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Gas Additives......????????

jj426savoy

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Im sure this topic has been covered before but here goes anyway........when i finally park my car for the winter i always fill up with fresh gas (shell 91...no ethanol....) and the proper amount of Stabil......additive.......what im curious about is during the summer months do any of you guys add anything at each fill up like stabil or anything else because sometimes life gets busy....as we all know and our rides can sit for weeks on end sometimes.......just throwing it out there to maybe get some input or differant views thats all........thx fellas.......
 
If you're using Shell ethanol free fuel, then you should be pretty safe as ethanol free gas will generally stay reasonably good for over a year. At least it did in my cars. I worked at Exxon for 26 years and found out that their regular was junk but their premium was pretty good where Shell regular was very good and so was their premium so I always used Shell. I've always heard that the refiners would buy and sell fuel that was made by other refiners if needed but my /6 Belvedere NEVER pinged on Shell whereas it always did on Exxon's gas. If you are still worried about it, treat it. I like to use the marine Sta-Bil for long term storage but the regular Sta-Bil worked too but I always double dose it. Everything here is E10 so all the gas I buy for my small engines is treated.
 
When I cant find 93 Octane (no ethanol), I use Chevron standard 93 and add Stabil. I've probably run 30 gallons with the 93/Stabil mix, no problems so far (starting, pinging, etc). I have a 383 with a mild cam, electronic ignition, 770 Avenger.
 
I don't use any snake oil, summer or winter. Fires right up in spring.
Do you have non ethanol gas? Even with E10 (no more non ethanol gas here), it still goes bad pretty fast and has to be treated if you plan on letting it sit for more than a couple of months. I've been using Sta-Bil for years and especially in my small engine stuff and the gas bites me in the butt when I forget to use it. I'm sick of doing carb work on things that are not used much like generators, chain saws, garden tiller etc. In the last couple of years, I just dump a double dose of Marine Sta-Bil to my 5 gallon jug before going to the station to full up. Haven't had to do any carb work since! Snake oil? I'm convinced it's not....
 
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FWIW, I've used Stabil in ALL the gas in my 2008 boat with a Holley 2300 carb purchased in 2007 new. ALL the gas has been ethanol polluted going through this carb. Around here you winterize in October and it sits until March. You fill the tank 3/4+, add Stabil, and fire it up next year.
Recently I tuned it up (Lol, a whole 6 plugs) and for grins I pulled the Holley figuring I'd clean out all the scum and crud accrued in the last 8 years.
Look what I found......................
BoatCarb1.jpg
BoatCarb2.jpg
 
I was under the impression that marine gas didn't have ethanol....oh well.
 
I use it..Like Cranky,, when I don't, my carbs let me know in a hurry !! Out in the desert with outside temps above 120* gas turns to crap fast. Yes some marine shops/boat docks are ethanol free.Around here most fill their boats while on trailers at the drive in stations.One local storage yard carries race gas for the boaters,BUT the Yard owner only buys once a year and warns everybody that he can't say how fresh it is.
 
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I use it..Like Cranky,, when I don't, my carbs let me know in a hurry !! Out in the desert with outside temps above 120* gas turns to crap fast. Yes some marine shops/boat docks are ethanol free.Around here most fill their boats while on trailers at the drive in stations.One local storage yard carries race gas for the boaters,BUT the Yard owner only buys once a year and warns everybody that he can't say how fresh it is.
Although race gas is formulated very well and will last much longer than production fuels, it will go bad too. Never thought about higher temps accelerating the deterioration process but it makes sense.
 
I use stabil 360 in the winter for storage, I do drive my car in the winter if the roads are clean and salt free. I usually go through a tank or two during the winter time.
Never use anything in the gas or oil otherwise
 
An ounce of prevention will save you a lot of heart aches later,n don't forget to drive the car or let it idle to get it into carb etc,just my two cents.
 
I don't love like ethanol either. Sta-bil all the time. Heard good things about Seafoam also. Today's gas is crap for the old iron.
 
Do you have non ethanol gas?
"Non Ethanol Gas", what's that? Trying to find non ethanol in Chicago or collar counties is like looking for hens teeth.

I will admit that I have used Sta-Bil when storing my snowmobile and never had a problem, but then I don't know if I would have had I not used it. Then again, as I said, just shut my '69 Road Runner down last Oct. and refired it in Apr. without a problem. The fuel simply evaporated from the float bowls and they where dry. Likewise with most of my other equipment such as chainsaws, weed wackers and generators. A few years ago I started my generator after about 8 years or so. Five pulls and she lit right up. To be honest, I don't recall if that one had Sta-Bil or not. So all that said, I probably should correct myself and say that Sta-Bil is probably not on my "snake oil" list.

Now SeaFoam is another story. I do consider that stuff snake oil and would never put it in my fuel system. Nothing more than 75% Naptha. The rest is Isopropyl alcohol & pale oil.

One more disclosure, I do use ZDDP in my spring oil change. Other than that, I consider the rest of the additives nothing more than money makers.
 
I don't use any snake oil, summer or winter. Fires right up in spring.
Same here. I have 3 cars that I have never added anything to over the winter and have never had a problem starting them up or keeping them running in the spring.
 
You guys know your stuff and sounds like Stabil is the most popular/good results. I did a bunch of research on additives and talked to a couple old mechanics. One said he uses Seafoam only for engine cleaning and has had good results if motor wasn't too clogged. His trick is to run motor at high rpm and let motor drink it then finishes off with dumping enough in to stall motor and lets it sit for a few hours. I also found that an age old gas & oil additive, Marvel Mystery Oil (been around for a 100 years) got a lot of good comments. I started using it in my '63 Ply about 3 months ago as motor had an idle and deceleration stumble problem. What I looked at to detect the problem will take another long post; but the usual checks for this and then found #2 cylinder was weak and had bouncy vacuum. Since my plan was to rebuild motor over this winter I decided to take the MMO tip to get me through summer and well dang motor is running much better! It could be some deposits that got blown away or just a coincidence...
 
I use a fuel stabilizer called PIRG- G . I had a problem with Stabil a few years ago and then found pirg G. Switched to that for the RR and all my power equipment. Works great !!!!
 
I'm a little new to this subject but have been using Race-gas as an octane booster additive for the low (91) CA garbage gas we have. Doesn't expect winter problems cause it's so warm here year around. But the gas seems to feed the X pretty well.
 
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