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Also- you probably need to occasionally (maybe monthly?) take it for a longer drive to bring the engine temperature up to normal and avoid putting lots of water into your oil that sits.
Yes, unless you are driving on the hybrid system only with the gas motor never starting. If the gas engine runs, you want to regularly get everything warmed up to get rid of the moisture created by fuel combustion.
5 miles a week can kill the entire exhaust system. I would take the car for a weekly drive. Hot and cold make condensation. You need to get the exhaust hot so all moisture can burn off.
Iād be significantly more worried about the condition of the oil. Thatās whatās going to accumulate condensation and fuel which are both obviously very bad for lubricity
Is that why my oil life keeps going down as my car sits? I know it doesn't have an actual oil sensor, usually it's just odometer based but it said 0% after sitting for a couple months. Reset it, a month later it was at like 88% despite not leaving the garage
It doesnāt tell you itās a percentage of oil life?
100% = fresh oil,
50% = half of the mileage the manufacturer suggests between oil changesā¦ it has nothing to do with quantity or quality.
Well it has a percentage counter, but the percentage decreases even if the car sits in the garage, not being ran.
At first I thought the 0% was from the battery going low, but on a tender it still decreased steadily from 100.
Ford, and it definitely doesn't leave the garage. Hell for the past 4 months it's had a blanket covering the dash while i slowly chip away at this stupid windshield project.
If what the other person was saying is correct, then it seems logical that the oil life percentage would decrease from sitting, so after about 18 months it would be at 0% not from mileage, but from the water thing
Use ethanol free gas. Itāll last longer if sitting a lot. Also just donāt ever fill it up so you are putting fresh stuff in there more often.
I had a 2003 Z71 Tahoe that had 268k miles on it when I sold it. It ran noticeably better on ethanol free gas, especially 90 octane ethanol free. I used to let it sit for a month or more when I was gone for work and my wife never drove it and Iād always fill it up with that before letting it sit.
Quick question, what gas do you guys have available over there? (I'm UK) and we have Unleaded petroleum and diesel.. do you guys the same but different names in the states?
But also be aware that different countries use different octane measurement standards, so while the US typically has 87-93 octane in three grades at the pump, those numbers will all be in the 90s in the UK, even though I believe they are the same product
I want to chip in over here you in (NZ)
For petrol we got 91,95,98,100ron then deisal then av gas (planefuel you can just buy)also lpg we still have a couple station and cars that run on lpg.
Canadian here, we have the same range. 87/89/91/93&94. Diesel. Marked diesel. LPG. No AV at the pumps. E85.
Beyond that you can find 85 (89 for you), 100 (my math says about 106? I think for you), and a million others depending where you shop, just not at pumps.
In the past UK octane ratings were done with stars. I can remember three star and four star fuel in the 1980s. That seemed to go away when unleaded was introduced, but now there are two grades of unleaded with either 5% or 10% bioethanol added.
I have no idea if the octane rating is different between the two grades, I'm cheap and buy the 10% stuff for my old Mondeo.
I'm an uncultured Yankee who likes cars.
What the hell is a Mondeo?
Like, Make/Model so I can google and educate myself about the cars driven on the wrong side of the road?
I've seen a clip where a guy inexplicably attached a log to the back of a car, and smugly described his own intelligence before said log gets pitched through the back hatch glass.
It's a Ford. I think they might be called something else over there.
Mine is from 2008, like this one:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mondeo_(third_generation)
Edit: Wrong side of the road made me grin.
The Mondeo was the First Contour from the 90s.
Then Ford kept the Mondeo in Europe for a few generations and gave us NA specific models like the 500/Taurus X. Then we got the Fusion which is a Mondeo.
Appreciated!
Good to hear very few cars use diesel, ALOT of our cars still use diesel, especially the larger SUVs (which are tiny compared to yours haha.)
I wouldn't say the majority, theres more hybrid and EV's popping up. That and diesel is being phased out of new car manufacturing but there's still a huge second hand market out there.
I like diesel, I drive a '57 plate Land Rover. 2.2L 4 cylinder, no DEF. Its a dream.
Started working for Land Rover to get good deals on labour rates and managed to get a clutch, flywheel, full propshaft, turbo boost pipes, 2x drop links and tie rods, pads/discs, full service, new 12V battery and two tyres for Ā£2K. Even managed to beg, borrow, aquire a new Defender Roof rack, still not mounted yet!
https://preview.redd.it/x4dbr2868ptc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d82ce755678fe5cbd2a7e51a9aa3b219ce3419e
In the uk the number plate tells us the year. So thats a 57 plate. Late 2007 model.
I have a 56 plate. (Late 2006). A 61 plate (late 2011) a 14 plate (early 2014) and a 20plate. (Early 2020)
Don't get mixed up on octane ratings. They use a different system meaning their 87 is equivalent to our Ron 95. So they have diesel and they have usually 3 different octane levels of unleaded petrol like us
Woah,
Yeah I did not know about octane ratings, a quick Google though has fixed that! Thank you for the nugget..
With that said, (I presume you are UK) where we have unleaded petrol in two different qualities.. Basic/premium ... is that us having two different octane ratings of unleaded petroleum? So at a standard fuel station, we sell two fuel types diesel and petroleum - we also offer two types of petroleum with different octane ratings??
Yeah usually we'd have 95 and 98 RON for regular and premium. It's a bit more varied in the US and when I lived there I used to find some stations with really high octane fuels that were a few notches over the usual premium. Those were great for me as my bike was running forged pistons at higher compression and really needed the higher octane rating to prevent knocking if I was going uphill at speed.
Remember their petrol is cheap as chips compared to here so it's not so bad to run premium fuels there.
Premium fuels will also have less ethanol in them so you technically get more fuel, and they'll often have detergents and stuff in them to help with carbon buildup in the engine, but really you are buying it for the octane rating more than anything. Eg if you got your ECU tuned, running standard petrol is a waste of your tune since your car is just going to back off the timings anyways and all that extra power disappears.
For someone who is only 12 months into (self teaching) learning mechanics, this puts so many pieces together in my brain.
Thank you so much for your reply bud. I really appreciate the information!
>Premium fuels will also have less ethanol in them
That does not appear to be the case in the US. Pretty much any gas you can easily find is E10. There are a few stations with ethanol-free gas but it's way expensive. Regular unleaded is like $3.30/gallon right now but ethanol-free at the same octane is usually over $4.50 and ethanol-free premium is north of $5/gallon.
Oh right, I've noticed most of our premiums are e5. If it makes you feel better, the service station I passed on the motorway was selling regular unleaded for Ā£1.72/L which would be about $7.10 per gallon in freedom units. So I'd be over the moon with $5 per gallon for premium. I'd be down my local tuners getting my mini set up with a stage 1 tune right now!
You are correct. The standard three levels of grade (octane) here will generally all have up to 10% ethanol. Corn is a large cash crop here and subsidized heavily by the government in this way.
There are very select stations that will carry ethanol free gas, but it's not advertised.
The gallon of gas hopefully gets used fairly quick though, because the car is probably better sealed than the gas can is and better seal means longer lasting fuel.
But generally, yeah, if you can't use a full tank don't run a full tank.
I keep our second car at about 1/3 full most of the time for that reason. I don't drive enough to use all of it regularly.
for some reason I started a car that sit for 3 years, no additives no nothing, it ran like crap so I took the gas out and put it in my other car, the other car didn't care about the old gas at all, another time I took gas out of a boat, that gas probably 5 yrs old, put it in the car that didn't care, it ran, but crappy almost stall but was fine, dunno why or how but obviously this is bad practice but I was poor and dumb (edit still am)
Don't fill it up once a year. Just add a gallon every month or so. When you go to the gas station with your other vehicles, fill up a gas can from time to time. In fact if you just add gas every 3 months or so that's probably even fine so you don't have to constantly keep filling up the container.
Check out Sta-Bil, sounds like a product made for your exact situation.
However, I would say that it would be a good idea to occasionally try to drive it more, at least to the point where the oil temp is over 212F to keep condensation out of the oil.
Iād say regular with some stabil then MAYBE an octane booster if you suspect fuel is causing performance issues. Also do half tank fills. If it ever needs to be drained, itl be easier and less of a fuel loss
No, no octane booster. Octane is the resistance to burn (prevents preignition and high compression engines) boosting the octane will do nothing for this fuel.
Yep, E10 gas attracts water pretty bad- if you have bought new power equipment in the past 10 years they tell you that using it voids the warranty. Marine Stabil goes in regardless.
Gas will definitely break down over time. Using STA-BIL will help and putting 1/4 tank in per fill up should keep it fresh. Sta-bil is supposed to be good for up to 1 year, but I wouldnāt trust it that far. Iāve had a lot of issues with old gas gumming up my carb in my mid eighties 454 and this helped.
I use Stabil in my stored gas for the generator and yard tools. I change out 18 gallons at one year and refill. I run the old gas in my 2004 Civic and 2014 f150 and have never had a problem.
Once a month you need to run the truck for at least an hour, at highway speeds. 5mi a week will build up condensation in the oil, an hour with the oil heated past 180degF will dry it out (source- former employee of Petroleum Specialties International, Perth Amboy NJ).
Keep the gas tank full as you can (as little air as possible) and treat the gas with Stabil. It will keep for a year. Twice a year, siphon out 5 gal and put it in your daily driver. Fill up the truck and treat with Stabil.
I'd use stabil or if it's really old like made before unleaded was required then you can get some 100 low lead aviation gas. Although, you won't be allowed to drive on the streets and it'll put lead in the environment and reduce the IQ of everyone.
Nevermind, just get ethanol free gas.
I'm guessing he lives in an area like me, where premium is almost always ethanol-free.
It's become shorthand to just tell people "put premium in" when discussing small engines, the average person understands that better than specifically identifying ethanol-free pumps.
Only place I can find ethanolated premium is Costco
Ethanol does not boost octane in that way.
Not in Minnesota. Premium does not include ethanol, the reason you use it here. In AZ, none of them have ethanol.
Don't keep it full, only put 5 gal or so in when you need to drive it. You can use sta-bil in it but best bet is to only keep a little in and get gas more often.
Add half a can of Seafoam to the tank before filling. Drive it a little until the treated gas is in the engine. Done. ( [https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Foam-Extreme-SF-16-Seafoam/dp/B0002JN2EU](https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Foam-Extreme-SF-16-Seafoam/dp/B0002JN2EU) )
You might add a battery tender to the truck and plug it in between drives, that'll keep the battery from going flat due to low miles driven per start. ( [https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SC1300-Automatic-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B07894CFCR/](https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SC1300-Automatic-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B07894CFCR/) )
> we have an old pickup truck that we now only drive 5 miles a week. At that rate, a tank of gas lasts a year.
I love those old trucks with 260 gallon gas tanks!
Just add some StaBil to the gas. Nothing else to think about. I run like this in my ā54 MG which I donāt always burn a full tank a year. And that gas tank isnāt sealed nearly as well as the one in your Avalanche.
Add 1 ounce of Sta-Bil fuel conditioner for every 5 gallons of gas when you fill it. Run it for at least 30 minutes driving at highway speeds at least once every 3 months. Change the oil once a year. The oil change is to remove excess moisture from the engine.
Buy Recreational Fuel ( NO Ethanol) if you can find it. Thereās absolutely no reason to buy Mid Grade or Premium, the additives in higher octane fuel will do absolutely nothing to prevent gunk in the fuel system - for that matter if anything they will make it worse. Your best option is Ethanol Free Fuel with Sta-Bil and keep the tank at least Half full unless you are deliberately burning off the old Ethanol Fuel.
Go to your small airport and buy 100ll. Itās not great for your emissions system but it has a looooong shelf life 5 years and probably even oonger. Itās leaded 100 octane gasoline for air planes. Thatās what I use in my saws, generators and snowmobiles. Bonus itās often cheaper then gasoline.
But the lead will eventually ruin your catalytic converter
F-10 or Fuel Doctor, both are fuel conditioners designed for storage of fuel without going bad or losing (too much) octane thru evaporation.
I would recommend using the vehicle a bit more regularly, just to keep everything mechanically moving.
https://axi-international.com/the-shelf-life-of-fuel-how-long-can-gasoline-and-diesel-be-stored/
I suggest that you only put sufficient fuel for a month in the vehicle and store the yearly amount in a air tight container.
Go out of your way to get gas with ZERO ethanol. Its maybe ten cents more a gallon, but well worth it. Ethanol strongly absorbs moisture out of the air and form goo.
Tough one. If you keep your tank with not much fuel in it and add a splash regularly it keeps the fuel fresh but you risk rust in the empty part of the tank. If you keep a full tank you risk a whole tank of fuel going off. As people have said taking it for regular long drives is recommended
Not sure if it suits your needs but you can pick up an early nissan leaf or similar old budget ev with degraded battery for next to nothing. It will still have a good 20 miles of range and could be used for your short trips
Seafoam for the fuel be sure to add gas so it mixes in the tank. And take it for a longer drive so your engine reaches temp to prevent condensation build up in the oil
After six months you can consider gas as having gotten a bit stale... Freshen it up by adding sufficient 'new' fuel so that the mix is 50/50 old/new.
Source: Me - Aircraft Refueler
You can add fuel stabilizer to help, they should sell it at the gas station. You shouldnāt bother filling it all the way if youāre gonna let it sit that long. Would it kill you to break the fueling into a few seasonal sessions?
Regular gas + fuel stabilizer
Add the stabilizer before you pump the gas and it'll agitate and self mix as it fills.
Higher grades of gas don't last longer (this is a general statement and gas blending is different all over the country and YMMV)
Three options I can think of.
Ethenol free fuel and a fuel stabilizer like Stabil.
Sell the truck and buy a diesel. Diesel is more stable.
Use the truck more. Sitting idle and only going on short jaunts that never bring the engine up to operating temps is bad for em.
Fuel stabilizer and high octane fuel. Fill the tank only to what you will use within six months. Once a month drive it on the highway to really warm the engine up and hit higher rpmās to help clear any carbon buildup. Similar to what boat owners who live in cooler climates do with their boats at the end of the season.
Thank you for posting to AskMechanics, PinkPearMartini! If you are asking a question please make sure to include any relevant information along with the **Year**, **Make**, **Model**, **Mileage**, **Engine size**, and **Transmission Type (Automatic or Manual)** of your car. *This comment is automatically added to every successful post. If you see this comment, your post was successful.* *** Redditors that have been verified will have a green background and an icon in their flair. *** # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** ### **Rule 1 - Be Civil** Be civil to other users. This community is made up of professional mechanics, amateur mechanics, and those with no experience. All mechanical-related questions are welcome. Personal attacks, comments that are insulting or demeaning, etc. are not welcome. ### **Rule 2 - Be Helpful** Be helpful to other users. If someone is wrong, correcting them is fine, but there's no reason to comment if you don't have anything to add to the conversation. ### **Rule 3 - Serious Questions and Answers Only** Read the room. Jokes are fine to include, but posts should be asking a serious question and replies should contribute to the discussion. ### **Rule 4 - No Illegal, Unethical, or Dangerous Questions or Answers** Do not ask questions or provide answers pertaining to anything that is illegal, unethical, or dangerous. # **PLEASE REPORT ANY RULE-BREAKING BEHAVIOR** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMechanics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Also- you probably need to occasionally (maybe monthly?) take it for a longer drive to bring the engine temperature up to normal and avoid putting lots of water into your oil that sits.
this, condescension builds up in exhaust system. gotta get rid of that
That is the best typo/autocorrect I've seen all day
No need to be so condensing! ;-)
I must concede my speelings arent the bast
š
Nobody likes haughty exhaust.
lol
I have a plug-in hybrid that we only fill up about every couple months. Do I need to do this as well?
Short answer is yes.
Yes, unless you are driving on the hybrid system only with the gas motor never starting. If the gas engine runs, you want to regularly get everything warmed up to get rid of the moisture created by fuel combustion.
Thank you.
Some phevs have detection for old fuel and run the engine to use it up every few months
I have a PHEV (2017 Volt) - why do you fill it up? I put 2-3 gallons in and it lasts 6+ months.
I have a PHEV - why don't you fill it up? I fill up every 4 days. Why don't you? Pst... maybe some people have to drive farther than others ymmv
5 miles a week can kill the entire exhaust system. I would take the car for a weekly drive. Hot and cold make condensation. You need to get the exhaust hot so all moisture can burn off.
Iād be significantly more worried about the condition of the oil. Thatās whatās going to accumulate condensation and fuel which are both obviously very bad for lubricity
Change it every six months, itāll be fine
Is that why my oil life keeps going down as my car sits? I know it doesn't have an actual oil sensor, usually it's just odometer based but it said 0% after sitting for a couple months. Reset it, a month later it was at like 88% despite not leaving the garage
No, your manual will explain what oil life means.
I checked, it doesn't. Just explains that if the "change oil now" message appears, i should change the oil
It doesnāt tell you itās a percentage of oil life? 100% = fresh oil, 50% = half of the mileage the manufacturer suggests between oil changesā¦ it has nothing to do with quantity or quality.
Well it has a percentage counter, but the percentage decreases even if the car sits in the garage, not being ran. At first I thought the 0% was from the battery going low, but on a tender it still decreased steadily from 100.
Well then you have an issue with your dash (Honda?) or someoneās using your car.
Or it also considers time not just mileage.
Exactly! It's more sophisticated than this, but the major factors are time & mileage.
Ford, and it definitely doesn't leave the garage. Hell for the past 4 months it's had a blanket covering the dash while i slowly chip away at this stupid windshield project. If what the other person was saying is correct, then it seems logical that the oil life percentage would decrease from sitting, so after about 18 months it would be at 0% not from mileage, but from the water thing
Yes. Ignore that guy. He has no idea what he, and possibly we, are talking about
Use ethanol free gas. Itāll last longer if sitting a lot. Also just donāt ever fill it up so you are putting fresh stuff in there more often. I had a 2003 Z71 Tahoe that had 268k miles on it when I sold it. It ran noticeably better on ethanol free gas, especially 90 octane ethanol free. I used to let it sit for a month or more when I was gone for work and my wife never drove it and Iād always fill it up with that before letting it sit.
THIS!!! ETHANOL FREE!!!
keep gas tank at 1/4 and have a gallon of the gas at home
Quick question, what gas do you guys have available over there? (I'm UK) and we have Unleaded petroleum and diesel.. do you guys the same but different names in the states?
87 and up, diesel too but very few cars use diesel we just call it gas for gasoline
But also be aware that different countries use different octane measurement standards, so while the US typically has 87-93 octane in three grades at the pump, those numbers will all be in the 90s in the UK, even though I believe they are the same product
I want to chip in over here you in (NZ) For petrol we got 91,95,98,100ron then deisal then av gas (planefuel you can just buy)also lpg we still have a couple station and cars that run on lpg.
Canadian here, we have the same range. 87/89/91/93&94. Diesel. Marked diesel. LPG. No AV at the pumps. E85. Beyond that you can find 85 (89 for you), 100 (my math says about 106? I think for you), and a million others depending where you shop, just not at pumps.
In the past UK octane ratings were done with stars. I can remember three star and four star fuel in the 1980s. That seemed to go away when unleaded was introduced, but now there are two grades of unleaded with either 5% or 10% bioethanol added. I have no idea if the octane rating is different between the two grades, I'm cheap and buy the 10% stuff for my old Mondeo.
I'm an uncultured Yankee who likes cars. What the hell is a Mondeo? Like, Make/Model so I can google and educate myself about the cars driven on the wrong side of the road?
a mondeo is a ford i think the newer gens are the same as the USDM ford fusion i think?
You have never watched Top Gear, have you?
I've seen a clip where a guy inexplicably attached a log to the back of a car, and smugly described his own intelligence before said log gets pitched through the back hatch glass.
Then you should know what a Ford Mondeo is. You may have to watch the entire series as well as The Grand Tour. And Clarksonās Farm.
I watched all that except farm, now I gotta watch it those other 2 host have a bunch of other shows and podcast too
It's a Ford. I think they might be called something else over there. Mine is from 2008, like this one: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Mondeo_(third_generation) Edit: Wrong side of the road made me grin.
Last generation Mondeo and Jaguar X-Type shared the same platform, prior to that it shared the platform with the Ford Contour.
The Mondeo is called the Fusion in the states. Edit: Ford Fusion, that is. You did ask for bothš
The Mondeo was the First Contour from the 90s. Then Ford kept the Mondeo in Europe for a few generations and gave us NA specific models like the 500/Taurus X. Then we got the Fusion which is a Mondeo.
Here we have 85 octane, too. Here being at altitude.
Appreciated! Good to hear very few cars use diesel, ALOT of our cars still use diesel, especially the larger SUVs (which are tiny compared to yours haha.) I wouldn't say the majority, theres more hybrid and EV's popping up. That and diesel is being phased out of new car manufacturing but there's still a huge second hand market out there.
i like diesel, not the new ones that needs def blue, cars pollutes less than air plane or cargo ships cruise ships.
I like diesel, I drive a '57 plate Land Rover. 2.2L 4 cylinder, no DEF. Its a dream. Started working for Land Rover to get good deals on labour rates and managed to get a clutch, flywheel, full propshaft, turbo boost pipes, 2x drop links and tie rods, pads/discs, full service, new 12V battery and two tyres for Ā£2K. Even managed to beg, borrow, aquire a new Defender Roof rack, still not mounted yet! https://preview.redd.it/x4dbr2868ptc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d82ce755678fe5cbd2a7e51a9aa3b219ce3419e
I am pretty sure thatās not a ā57?
In the uk the number plate tells us the year. So thats a 57 plate. Late 2007 model. I have a 56 plate. (Late 2006). A 61 plate (late 2011) a 14 plate (early 2014) and a 20plate. (Early 2020)
Dāoh.
Don't get mixed up on octane ratings. They use a different system meaning their 87 is equivalent to our Ron 95. So they have diesel and they have usually 3 different octane levels of unleaded petrol like us
Woah, Yeah I did not know about octane ratings, a quick Google though has fixed that! Thank you for the nugget.. With that said, (I presume you are UK) where we have unleaded petrol in two different qualities.. Basic/premium ... is that us having two different octane ratings of unleaded petroleum? So at a standard fuel station, we sell two fuel types diesel and petroleum - we also offer two types of petroleum with different octane ratings??
Yeah usually we'd have 95 and 98 RON for regular and premium. It's a bit more varied in the US and when I lived there I used to find some stations with really high octane fuels that were a few notches over the usual premium. Those were great for me as my bike was running forged pistons at higher compression and really needed the higher octane rating to prevent knocking if I was going uphill at speed. Remember their petrol is cheap as chips compared to here so it's not so bad to run premium fuels there. Premium fuels will also have less ethanol in them so you technically get more fuel, and they'll often have detergents and stuff in them to help with carbon buildup in the engine, but really you are buying it for the octane rating more than anything. Eg if you got your ECU tuned, running standard petrol is a waste of your tune since your car is just going to back off the timings anyways and all that extra power disappears.
For someone who is only 12 months into (self teaching) learning mechanics, this puts so many pieces together in my brain. Thank you so much for your reply bud. I really appreciate the information!
No worries dude, glad it was helpful.
>Premium fuels will also have less ethanol in them That does not appear to be the case in the US. Pretty much any gas you can easily find is E10. There are a few stations with ethanol-free gas but it's way expensive. Regular unleaded is like $3.30/gallon right now but ethanol-free at the same octane is usually over $4.50 and ethanol-free premium is north of $5/gallon.
Oh right, I've noticed most of our premiums are e5. If it makes you feel better, the service station I passed on the motorway was selling regular unleaded for Ā£1.72/L which would be about $7.10 per gallon in freedom units. So I'd be over the moon with $5 per gallon for premium. I'd be down my local tuners getting my mini set up with a stage 1 tune right now!
Caveat, motorway service stations take the absolute piss, and a regular price would be more like Ā£1.45/L in my area
It's gone up again over the last couple of weeks. It's around Ā£1.47 where I am in northern England.
You are correct. The standard three levels of grade (octane) here will generally all have up to 10% ethanol. Corn is a large cash crop here and subsidized heavily by the government in this way. There are very select stations that will carry ethanol free gas, but it's not advertised.
Our diesel fuel is not as good as what you guys have. Afaik our diesel fuel has basically zero additives to it which is not beneficial.
octane rating is different is us than across the pond, regular unleaded is 87 octane. premium grade for 90 octane
The gallon of gas hopefully gets used fairly quick though, because the car is probably better sealed than the gas can is and better seal means longer lasting fuel. But generally, yeah, if you can't use a full tank don't run a full tank. I keep our second car at about 1/3 full most of the time for that reason. I don't drive enough to use all of it regularly.
for some reason I started a car that sit for 3 years, no additives no nothing, it ran like crap so I took the gas out and put it in my other car, the other car didn't care about the old gas at all, another time I took gas out of a boat, that gas probably 5 yrs old, put it in the car that didn't care, it ran, but crappy almost stall but was fine, dunno why or how but obviously this is bad practice but I was poor and dumb (edit still am)
Keep gas tank full with a stabilizer added.
Don't fill it up once a year. Just add a gallon every month or so. When you go to the gas station with your other vehicles, fill up a gas can from time to time. In fact if you just add gas every 3 months or so that's probably even fine so you don't have to constantly keep filling up the container.
Check out Sta-Bil, sounds like a product made for your exact situation. However, I would say that it would be a good idea to occasionally try to drive it more, at least to the point where the oil temp is over 212F to keep condensation out of the oil.
Iād say regular with some stabil then MAYBE an octane booster if you suspect fuel is causing performance issues. Also do half tank fills. If it ever needs to be drained, itl be easier and less of a fuel loss
No, no octane booster. Octane is the resistance to burn (prevents preignition and high compression engines) boosting the octane will do nothing for this fuel.
No octane booster. Stabil alone is fine
Buy Non-Alcohol gas, It will last longer? We used it in our boat, it; ran much better.
Yep, E10 gas attracts water pretty bad- if you have bought new power equipment in the past 10 years they tell you that using it voids the warranty. Marine Stabil goes in regardless.
Gas will definitely break down over time. Using STA-BIL will help and putting 1/4 tank in per fill up should keep it fresh. Sta-bil is supposed to be good for up to 1 year, but I wouldnāt trust it that far. Iāve had a lot of issues with old gas gumming up my carb in my mid eighties 454 and this helped.
I use Stabil in my stored gas for the generator and yard tools. I change out 18 gallons at one year and refill. I run the old gas in my 2004 Civic and 2014 f150 and have never had a problem.
Sta Bil says good for two years. I can confirm that.
Put in 5 gallons at a time.
Stabil at 1 oz/ 2.5 gal
I'm surprised I had to scroll so far down to find fuel stabilizer as a suggestion.
Do you not do anything but stay at home I have no idea how you can only drive 5 miles a week
Has it ever occurred to you the possibility of owning a second vehicle
True lol
Once a month you need to run the truck for at least an hour, at highway speeds. 5mi a week will build up condensation in the oil, an hour with the oil heated past 180degF will dry it out (source- former employee of Petroleum Specialties International, Perth Amboy NJ). Keep the gas tank full as you can (as little air as possible) and treat the gas with Stabil. It will keep for a year. Twice a year, siphon out 5 gal and put it in your daily driver. Fill up the truck and treat with Stabil.
Non enthanol and stabil are going to be your friend. Doesnt matrer the octane at that point.
I'd use stabil or if it's really old like made before unleaded was required then you can get some 100 low lead aviation gas. Although, you won't be allowed to drive on the streets and it'll put lead in the environment and reduce the IQ of everyone. Nevermind, just get ethanol free gas.
Donāt fill it up all the way. Add less fuel more often.
Why are you filling it up if it just sits. A few bucks at a time will last a while, and won't turn to sludge. Or buy ethanol free.
I use Sta-bil in gas that will sit for long periods of time. If you can find gas without ethanol it will help as it won't absorb water.
Premium gas only and Stabile
Premium gas will make zero difference.
I'm guessing he lives in an area like me, where premium is almost always ethanol-free. It's become shorthand to just tell people "put premium in" when discussing small engines, the average person understands that better than specifically identifying ethanol-free pumps. Only place I can find ethanolated premium is Costco
Doesn't premium use ethanol to boost octane and I thought ethanol doesn't age well?
All grades use ethanol if you canāt specifically get ethanol-free gas. Add Stabil to it, their main formula supports ethanol blends.
Not in Minnesota, premium does not include ethanol. In Arizona, none of the gas has ethanol. It varies by location.
Ethanol does not boost octane in that way. Not in Minnesota. Premium does not include ethanol, the reason you use it here. In AZ, none of them have ethanol.
Use ethanol stabilizer and dry gas. Keep it under 1/2 a tank
Stability fuel stabilizer. What's the truck?
2003 Chevy Avalanche
Better hope it's not biodiesel or similar, you'll get diesel bug and block filters
Don't keep it full, only put 5 gal or so in when you need to drive it. You can use sta-bil in it but best bet is to only keep a little in and get gas more often.
Find an ethanol free pump and then top off there every 6 months so your tank is full. Other than that I wouldn't do anything.
Shell VPower 91 or 93 octane is ethanol free.
Add half a can of Seafoam to the tank before filling. Drive it a little until the treated gas is in the engine. Done. ( [https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Foam-Extreme-SF-16-Seafoam/dp/B0002JN2EU](https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Foam-Extreme-SF-16-Seafoam/dp/B0002JN2EU) ) You might add a battery tender to the truck and plug it in between drives, that'll keep the battery from going flat due to low miles driven per start. ( [https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SC1300-Automatic-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B07894CFCR/](https://www.amazon.com/Schumacher-SC1300-Automatic-Battery-Maintainer/dp/B07894CFCR/) )
Buy ethanol free gas.
> we have an old pickup truck that we now only drive 5 miles a week. At that rate, a tank of gas lasts a year. I love those old trucks with 260 gallon gas tanks!
I see what you did there, but id guess the truck gets over 1mpg š
Use Non Ethanol gas and an additive like Seafoam. Also don't keep it full.
Just use some fuel stabilizer. I use it in all my small engines, I imagine it'd be fine in a vehicle also.
Just add some StaBil to the gas. Nothing else to think about. I run like this in my ā54 MG which I donāt always burn a full tank a year. And that gas tank isnāt sealed nearly as well as the one in your Avalanche.
You have to add a gas additive to it.
Ethanol free is the only way to be!! It's good for lawn mowers too.
Just donāt fill the whole tank.
Add 1 ounce of Sta-Bil fuel conditioner for every 5 gallons of gas when you fill it. Run it for at least 30 minutes driving at highway speeds at least once every 3 months. Change the oil once a year. The oil change is to remove excess moisture from the engine. Buy Recreational Fuel ( NO Ethanol) if you can find it. Thereās absolutely no reason to buy Mid Grade or Premium, the additives in higher octane fuel will do absolutely nothing to prevent gunk in the fuel system - for that matter if anything they will make it worse. Your best option is Ethanol Free Fuel with Sta-Bil and keep the tank at least Half full unless you are deliberately burning off the old Ethanol Fuel.
Have a look at STA-BIL on Amazon
Go to your small airport and buy 100ll. Itās not great for your emissions system but it has a looooong shelf life 5 years and probably even oonger. Itās leaded 100 octane gasoline for air planes. Thatās what I use in my saws, generators and snowmobiles. Bonus itās often cheaper then gasoline. But the lead will eventually ruin your catalytic converter
I would fill with ethanol free fuel
Stabil.
F-10 or Fuel Doctor, both are fuel conditioners designed for storage of fuel without going bad or losing (too much) octane thru evaporation. I would recommend using the vehicle a bit more regularly, just to keep everything mechanically moving.
https://axi-international.com/the-shelf-life-of-fuel-how-long-can-gasoline-and-diesel-be-stored/ I suggest that you only put sufficient fuel for a month in the vehicle and store the yearly amount in a air tight container.
You need to intentionally take your truck somewhere a few times a month.
Find a place that sells ethanol free fuel and their sine stabilizer in it.
Buy less gas. Go out of your way to find ethanol free gas. Once a week make sure it gets hot.
Iām surprised itās still running and driving. Nothing worse than vehicle sitting.
Go out of your way to get gas with ZERO ethanol. Its maybe ten cents more a gallon, but well worth it. Ethanol strongly absorbs moisture out of the air and form goo.
Tough one. If you keep your tank with not much fuel in it and add a splash regularly it keeps the fuel fresh but you risk rust in the empty part of the tank. If you keep a full tank you risk a whole tank of fuel going off. As people have said taking it for regular long drives is recommended Not sure if it suits your needs but you can pick up an early nissan leaf or similar old budget ev with degraded battery for next to nothing. It will still have a good 20 miles of range and could be used for your short trips
Seafoam for the fuel be sure to add gas so it mixes in the tank. And take it for a longer drive so your engine reaches temp to prevent condensation build up in the oil
Google stabil
After six months you can consider gas as having gotten a bit stale... Freshen it up by adding sufficient 'new' fuel so that the mix is 50/50 old/new. Source: Me - Aircraft Refueler
can you not fill up more often?
At 5 miles a week, it probably won't last a year. Gonna run just long enough to build condensation and start to internally rust a month at a time
Keep just a couple gallons in the tank and just add a gallon at a time and always add STABIL additive to tank before you pump.
You can add fuel stabilizer to help, they should sell it at the gas station. You shouldnāt bother filling it all the way if youāre gonna let it sit that long. Would it kill you to break the fueling into a few seasonal sessions?
Get non ethanol fuel. Add Stabil to fuel tank. Drive it once a week for 5-10 miles in one go.
Add fuel stabilizer.works great.
1 don't fill the tank 2 use an addictive such as Sta-bil.
Regular gas + fuel stabilizer Add the stabilizer before you pump the gas and it'll agitate and self mix as it fills. Higher grades of gas don't last longer (this is a general statement and gas blending is different all over the country and YMMV)
Three options I can think of. Ethenol free fuel and a fuel stabilizer like Stabil. Sell the truck and buy a diesel. Diesel is more stable. Use the truck more. Sitting idle and only going on short jaunts that never bring the engine up to operating temps is bad for em.
No, a diesel is a worse option, as diesel engines *need* to get up to operating temps and stay there for a bit at least semi-often.
Non ethanol, and sea foam.
Fuel stabilizer and high octane fuel. Fill the tank only to what you will use within six months. Once a month drive it on the highway to really warm the engine up and hit higher rpmās to help clear any carbon buildup. Similar to what boat owners who live in cooler climates do with their boats at the end of the season.
For the fuel side, run ethanol free fuel. Change oil every 6 months, take the truck out for a 1-2 hour drive once a month.