The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Draining fuel

Every winter I drain the fuel from the truck so that I can put fresh in the following year

To do this I have to remove the fuel line form the bottom of the tank...a messy prospect especially if the tank has a lot of fuel in it.

There is a drain plug on the bottom of the tank but I am afraid that would be even worse as ther eis potential for gas leaking in the cab.

I am sure there is a simple solution. Any one have a drain port on ther fuel line or similar solution?

Thanks
RB53

The next time the tank is empty, or nearly so, go ahead and pull that bottom plug. Then install a short pipe nipple that goes through the hole in the bottom of the cab, and add a petcock valve. Then the next time you need to drain, just turn the handle.

Of course, if you park it outside overnight, the guys with a Kentucky credit card will have an easy time draining the tank, too!
Jerry

You could get yourself one of those siphon things and just siphon the gas out. Or a pump.


kurt

No, do as what Hotrod Lincoln suggested. Much easier to work with.

In my SCCA racecar I have a fuel testing port that might be of use for what you are in need of. Could be mounted just after the rubber tube under the tank where it meets the "hard" line.
"T" block t block
Fuel sampler port here
I have used this for 4 year and have had no problems. Another idea is Stabil in the fall.

I'd just use Stabil if I wanted to do something.

I doubt letting the gas sit in there for 6-7 months would do any significant damage to a Stovebolt.

Does anyone know of credible studies on what Stabil does on a chemical basis? As a chemist, I'd want the analytical data.

I'd like to get 2 identical carbs and fill them with gas, stabilized and not stabilzed. I'd have to force it through the passages. After 9 months, disassembly should show whether it's worth it carb-wise. I'm guessing there would be difference.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about older, unstabilized gas in the combustion process itself, but that's just me.

Good theory- - - - -lousy in practice. I've seen 3-month-old gasoline that wouldn't light off with a match, let alone a spark plug. Unstabilized gasoline also forms enough gum in valve guides to stick valves and bend pushrods- - - - -it happens to members here often enough to make all of us spooky about running even slightly stale gasoline. Compared to the cost of a valve job, a tank of gasoline, even at today's inflated prices, isn't worth the risk. Drain or siphon as much as possible before storing a vehicle, and dump a healthy dose of stabilizer into whatever's left in the tank. Better safe than sorry!
Jerry

This past summer I had the gas go bad after 12 weeks
It turned a honey color and caused me lots of problems
...pic...

I drive it more often now and add stabalizer if its going to sit for a while.

I am really confused now!
Depending on who you listen to, you get two different answers about full or empty tanks for winter storage.
Does anyone have a definitive answer?
I add Stabilia to my tank and let it sit over the winter and, although it doesn't like it, it starts in the spring.
Is Canadian gas different than American :-)
I have also read that an empty tank leads to rust and you should leave the tank full during storage to reduce condensation.
Questions, questions!

It's the Ethanol. I never had a problem with old gas until gas started to be mixed with large quantities of Ethanol. Last year I had problems with my tiller, chainsaw and my stovebolt after they had sat awhile. The tiller and the Stovebolt I fixed by running them hard through a couple of tanks of gas. The chainsaw went in for service. Interestingly enough, the chainsaw place sold pure gas with no alcohol in quart cans because this problem is so common. A quart sold for about $4.50.

Kurt

2 cycles are particulary prone to this

Yeah, the boss had one of those little Mantis garden tiller and two or three times a year he'd bring it in to work cus it wouldn't start. All I ever did was pull carb abpart and wash it out and she would start right up every time and run like a champ.
He'd take it home and let it sit for a coupleof months and dang thing wouldn't start.
I was told by a mechanic at the garden supply that the jets are so small in them that they clog when the fuel dries up in them, even after a few months.

DG

my experience with small motors has always been they need to have the fuel shut off and the carb run dry before sitting for extended periods, then add the right amount of Stabil to the tank .... last winter I used my 40 year old snowblower once and gave it that shutdown a few weeks later - and after nearly a year of sitting I turned on the fuel, gave it 2 light pulls to insure gas was flowing, and with one hard pull it was purring - haven't done any more than run it to it's standby location this year, and in a couple weeks I'll start it again to go back to storage and do a proper shutdown again, same gas that was put in nearly 2 years ago

it isn't ethanol that's the problem, it's operator error, the key is to always run it until it dies from starvation, clear the carb right out, then treat any fuel that'll sit in the tank, it doesn't matter what kind of gas it is, if you leave it in the carb to evaporate it'll gum things up

Bill

i tee off the existing line going to the fuel pump, add a short nipple to the tee bottom and a 1/4" ball valve with a pipe plug in the valve. if i have to drain the gas it goes right into my gas can. should i need some gas for one of my other gas operated engines during the winter for the atv, snow blower, generator i take it out of the trucks. i fill the tanks in november and start running them in march. weather permitting ill run around on a nice day to cycle it through. i use no additives and havent had an issue yet not to say that i cant or wont.

Just don't let the trucks sit,
Scott

I'll add my experience here.
My Mustang sits in the garage from ~November to May. No additives added and no issues for the last 10 years(when it was carburated or now that it is fuel injected). Storage method is simply turn the key off.

My other "toy" a VW powered dune buggy it is only used 1 week in August and 1 or 2 days around Christmas. Stored outside, no additives, just turn the key off and walk away. I have cleaned the carb twice since 1989.

My parents have a '48 Willy's jeep. It sits in storage from September to June, gas tank topped off and battery disconnected (stored like this since 1948) and no problems. The first time the carb was taken apart and cleaned was the summer of 2010.

Think your right on there Bill. I went thru a half dozen weed whackers over the past 30 years, or since
they came out with them. They wouldn't start from one time till the next (only trimmed a couple times a
year, I hate mowing the lawn). Got to be to much trouble pulling them apart to clean the carbs and they
don't have a shut off. Same problem with them before the gas became alcoholic. My (big old wife)
finally got tired of knee deep weeds around the edges and brought home a Black & Decker 18v with a
couple of extra batteries so she could trim. Now a days that's me favorite lawn tool.

On a little larger scale, I've got a 10hp Ariens snow blower that I've had for 29 years. It sits two or three
years sometimes without being fired up (like this year). I always run it dry after every use, never change
the fuel (E-10) so it may have fuel in it that’s could be considered vintage. I do give it a good dose of
Stabil when I top it off though. Never tuned it up but that engine is so reliable that three pumps on the
primer bulb and she fires up on the first pull every time without fail.

That said, it sure can’t hurt to run any engine on a regular schedule Scott. Although some winters
Bluebelle has to sit for a spell, I just taint gonna put her thru anymore Midwest winter driving. I’ve never
had a problem with her starting in the spring and I’m not particular about how full the tank is when I
shut her down. I don’t have to worry about running the carb dry, the Carter W-1 takes care of that on
short order all by itself. If she sits more than a week or two I gotta pump her full of petrol before she
fires off. I carry what I call, Bluebelle’s fill-up flask all year round which is a cocktail that consists of
3oz of Stabil and 6oz of MMOil. Don’t know for sure if it really makes a difference but one thing for
sure, it don’t hurt nothing, cept my pocket book.

Soy, all I got to say is, you one lucky guy.

Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny, I have my own definition of Marvel Mystery Oil (MMO); the mystery is no one knows if it works and the marvel is they got your money. I used it for years in a LeBlond radial engine on a Rearwin airplane. Never knew if it did any good or not but everyone else was using it so not wanting to look like a dummy I did too. Don't think it hurt the engine any.

Weeds

I was told ethinol attracts moisture then starts breaking the fuel down. Most cars now days have a evap fuel system and fuel injection and normally dont have problems sitting for long periods of time. But anything exposed to the atmosphere may cause problems, like carbs and unsealed gas cans.