I mentioned on our T forum the opinions expressed here about Stabil, gas sitting in the tank, etc. I got one informative reply:
I just retired from the marina business, so I am sort of familiar with storing boat motors for the summer (here in Florida the seasons are reversed, we store them in the summer for people heading back north)
Stabil is an old favorite, but we were finding customers who were beginning to have problems with gummed up carbs even after using it. We finally started using a Yamaha Marine product that seemed to work better. Any Yamaha Outboard dealer sells it.
There are two schools of thought on how much fuel to put in the tank......the age old thing was to fill it to the top to keep condensation down. However, all the factory directives now say keep it low and put fresh gas back on top of the stabilized fuel when you start using it again. Reason is, the new gasolines get old real quick and lose octane and start to gum up. By putting fresh fuel on top, you restore some of that octane.
As mentioned, after you stabilize the fuel, go for one more drive, suffiecient to let that fuel mix get into the carb. Otherwise, the gas in the carb turns to gum very fast. Finally, start the car (or boat) once a week and let it come up to operating temp. This will purge old fuel from the carb, and cook out any condensation within the cylinders. If you can't do that, use a fogging oil to coat each cylinder and prevent rust from forming on the bare walls.
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As I mentioned, I worked in the marine business for the past 20 years. We never had the problems we are seeing today with gasoline turning sour so quickly. Once a month some engine manufacturer like Mercruiser, Yamaha, etc would send out a letter telling us that they were seeing problems also with fuel issues. Some are now suggesting running a fuel stabilizer all the time, even when the boat is being used often.
I always put stabilizer in my own boat at every fill up and never had a problem. However, one 4th of July we took the boat to some fireworks display on the water and got home late, so I just put it away figuring I would be using it the next week. Well, I got busy and didn't use it for 3 months, and when I went to use it the next time I had to pull the carb and put it in our ultrasonic clearer to get the gum and debris out.
The new gasolines are not what we had even 5 years ago.........they are taking all the good stuff out to meet EPA regulations, and that is why we are seeing these problems now.
"Stabil is an old favorite, but we were finding customers who were beginning to have problems with gummed up carbs even after using it."
Makes me wonder if they would have been better off if they added nothing at all, which has worked well for me.
-Don-
Well, obviously not, if you read the message. Nothing at all also resulted in gummed-up carb, but faster.
I follow a similar protocol myself. In addition to the Sta-Bil, I try to start/run/drive my vehicles (and generator, power equipment, etc.) at least once or twice a month during periods of disuse. This not only helps keep the fuel fresh, it circulates oil, keeps seals pliable, etc. It can be a PITAS with many vehicles/lots of equipment - but it's less of a PITAS than equipment/vehicles that don't operate due to fuel system-related problems!
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