Regarding Tom's post on fuel and alcohol

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michaelbalk330
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Regarding Tom's post on fuel and alcohol

Post by michaelbalk330 »

Tom
I still subscribe to the fuel tank hypothesis... my theory is it takes OXYGEN to make rust ( oxidation ), and the more full the tanks the less O2 is present so even if there is some water, perhaps there is less chance of oxidation? thoughts? We finally have a new gas station that has alcohol free fuel so thats what I am using when possible, combined with STABIL "Storage" but admittedly i dont know if that product actually does anything.
Michael
1967 330GT #9693
1960 190SL
1967 Ducati 350 Sebring #04783
1959 Moto Guzzi Galletto #GNR93
1973 450SL
1988 Mercedes 300CE 5 spd
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tyang
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Re: Regarding Tom's post on fuel and alcohol

Post by tyang »

Hi Michael,

I absolutely agree. Its the combination of the air space in the fuel tank, and the water in the fuel that makes this a problem with the the fuel senders. The best solution is to top off the tank with non-ethanol.

The problem I have is on some of my customer's cars that don't get driven very much. If I fill the tanks up with non-ethanol, the fuel will go bad in a several months. (I know, some of you let the car sit for a year and still start it with the fuel in the tank. I've done it too!) You would have to drive a few hundred miles to burn off that much stale fuel, and if the owner barely drives the car, that's nearly impossible. It sounds like a nice job to drive these cars a few hundred miles to burn off fuel, but when you have more than two to tend to, that's a lot of driving! Draining this fuel becomes the next option, but then what do you do with it? I occasionally use it in my crappy commuter car, but that almost seems like torture on my little car!

Tom
'63 330 America #5053
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michaelbalk330
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Re: Regarding Tom's post on fuel and alcohol

Post by michaelbalk330 »

question- the "no alcohol" fuel thats near me is only 87 octane..... which is better for our cars?---> no alcohol low octane, or using premium with the alcohol?
the higher octane alcohol free is far away from where i live ( like over 30 mins without atlanta traffic)
Michael
1967 330GT #9693
1960 190SL
1967 Ducati 350 Sebring #04783
1959 Moto Guzzi Galletto #GNR93
1973 450SL
1988 Mercedes 300CE 5 spd
User avatar
tyang
Posts: 4060
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: New York
Contact:

Re: Regarding Tom's post on fuel and alcohol

Post by tyang »

michaelbalk330 wrote:question- the "no alcohol" fuel thats near me is only 87 octane..... which is better for our cars?---> no alcohol low octane, or using premium with the alcohol?
the higher octane alcohol free is far away from where i live ( like over 30 mins without atlanta traffic)
I don't think 87 octane will be enough for your car.

Tom
'63 330 America #5053
DWR46
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Re: Regarding Tom's post on fuel and alcohol

Post by DWR46 »

It all depends on two things. Where you are located and how the car is stored. In rural Illinois, all our gas is ethanol, but the blend for this area is very stable and lasts well. If you live near a large city or on the west coast, your gas will not last four weeks without gumming up the carburetors. If you always store the car in a heated and dehumidified or air conditioned garage, you should have very little moisture problems with the gas tanks. In the past, I always kept the tanks full over the winter, but now, I tend to keep them fairly empty for Tom's reason (not as much usage to burn a full tank of fuel). Before every winter I add No-Rosion to the tank (look it up on the internet, it is the real deal, not snake-oil). Never ANY problems here.
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