Whisper

iTrader: (12)

I used to regularly drive my Camaro for the Winter but this is the first time the car will sit regularly for months without me driving it. I bought a battery tender to maintain the battery but I was wondering what is a good cheap option as a fuel stabilizer? Most Amazon searches bring up 32 oz-1 gallon solutions when I'm only worried about something effective enough to get me to April or May. Can Seafoam fuel additive work?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I've been using Sta-Bil brand (current parent is Gold Eagle Co.) for over 20 years with excellent results. 1 oz. treats 2.5 gallons for periods of 12 months or less, or you can double the dosage for periods of 12-24 months, but the fuel must be fresh at the time of treatment for full effectiveness. I think the smallest bottle size they sell is 8 oz.

In my '98 specifically, I've used this product every winter for the last 15 years, in combination with small doses of Red Line SI-1. In recent years, I treat every tankful because I only drive the car enough to run one or two tanks of fuel through it each year. Even after sitting for ~6 months (or sometimes longer) during the winter, the engine always starts strong. The fuel system is all original from '98 other than the filter, and has always been fed E10 fuel (which is all that can be sourced locally). I see some folks complain about fuel system issues with seldom driven/stored cars using E10 fuels, but using my cocktail I've seen none of those issues.

I do believe Seafoam also contains some fuel stabilizer, but I've never personally used it for this purpose so I have no opinion either way.

TTur1996

If your only storing you car for 6 months or even up to a year. You really only need to fill the tank full so rust doesn't form in the tank. When your going to store it for more than a year. The best alternative is to fill it with aviation gas. Aviation gas will not corrode or gum up anything at all. It will only evaporate slowly. Keep it full. I have tried all the fuel stabilizers and have found they don't work. I have a friend that has Quite a few old classic cars. Storing them in his museum for years. That's how they store them is with aviation fuel only. When he does drive one on occasion and there is no prep at all other than putting a battery in. Climb in and go. I don't care how long its been sitting. He doesn't leave the batteries in so there is no chance for corrosion. When you go to a small airport for AV gas do not tell them its for a car or they won't sell it to you. Tell them its for an ultra light airplane then no problem. I never use sea foam period. That's all I will say about that. If you need a cleaner use Tectron total fuel system cleaner made by Chevron. There is no better cleaner on the market.

WhiteBird00

iTrader: (4)

Gas alone will only work if you make sure you get pure gas. Normal pump E10 will suffer phase separation in well under six months. I've seen E10 separate in as little as six weeks. If you're going to store for an extended period with E10 then a stabilizer is essential.

I don't have a car that sits for extended periods but I always put pure gas and some Seafoam in my generator. Even if local gas stations don't have pure gas (around here many do) almost all marinas will have it.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

AVGas might not be an issue for old carb'ed classics, but even the LL (low lead) version certainly wouldn't be ideal for applications with factory O2 sensors or where catalytic converters are employed and need to function their best for sniffer e-tests. Since the OP is storing a '98 car, these are things he should keep in mind before jumping into AVgas. Is there an unleaded AV product on the open market yet?

I agree with keeping the tank as full as possible during storage. In terms of pump E10 fuels, I've had great fuel performance results using my above cocktail, even at up to ~12 months old. In my experience, untreated E10 will not perform as well after such a period.

I've also heard good things about Techron, but no evidence that it's a better cleaner than Red Line SI-1.

MY_2K_Z

iTrader: (1)

Sta-bil absolutely works. To say it doesn't work means you haven't tried it. I've been using it for years on generators and mowers. Without stabil the gas turns to crap and gums everything up in no time, with stabil I can leave had in the generator for 2-3 years and it will fire up on the first hit.

TTur1996

The pumps say unleaded on them. There is only 2. One is 100 octane and the other is 80 octane. My friend and I use 100. He has a very, very rare 57 chevy that there is only 5 in existence. It is fuel injected with power brakes, power windows, power steering. It only has 33000 miles on it. There is a lot of controversy on this fuel but I can honestly say I have used it on a built 10,000+rpm 4 cylinder for years screaming its guts out. Everyone said I would burn it up. Motor was 13:1 and after 4 years I tore it down just to check out if there was anything going on. There was absolutely no damage what so ever. Motor was still pumping 175psi cranking pressure on all 4 cylinders. So I didn't believe there was any valve or ring damage. It burned no oil at all either.
Do a test on your injector cleaner. Take a completely clogged fuel filter you can't even get any air through and connect a small funnel to it with a hose and fill the funnel with your cleaner and let it sit over night. The Tectron will eat right through the clog no sweat. I have tested a few but not the one you mentioned.

I have many things that sit for long periods of time and have tested every stabilizer I could find. They all did no better in terms of gas quality than just leaving it alone up to a year. If I even think it might sit longer it gets AV gas. This is just a suggestion. Do your own research and you will see what I mean. But if doing it your way makes you feel better then carry on.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

As long as it's unleaded, it shouldn't be a problem. 100 octane "race fuel" has been available in unleaded (UL) format for quite some time, but I didn't know that 100 octane AVgas was readily available in UL format currently, I thought this was mostly still 100LL (low lead).

I haven't used Techron personally, but a lot of folks seem to like that product as well. I suspect it's reasonably comparable to Red Line SI-1 in terms of cleaning ability based on the "known" PEA content of each, but I like the rust inhibitor component of RL SI-1 in ethanol applications.

My personal testing has shown different results. I've observed harder cold starts (i.e. longer cranking times) and elevated KR and/or audible ping in certain applications with E10 fuels which are aged in the 6-12 month range sans any stabilizer (vs. same applications with stabilizer). This is why I began using it all year in vehicles which only see 1 or maybe 2 tanks of gas per year.

NC01TA

I agree completely. I use it for everything that is gas powered over the winter months. When you use the same gas lawn trimmer season after season with no issues, that's saying something. Cranks right up each Spring. I also use the Lucas products in my cars year round to protect against the nasty ethanol. Even if just minimally effective, that's good enough for me. Zero gas related issues in all 3 cars. It's cheap cheap cheap in the grand scheme of car ownership.

99 Black Bird T/A

iTrader: (4)

I've had good results with Sta-Bil as well. Tested it for over ten years.

The one year I skipped doing using Sta-Bil for winter storage of my 72 Vette was gummy carburetor that had to be cleaned out that spring.

I use it anytime a car may sit for more than three weeks.

Chevyguy2001

I use Seafoam for the stabilizer and it hasn't ever let me down.

qweedqwag

i've used Sta-bil in my car, boat, tractor, weedeater go-kart and have never had an issue with fuel being bad, ever.

Z Fury

iTrader: (1)

I use Seafoam as well, but have never heard a bad thing about Sta-bil. Cheaper than Seafoam too.