Fuel Preservative

[STEVEMCMORN]

Penelope put to bed today ..... with full tank of gas as instructed 

[ccm911]

Hello:

 

To further prove the point of additives not being needed.

My 911 Broke in July of 2004.  It sat fom that time through December of 2005(17 months).  And when I went to stat the car back up, it was fine.

Hardly scientific, but it proves a point.

[catchacab]

ccm911 wrote:

Hello:



To further prove the point of additives not being needed.

My 911 Broke in July of 2004. It sat fom that time through December of 2005(17 months). And when I went to stat the car back up, it was fine.

Hardly scientific, but it proves a point.

Chris means no commercial additives were needed. He doesn't state how he passed the time during those 17 months.hock:

[ccm911]

Actually, it took me almost 17 months to find a GOOD(get out of debt) job.  So job hunting it was.  Although, I did spend some time in the Trak-Ho for a few events.  Boy, how I miss that car.....

Now, a few years back, I bought a 914 that had sat for about twenty years.  I replaced the gas tank and fuel pump, and then it ran.  But.....bad things happen to gas if it is left sitting for extended periods.

[Wellardmac]

true, but you wouldn't believe the number of people that think that gasoline degrades to junk by leaving it a month.

It's really sad, as I see it as a lack of basic scientific understanding of what gasoline is and its stability... but the pitiful nature of our schools is a different discussion. .. well, that and the misleading marketing of the stabilizer companies.

[ccm911]

Utterly amazing.  I suppose we should start a thread debunking "Urban Legends", or should that be "Automotive :egends"?

[Wellardmac]

That could be fun... got for it!

[catchacab]

Utilizing my limited knowledge of the chemistry of gasoline, I believe the potential problem lies in the differences in evaporative rates of the components of gasoline.  Having a full tank of gasoline  (small air space) helps to reduce the amount of evaporation in the gas tank.  If the gas tank has a large air space, then more of the solvent in gasoline may evaporate, leaving a thicker solution that may clog carburetor jets, fuel injectors.  Additionally from leaving the car sit for a prolonged period, may produce this "gunk" at the previous mentioned sites.

The commercially available fuel stabilizers (which I am totally unfamiliar with), may change the evaporative properties of fuel or prevent the "gunking up" by being a cleansing solvent.

 

[Wellardmac]

Evaporation is not a problem in a closed system. Where there is evaporation there is condensation. A gas tank is a sealed system and if you're passing your annual inspection, then your gas cap has been checked for a pressurized seal.

Vapor pressure and evaporation rates are a physical property of a material and are only affected by temperature and pressure.

Fuel degradation is purely an oxidation effect. The 'gunk' you refer to is caused by oxidative degradation, not evaporation. Hydrocarbons are very chemicially stable species under regular temperatures. Unfortunately, the additives that are put into fuel are not as stable and stability issues (under some conditions) may result.

As we discussed in a previous post, some issues can result when gasoline is stored under elevated temperature for prolonged periods, but the process happens over several months. When summer rolls around again we can talk about fuel degradation in summer climates if you'd like.

[Brian Minkin]

What about cold weather additives for diesel fuel.  I have a diesel truck and this is my first winter with it.  What do I need to know.  Ford Dealer does sell diesel additives in their service dept.  Should I be concerned with using these?