Gas and Winterize Question ? Full Tank are Empty ????

[Roadworker]

With the new problems with the gas , do you guys leave the tank near empty are fill it up before you winterize it ?

Years back i always filled tank up and used stabil , but with the new gas i am not sure what is best .

Thanks all

 

[JeffN]

I have read several articles about storing boats for the winter and the general consensus is to store full. Less moisture is indroduced into the tank due to expansion and contraction.

 

[Marty grady 272]

I have made sure to run all of last years gas and any gas that I might have gotten in the spring by switching tanks from main to the aux tank, and then filling up the tanks just before putting the boat up for the winter. I put in the specified amount of stabil and ring free making sure to put the stabilizers in before putting in the gas, to insure proper mixing. I have never had any futl related issues.

 

[JUST-IN-TIME]

Also if you fill up with the highest octane helps big time, if you got the extra $

gas looses around .1 of octane a day, well everyday once it hits the truck

 

[catch22]

I think it's also important to make sure stabalized fuel has been thorougly run through the motor. I've seen a lot of people add stabalizer after they pulled the boat for storage.

If your using your boat in cold weather, (Stripers) it's a good idea to start adding a stabalizer, (or Startron) for a couple of "fill-ups", a few weeks before pulling the boat. That way any fuel remaing in your motor, (lines, filter housing, pump housing, carb bowls, etc) is treated/stabalized.

If you already pulled the boat for storage, you can use a poratable tank, (with additives) and run that through the motor for a few minutes.

Also... Yamaha recomends draining the VST tank for storage.

 

[Finest Kind]

With the new problems with the gas , do you guys leave the tank near empty are fill it up before you winterize it ?

Years back i always filled tank up and used stabil , but with the new gas i am not sure what is best .

Thanks all

Ethanol does not store as well as the old MTBE gas used to.
IMHO, empty or almost empty is better than a full tank of bad gas in the spring.

I now run my tanks down a low as possible (have been adding Star Tron every time gas was added all season), and add a strong dose of Stabil to each tank just before running the boat upriver for a 1/2 hour before hauling to distribute the Stabil throughout the fuel system and motors.

Then I run the Etec self-fogging procedure, flush out the motors with fresh water, and I'm all done till Spring.

No problems doing it this way (knocks on wood as he types) so far and will do the same this year as well.

 

[seasick]

I have stored my boat with 3/4 full tank and half full tank and haven't had a problem either way. I do add stabil in the storage dosage.
Other than draining the tank, storing the boat with the tank empty is just about impossible. I don't want to run out of fuel at sea and i don't want to run my motor for hours on end to burn off the last few (20 or more for my tank to show 'empty') gallons. I am not going to go through the hassle and danger of pumping out the fuel.
I also don't want to fill it to the brim since it can easily overflow from expansion when the temps are up. So is tank that is 5% full or 95% full any better off than half full? I really don't know and i don't think there is enough evidence one way or another.
I may have an advantage on my fuel system in that the vent is integrated into the fill tube and is sort of sealed when the tank is sitting... My tank is also plastic and I don't think that suffers from condensation as much as an aluminum tank would but I m not sure about that either.
We hear a lot from folks who go through the process of filling or emptying but I would like to hear from those like me who just store it as is. let's see if they have had problems in the spring.

 

[Workdog]

Seasick, I'm with you. I put the boat away with the gas left over from the last trip out. I've got twin tanks, one of which I stabil'd and ran down to about 5 gallons with several trips remaining to go in the fishing season. I ran on the other tank the last several times out, and it is about half full and is also stabil'd. I make sure to run stabil'd gas through each tank's fuel lines. Last year I put the boat away in the same configuration, and my RACORs did not pick up a drop of water in the fuel this year. I'm up in Ohio, so we get a lot of cold nights (and days) and warmups through the winter season. I want fresh gas in my motors in the Spring, and I DON'T want gas pissing down the side on a hot Spring day from a full fuel tank.

By the way, I've got aluminum tanks.

 

[UpGrady]

I'm in upstate NY and just stabil whatever remains in the tank a month before layup, make sure it's run thru the engines and system and forget about it... my racors have yet to pickup and water in the lines. BTW- boat is a '86 with twin I/O's. I want as much new gas in the spring as quickly as possible!

 

[CJBROWN]

I'm with the mostly empty guys. I see no advantage to storing a bunch of today's fuel and then trying to run it out after it's become stale. And yes, fuel does lose it's octane, that was good advice about starting with a higher octane fuel for storage. I wouldn't want any more than 10-15 gallons of fuel in any tank for wintering over. Fill up in spring with fresh fuel and go.

The staiblizers work very well, there's a molecular property going on there. Whatever is in that additive bonds with the molecules of the fuel to stabilize them from breaking down. I rely on amsoil for everything so of course their product would be my choice. We use the boat all winter here so it's not something I'm concerned with, but I thought I would pass along what's become common knowledge on the subject.

I happen to trust the opinion of David Pascoe, here's his take on the myth of fuel tank condensation:
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/myth_of_cond ... _tanks.htm

 

[seasick]

Good article CJ. Thanks. It support my position on the issue

I made a promise online that I wouldn't comment about ethanol fuels until after the new year. So mums the word until 2010.