Figured this was timely as some may be storing their baby for the winter.

https://www.hagerty.com/media/mainte...wsletter_NewDD

 

Interesting and good info. I use some Sta-bil in my air tight fuel cans only

 

I saw that. I hate those click-bait articles. Good to share it with those who haven't seen it.

"Is your fuel stabilizer actually hurting your car?"....it asks, with a huge bottle of Sta-Bil front and center in the photo?
It leads you to believe that Sta-Bil is bad. Otherwise, there would not be much of a story, would there. And in the end, they like Sta-Bil.

I do concur with the suggestion to use pure gas when you can get it, which I always do.

 

All I run in my GTA and in the small engines is non-ethanol 91, never any issues when Spring rolls around. On the small stuff just drain the tank and run dry and no worries at all.

 

Sta-bil stabilizes fuel for only 3 to 4 months. And it's useless for protection from the affects of ethanol.
I like Carb Defender by Driven Products...

 

I use Seafoam for this,anyone else?

 

Been using Seafoam for years.

 

 

I've heard about that stuff. Have you used it?

 

Yes I have. It promises to "undo or reverse" the effects of ethanol in the fuel.
Does it work? Well, let me put it this way - since I have been using it with my small engine "lawn" equipment, I have not had to pull the carbs apart to clean any residue out.
On any equipment without a shutoff valve, I pinch off the fuel line and run them out of gas before storing for the winter.

The good part about this product is that take so little to treat many gallons of gasoline.

 

I find this interesting. It's like reading advice from all the self-proclaimed "experts" to "follow the science" when dealing with things like pandemics.

Sta-Bil has been around for one Helluva lot longer than ethanol has commonly been added to gasoline as fuel. 'Splain that one to me, Lucy...

 

I have several vehicles in the stable with a combined age of over 140 years. Four of them routinely get winter storage. Ethanol fuel with StaBil and two-cycle oil has been the mixture of choice since right around 1996. A reliable EVAP system keeps out moisture, and helps maintain fuel volatility longer than the industry-claimed 60 days. The additives seem to maintain volatility and keep corrosion to a minimum. My best insurance has probably been in starting them periodically during storage. There always seems to be a day or two in January when the temperature gets above freezing which is a clue about when to run them up to temperature and move some liquids around. Sometime around April, a few gallons of fresh, low-octane fuel are splashed into each one to restore some of the delayed but inevitably lost volatility.

I haven't replaced a fuel pump nor injector since practicing this routine, except for the used daily driver vehicles I've acquired wherein the fuel systems had previously been irnored or neglected. Filters and good fuel are your best friends.

 

The problem is not the ethanol itself, it's that it is hydroscopic - it absorbs moisture out of the air. You know those days that the temperature and weather conditions are such that everything in your garage, every surface, is sweating water? So water makes it's way into the fuel. Whatever happens from this point forward, all I know is that I end up cleaning what looks like a tan-colored baby powder from the fuel bowls of the carburetors and the jets. Carb cleaner does not dissolve it. Since I started using Star-Tron, I have not had to clean carbs as much. Sta-Bil never worked for me.

 

I also use seafoam, switched to it after I herd stabil can sometimes gunk up carbs for long term storage. My 86 TPI C4 corvette sat for just over 2 1/2 yrs and started up & drove fine, stored with mostly full tank of premium & seafoam. I herd/read something bout a ethanol content type stabil or maybe it was for like e85??? Most important thing is a SEALED tank, block off your vent if it's a racecar or w/e. If you use a plastic type fuel cell then drain it. VP Racing Fuel says on their FAQ that plastic tanks or jugs are porous and the fuel will degrade quickly. That you should drain the fuel or empty a jug back into their container for storage after a track day.

There was a recent youtube video of some bike guy who claimed nothing works really but the test was on open containers, so it's a worthless test. That article is prob based on the bad info, I also seen one of their vids and thought wow they just read some junk and shouldn't of made it into a video. I'm no expert and I try and not pass myself off as one in my videos.

edit: LOL I just clicked on the link I was right LOL Kinda reminds me of when the rest of the MSM repeats some BS as FACT because one of them ran it.

 

Not picking on you since almost everyone does it, but the proper term is "hygroscopic" even though that doesn't seem to make sense by following the typical Greek and Latin root woord form and phraseology.

 

You're right. Too fast 2 finger typing. You can just correct it, if you wish.
See, you did it too ----- woord.

 

See? It's contagious...

It's even worse on a celly with auto-corrupt turned on.