gas longevity?

I am about to work on a "Other Than Miata" vehicle that has been sitting for almost a year. Are there any big worries about the fuel and oil being in it that long?

I have never dealt with storing vehicles and I really don't know how long a car can sit, but I don't want to run bad gas through it.

I am already going to change the oil and filter before I do anything else. Would it be a good idea to add anything to the fuel or drain it, or should I just start it up once I have it fixed?

Thanks,

Pat

Reply to
pws
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This one is fuel injected. I will give it a shot, I think I can get juice to it today.

Thanks!

Pat

Reply to
pws

Just be aware that the old fuel will have lower octane after sitting. If the vehicle requires premium then don't load it up with the old fuel in it.

OzOne of the three twins

I welcome you to Crackerbox Palace.

Reply to
OzOne

I agree with most of what TimM says except that after putting in the additives I would run it for a few miles and then add fresh gas, run it for a few more miles, add fresh gas, etc. I think diluting the old gas down will be a better approach than running the entire tank of old through. I had a similar experience many years ago when I filled up at a station in SC that was diluting his gas with kerosene. After a few miles the car was running terribly and putting out a lot of white smoke. I stopped about every 30 miles and added a gallon of gas and after 4 or 5 stops the car was running fine. BTW this was a Shell station and when I got home I called Shell and told them the story. They checked the station out, found out what he was doing and put him out of business. Meanwhile, they took my car to a dealer and had everything checked out to make sure there was no damage and would have repaired any if found.

TRCSr

Reply to
TRCSr

This vehicle doesn't require premium, but it also only had 87 octane to start with, maybe 89. The gauge is showing half-full, so I will go ahead and fill it with premium this time.

Oh yeah, it started right up, no bad smoke or anything, cool.

Thanks all!

Pat

Reply to
pws

I am about to go put some gas in it now, thanks!

That really sucks on the gas station. I remember hearing about one around here doing something similar, though I never verified it. That is one thing that I haven't run into yet.

Thanks again,

Pat

Reply to
pws

In Alaska, my '91 NA was stored from around Halloween until whenever breakup came in April. Never had a problem in any way and never took any precautions other than putting a storage charger on the battery and cranking it to circulate oil in the Spring before allowing it to start.

Reply to
John McGaw

It looks like I was worried about nothing this time, which is not unusual at all.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

Pat

Reply to
pws

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