but has anyone tried filling it to the top with diesel, & put plastic wrap over the filler neck with rubber bands for the winter & drain it in the spring? Bill W.
 
I use Gold Eagle fogging oil and it mists and clings. I use Marvel Mystery oil in the gas tank in the summer and it sloshes onto the top of the tank when going over bumps and hard turns. An oiled surface retards rust. I live in sunny Oregon and drive my car in the winter most years.
 
Each one mentioned sounds like a good method, as long as you don't have any of that ethanol crap gas in the tank. I fill my tank with the good gas and park the car, then 6 months later (6 months for most winters) I come back and the car fires right up.
 
I've always filled it up to the top, added a can of Seafoam and normally I get lucky and the weather will break and I can run it every month or so. My tank is rust free and no problems.
 
I have never added anything to the gas, nor drained it. I take the car out once or twice in winter when the roads are clear, and if the car sits for a month or two unused, it still runs fine. I got my girlfriend's roadster pickup running after it sat two years, and only had to file the points. It runs fine with the old gas. Maybe it is that the jets are larger than the ones in my lawn mower, which always gives trouble if left for a month.
 
I start adding Marvel in the fall so it is in the fuel system. Then I store my vehicles with a full tank of fuel, add Methanol. I buy the "Heet" Brand in the yellow bottle. Red bottle is made*from isopropanol and is*not*methanol. I start the engine, shut off the fuel, and let them run until they quit. This keeps the float needle from sticking. Then I drain the oil and refill. Then during the winter when we get those days above freezing I start them up and let them run for 20 minutes or so. Shut off the fuel and run it 'till it quits. I believe that the condensation created by the cold running motor takes at least 20 min to burn off.. In the Spring I Change out the Oil again.
 
I use Marine Sta-bil. http://www.goldeagle.com/brands/stabil/ for Ethanol gasoline.

Todays Ethanol laced gasoline absorbs water like a sponge and eventually becomes oversaturated causing the water to separate and settle to the bottom of your tank in as little as 2 or 3 months. Water in the bottom of your tank will cause rust. Not sure if any of the old ways of treating gasoline will work with Ethanol laced gasoline to prevent the separation. There is also severe gumming problems and rapid evaporation with these fuels. Filling the top of your tank causes the Ethanol gasoline to push out the cap ruining paint jobs. For most maybe using mystery oil to coat the top of the tank surface, filling only to 3/4 and adding Marine Sta-Bil will be fine for a few months.
 
Tom
you said you fill your car with the good gas..does't all gas have ethanol? Or does the higher octane not have it?
 
I believe in Sea-foam and a full gas tank.. Run it long enough to get the treated fuel to the carburetor.. Then you could run the carb dry if you like.. Let it sit..
 
What about putting a tank of the E-85 gas in the tank just for the winter? it is cheeper and it's corn fuel. then drain out in spring. does that have ethanol too?
 
If you drain the tank leave the shutoff open so any condensation does not stay in the tank and leave the drain open if you have a metal sediment bowl. Do not drain the tank if you have a standpipe filter on the shutoff as any condensation will be trapped in the tank. Fuel in the tank will keep the air from getting to the moisture setting in the bottom. In an extremely humid condition I once had a glass sediment bulb fill half full of water from one nights condensation.

Every method seems to have some down side so I turn the key off check the antifreeze and no other prep. I last turned off the gas valve, except for service, in 1976. Does seem like a good time to change the oil.
 
duffer said:
Tom
you said you fill your car with the good gas..does't all gas have ethanol? Or does the higher octane not have it?
Click to expand...

Ethanol free gas is still available in MN but costs up to a buck a gallon extra. I'll pay the price to have a car that starts right up in the spring, and doesn't gum up or rust the tank.

The question about E-85.............That garbage is almost pure corn oil crap. It's 85 % crap gas and is not even good for parts cleaning.
 
I would not feel comfortable leaving ethanated (or even "pure" gasoline) treated with stabilizer...

And here's why...

About 20 years ago, I parked one of the family heirlooms, a 1954 Chevy truck, at my Mom & Dad's; it needed a transmission overhaul, which Dad was going to do. The truck had a full tank of fresh gasoline in it (16 gallons, and way before this gas-a-hol craze). Not wanting the fuel to go bad while the truck was laid-up, I added the appropriate amount of Sta-Bil, and bounced up & down on the running-board for about 10 minutes to really slosh it all around, then started the engine and let it run for a good while, until I was sure that treated fuel was in the system all the way to the carb.

Now, I expected the truck to be laid-up for maybe 6 months at the most... well, with one thing and another, 6 months has turned into 20 years, and the truck is still awaiting that ****** overhaul, and Dad has gone to his heavenly reward.

Until about five years ago, on seasonal visits to Mom & Dad's, I would usually fire-up the vehicles and let them run for a 1/2 hour or so. Couple times a year.

Then there was a lapse of a couple years.

About five years ago, I went to start the Chevy, and had all sorts of difficulty. I got it to start on starting fluid, but it would not pull fuel form the tank and run on the carb. It wouldn't even pull fuel from a jug under the hood.

Pulled the pump and carb off, and found both full of rotten, rancid gasoline, like I've never seen before, and the die-castings were fluffy white and crumbling inside, also like nothing I've never seen before.

I'm fully blaming the treated fuel, as I've tinkered with dozens of old vehicles and tractors that were parked years ago with just gas in the tanks and carbs, and they might've been varnished and gummy, but no where like the disolved mess I found in my grandad's truck...

All of which is to suggest that if the vehicle is going to be parked more than a couple of months, dump the fuel, and let things sit dry. Fogging oil would probably be okay, but my experience with Sta-Bil has cost me a fuel tank, carb, and fuel pump.

You results may vary.

It's so easy to drain the fuel from an A too....


As for "What would Henry say / do?", he'd probably ask " Whaddya mean you're parking it for the winter ???!!!"

If it weren't for the salt, I'd run my A year-round.

SC Frank
 
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