GAS ADDITIVES

I have found Chevron's Techroline (sp ?) to be good in cars that have sat for a while before starting them up...you notice a difference in a matter of a few miles once used again....as for preservation of gas while in storage....can't help you there.....sorry.

 

On another board a big collector was talking about what he does for his collection of mostly American cars. This guy has a collection of over 150 cars, so I think he knows a thing or two.

Here's what he said: "Oh, BTW, Sta-bil is garbage. Yes, it DELAYS the souring of the fuel, but our experience is that if you let gas go sour with stable in it as well, that the resulting mess in your fuel system is exponentially worse. When fuel with Sta-bil in it goes bad, it clogs up everything like silly-putty. So it's rather pointless in my view. Much easier just to not leave gas in the tank. Pump it all OUT. If you really insist on having some fuel in it, use hi-octane racing fuel, it has a longer shelf life."

In California our gas begins to turn into lacquer after 30 days I seem to recall.

 

In my limited experience stabil is much, much better than nothing, but I've never had a batch of stabil/gas go bad either.

 

A couple of weeks vs a couple of quarters for the 150 car strong collector are two different subjects. Alex needs short term stabilization, it won't rust... well it won't go bad in a month with a stabilizer but with a little planning you should be OK. Common sense applies!!

Sunny

 

Well I'd say many of us have left older cars parked for more than a couple of weeks without eating the fuel system from the inside, so I'm going to float a different theory out here. You might have gotten a batch of bad gas; it's been happening a lot lately, (it seems to me) where the refineries, presumably because they're stretched to the limit on capacity, let a bad batch out that's usually high in Sulphur and it's been known to eat the fuel sender cards right up in late model cars. You might have gotten a batch that was foul to begin with in another manner; one that had some aggressive component in it that the carb seals couldn't handle being exposed to for that long, say Ethanol or God-knows-what else it could have been. I wouldn't worry too much about it happening again, 2 weeks isn't long to leave a car parked!

P.S.-I did put Stabil in my 308 before putting it to bed last winter. No problems this spring.

 

Alex,

AZ and California formulation of gas are very unstable in storage. I have found that with even sitting unused for 3 weeks it starts to varnish up and form a greenish sludge building up inside of fuel systems.

Sta-Bil will help to extend the shelf life of the fuel a couple of months. The best thing i have found is to at least start up the vehicle once every couple of weeks for 15-20 mins to allow the fuel to be cycled thru the system. Also use of Techron can help out in keeping injectors from plugging up.

If an injector does become plugged up i have found that by blocking the return line off with an overdose of techron will help to clean out the injector by bumping up the fuel rail pressure and forcing the Techron rich fuel to be blasted out of the injector.

Rob

 

I have used Marvel's Mystery Oil in all my Ferraris over the years and have been well satisfied. He lubricates the top end of the engine.

 

"he"? I always thought Marvel Mystery Oil was some juice to pour in the tank, not a gnome to ride on your engine like R2-D2 !
I've got a can at home, I'm gonna install it in the 308 for the drive to Indy this weekend! Thanks for the tip!

 

Frank. Are you adding the mystery oil directly to the gas? I have seen this before with some of the older airplane guys swear by it.

 

Swepco 503 (or is it 306, one is oil one is the additive)... run hard with every tank.

--Dan

 

How old are those interior seals? If they are relatively new, I'd say you got some bad gas....but I have a hunch they're either very old, or the wrong part to begin with. Modern seals, gaskets, fuel line etc. is all compatible with modern fuel additives.

Ken

 

I have let my car sit for periods of 3 months both with and without StaBil.

While both times the vehicle started flawlessly and ran smoothly, there was a noticeable lack of power without using StaBil. There also seemed to be a lack of power with StaBil compared to fresh gas, but nonetheless it was better than nothing. My car is fuel-injected FYI.

Now I just drive it until the gas light turns on, then park it for storage. Next time I start it I fill it up.

-Cyrus

 

sparky, yes I add it to the gas. The can says that you can add it to the oil too, but I have never done that. And, like Brylcreem, a little dab will do... follow the directions and don't add too much or you will get a little smoke out of the exhaust.

 

I add four ounces of Mystery oil to each ten gallons of gas, per instructions, along with one ounce of Red Line lead substitute. No esoteric knowledge on my part, just taking advice from experienced vintage 12 owners. After a recent oil change, I dumped a fresh quart of Mystery oil in on top. 330 starts and runs absolutely great without the tiniest hint of smoke at 43K miles.

I use Mobil premium unleaded, because the 1964 owners manual says to use premium, and a longtime Ferrari mechanic advised using Mobil or Shell only.

A couple of mechanics told me mid-grade or regular would be fine, but haven't brought myself to try it yet.

 

Alex,

You've really asked two different questions. I've used Sta-bil in my E-types over the winter and find it works. YMMV. Chevron Techron is worthless in a carburated car. It's main use it to clean fuel injectors.

But the real issue is why those seals deteriorated. That, in all likelihood, has nothing to do with the stability of the gas or it going bad. Rather, it sounds like something in the gas you bought attacked the rubber. Ethynol? MTBE? Did you recently rebuild the carbs and change the seals or diaphrams? If so, you might want to check with the company that supplied the rebuild parts and find out what material they used for the seals. If proper, the seals and diaphram should withstand the gas and any of the normal additives.

Steve
'70 XKE FHC, '69 XKE OTS, '84 Ferrari Mondial QV

 

I have used marvel for years myself. I read a write up FML years ago where the author had talked about how V12 Ferrari fuel pumps would run quieter when marvel was used along with upper cylinder protection too. My assumption would be that it would help lube injectors also along with valve guides (maybe this could help 355 valve guides?) I have two pilot friends who use it also.

 

Alex,

It's possible that the seals you got before were defective. If one was eaten away and the others looked okay, that one might have been bad. If it was something in the gas, all of them should have deteriorated the same way. Just keep an eye on them and see if it happens again. I've found that some of the replacement Jag parts are not great, and vary from supplier to supplier. No reason why the originals lasted 30 years but the replacements won't last 6 months. Good luck with it.