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Adding Sta-bil at each Gas Fill-up ??

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Old 09-22-2010, 12:32 PM
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Adding Sta-bil at each Gas Fill-up ??

Is adding 1-2 oz of Sta-bil Fuel Stablizer advisable at each fillup at the pump ??

At a recent car show, someone with a 79 Trans Am told me this. Apparently he said that todays gasoline have Ethanol in it and can cause corrision in the fuel system.

He also mentioned Sta-bil will keep the fuel system and Quadrajet Carbuerator well lubricated.

I do use Sta-Bil in the fuel tank when I store my 85 TA for the winter, never had an issue where the car did not start.

Anyone ever hear of this ??? Is this somthing I should be doing ???
Old 09-22-2010, 12:55 PM
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Re: Adding Sta-bil at each Gas Fill-up ??

Ethanol has been in gasoline for decades, and there isn't anything in your fuel system that gasoline touches that needs any special lubrication.
Old 09-22-2010, 01:21 PM
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Re: Adding Sta-bil at each Gas Fill-up ??

yeah, definitely a bit overkill. only need it if you've storing away the car for a while
Old 09-22-2010, 01:56 PM
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Re: Adding Sta-bil at each Gas Fill-up ??

I'm a believer in Stabil myself...but only when storing for over 3 months. The ethanol tends to absorb water in the air over time, that's why I use it on my boat, the snow blower and when I store my car over the winter.

Heck, the owners manual for my boat recommends non-ethanol fuel if it can be had, but it's a 2 stroke engine and might be more prone to detonation with ethanol in the tank. Really, I don't know for sure if it does anything, but I do know I have not had any problems with bad gas after storing up to 6 months.

But - Using it for every fill up for your car is a bit overkill, but it doesn't hurt anything either IMO.
Old 09-22-2010, 06:13 PM
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Re: Adding Sta-bil at each Gas Fill-up ??

if your bird is a daily driver than Stabil every tank is overkill, but you stated that you store for the winter, if your only topping off every 2 weeks or so during the summer that I would say yes keep on using.
Old 09-22-2010, 07:38 PM
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Re: Adding Sta-bil at each Gas Fill-up ??

Unleaded ethanol won't last much more than 3 months at the most, so if you don't burn a tank in three months i would say yes use the sta-bil. Ethanol also collects water just the same as Isopropyl or HEET does. This is why i burn 91> octane with no ethanol in it, it's more expensive, but then my car isn't a daily driver. Condensation and humidity are the worst enemies to ethanol. Just a note: by not lasting 3 months, I mean that the octane starts to weaken. Not that all of a sudden it won't burn anymore. I also have an ethanol plant 2 miles from my house, I'm trying to get someone to get me a sample of raw corn squeeze'ns, but the feds keep a sharp eye on the place!

Last edited by red rock; 09-22-2010 at 07:44 PM.
Old 09-23-2010, 06:29 AM
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Re: Adding Sta-bil at each Gas Fill-up ??

The problem with ethanol is that when the alcohol evaporates it leaves water behind. Injectors are typically the #1 causality of this. Some of the older injectors have steel baskets and internals which will rot prematurely in the face of alcohol. (shameless plug) we use only stainless components when we rebuild, it's a little more expensive but I wouldn't put anything else in my car, so I wouldn't put it in your car.

Now as far as the Sta-bil goes, it's a great product. I use it myself in all my stored engines. Sta-bil is not a meant to be used as a lubricant.

Products that do this are Sea Foam, Marvel Mystery Oil, Rislone, and a few others. Throwing that in the fuel system helps, along with some dry gas should be all you ever need.
Old 09-23-2010, 06:55 AM
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Re: Adding Sta-bil at each Gas Fill-up ??

from what i was told by the suzuki dealer is that ever since they raised the amount of ethanol , it used to be at most 10% usually around 5% now it is as close to 10 % as they can get and there's talk of raising it to 15%, that gas doesn't last long at all and that a lot of there work is carb rebuilds due to the gas breaking down so fast. I don't know if I would use it in every tank but if you have the same tank for a month or so I would use it.
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