Old Gasoline

[dgtjhatt]

We are about to buy a class c that has a Ford V-10. this unit is a 2008 with only 8000 miles on it, but has been setting in a building for 3 years with a full tank of gasoline. The engine starts and runs. I'm just worried about doing any engine damage burning off that old gasoline until I can get the tank down low and add fresh gasoline to it. Any thoughts.

[Olddud]

Tvov wrote:
Now that I think about it, can you "siphon" fuel out of modern gas filler lines these days?

There are products out there that claim you can. Saw one yesterday that has what sounds like a little piston pump running on 12V. They use a couple tubes and a funnel thing to get past the "rollover" device.

[Scottiemom]

The consensus was that it was a direct results of an 8 year old motorhome with 7900 miles and hadn't been run for at least 2-3 years. We also changed all the tires even thought they looked new. Our trip to Alaska and back that summer was great with no failures of anything.

Kept her and still use her for special trips.

Dale

[Dusty_R]

Scottiemom wrote:
We purchased our B+ in 2012 to take to Alaska the next year. It was a 2004 model with 7900 miles and had sat for 2 years. We had our mechanic go through it and replaced all fluids, filters, belts and hoses. When he gave it back to us he said the only thing he didn't change was the fuel filter because it was in the gas tank and would require dropping the driveshaft.

We went on two trips with it that summer to test it out. The first was to a rally in Vermont from Indiana. Smooth sailing. The second trip, towing a trailer was to Virginia. Fuel pump failed. Fortunately we were close to a repair facility who ordered the part and put it in. Had to drop that driveshaft, but we had them remove all the rest of the fuel in the tank and clean it and then replace that pump and filter. She's ran like a charm since then.

The consensus was that no fuel stabilizer of any kind had been put in it and the fuel broke down causing the failure. So now she gets Seafoam every year when storing for the next season.

Dale

There were a couple of years where the Fords had a problem when they were a few years old the in tank fuel pump would die.
But if I remember right that tank was behind the rear axel.

Dusty

[Tvov]

I don't know... 3 year old fuel in the camper? I would get a bunch of fuel cans and siphon at least 1/2 the fuel out (preferably all of it) and add in new fuel. Keep the old fuel for your lawn mower, you may want to mix it with new fuel as you use it.

Now that I think about it, can you "siphon" fuel out of modern gas filler lines these days? So... my advice may be worth as much as you paid for it!

Good luck!

[Scottiemom]

We purchased our B+ in 2012 to take to Alaska the next year. It was a 2004 model with 7900 miles and had sat for 2 years. We had our mechanic go through it and replaced all fluids, filters, belts and hoses. When he gave it back to us he said the only thing he didn't change was the fuel filter because it was in the gas tank and would require dropping the driveshaft.

We went on two trips with it that summer to test it out. The first was to a rally in Vermont from Indiana. Smooth sailing. The second trip, towing a trailer was to Virginia. Fuel pump failed. Fortunately we were close to a repair facility who ordered the part and put it in. Had to drop that driveshaft, but we had them remove all the rest of the fuel in the tank and clean it and then replace that pump and filter. She's ran like a charm since then.

The consensus was that no fuel stabilizer of any kind had been put in it and the fuel broke down causing the failure. So now she gets Seafoam every year when storing for the next season.

Dale

[JaxDad]

ron.dittmer wrote:

Dusty R wrote:
Also because fuel tanks in todays vehicles do not breath/change air like in the past, you're not as likely to have water in the tank.

Also consider that the 10% ethanol in all of today's fuel is a natural gas line anti-freeze which removes water. Gas-line anti-freeze is a product no longer applicable these days. Why add 8 ounces of the product when you already have gallons of it in every tank full.

That statement is not accurate.

Ethanol is hygroscopic; it attracts water, to the point that it will pull it out of the air. It doesn’t remove water, if anything it adds moisture, what will do though is hold relatively small amounts in suspension where it can hopefully be passed through the fuel system and be burned off.

[ron_dittmer]

Dusty R wrote:
Also because fuel tanks in todays vehicles do not breath/change air like in the past, you're not as likely to have water in the tank.

Also consider that the 10% ethanol in all of today's fuel is a natural gas line anti-freeze which removes water. Gas-line anti-freeze is a product no longer applicable these days. Why add 8 ounces of the product when you already have gallons of it in every tank full.

[Dusty_R]

suprz wrote:
I would agree with those who said run it, and refill with seafoam. I would be more concerned about the carb on the generator though. That will more than likely need a cleaning. Start it up, and let it idle and get up to operating temp, and while that is going on, check other things like brake lines, tires for cracking, look for leaks in the cooling system, make sure the engine doesnt over heat due to stuck thermostat... Lots of things to check on a coack that has been sitting for that long when you dont have the full picture of what was done before it was parked

I agree about the generator, but I would wait until I got new gas in the tank.

Also because fuel tanks in todays vehicles do not breath/change air like in the past, you're not as likely to have water in the tank.

[suprz]

I would agree with those who said run it, and refill with seafoam. I would be more concerned about the carb on the generator though. That will more than likely need a cleaning. Start it up, and let it idle and get up to operating temp, and while that is going on, check other things like brake lines, tires for cracking, look for leaks in the cooling system, make sure the engine doesnt over heat due to stuck thermostat... Lots of things to check on a coack that has been sitting for that long when you dont have the full picture of what was done before it was parked

[adayjk]

ron.dittmer wrote:
Wow, there is a lot of advice on doing special things and adding special products to deal with 3 year full tank of gas. I was going to say.... Since the rig is running fine, just use the rig for all your local travels around town to your job and stores until the tank is 1/8 full. Then fill it and rest easy.

Now there are other non-gasoline matters to take care of like change the oil after your first run to the store, inspect for rodent damage, maybe get your brake system inspected for disk brake rust damage, flush the braking system, etc. etc. Such matters are dependent on whether the rig was stored in a garage or outdoors.

I agree. Adding more non-gasoline chemicals to the tank isn't going to help now. I'd drive it lightly until it needs fuel, and then do needed maintenance. If I wasn't going to just drive it, I would pull a gas sample and see what I really had before resorting to expensive boutique fluids.

[bobndot]

rockhillmanor wrote:
On the same subject. I put Stabil in my tank before I parked it. Due to health issues unfortunately it has sat for a period of time.

Will the Stabil 'already in the tank' be ok to start it up? Or should I add fresh gas to the tank BEFORE I start it up? V-10

As per Stabil, with the proper amt you should be good up to 24 months. ( The myth of adding more Stabil does NOT prolong things longer than 24 months).

When storing a partially full gas tank, it can allow moisture to gather in the tank and lines more so than a full tank. Ethanol gasoline adds to that reaction more than non ethanol gasoline.
Gasoline will oxidize and deteriorate in storage. Old gasoline will cause hard starting, and it leaves gum deposits that can clog the small passages in the fuel system. If the gasoline in your vehicle deteriorates during storage, you may need to have the carburetor and other fuel system components serviced or eventually replaced.



It will depend on how long the gas has been sitting. See how it starts up, if it runs rough, stop, drain and refill it with fresh gas and a bottle of Seafoam to clean things out. I would drive to get the rpm's up to allow the Seafoam to work. You can add more Seafoam to the tank as the formula suggests, it would not hurt the system. I have done a double dose many times on a gunked up generator engine. I let the rpm's crank up under a load .

I hope you are feeling better,

Bob

[rockhillmanor]

On the same subject. I put Stabil in my tank before I parked it. Due to health issues unfortunately it has sat for a period of time.

Will the Stabil 'already in the tank' be ok to start it up? Or should I add fresh gas to the tank BEFORE I start it up? V-10

[bobndot]

IMO, it could be a coin toss.
Hopefully the previous owner topped that tank off with 'non ethanol fuel' and used either Seafoam or Star-Tron Enzyme as an initial stabilizer.
Ethanol gasoline begins to separate in a few short months and tends to leave a Vaseline type of coating on the inside of carb bowls etc. At that point, an additive may help it run the tank through but it's not going to dissolve all that gum and you might have fuel related issues or you might get lucky.
I always pull things apart and physically clean things out on snowmobiles and boats because fuel issues could be life threatening in sub zero temps or out at sea of which I do spend some time.

[dgtjhatt]

Thanks for everyone's input. It's been very helpful.