We'll just check that old fuel pump and -- eew!

Sta-Bil seems to work fine with the new alcoholic fuel, at least I haven't had any problems with my gas supply I use for my mower, generator, etc. that I always put Sta-Bil in and store for a fairly long time.

I would think the best course of action would be to:

- Siphon most of the contents out of the tank into a "crap fuel" can, leaving a gallon or two.

- Pour a half gallon of the Sea Foam cleaner into the tank.

- Pump the fuel through the lines and out into the "crap fuel" can, letting the Sea Foam clean a lot of the crud from the lines and pump.

- Fill the tank with a few gallons of fresh fuel with the remaining half gallon of Sea Foam added and run the engine for a good while to clear residual crud out.

- After running most of the strong Sea Foam fuel through the engine, add an appropriate amount of Sta-Bil and fill the tank with fresh gas.

As for the "crap fuel" can contents, either bring it to one of the household hazardous waste collection days, or just use it to start campfires or brush burns.

Two Pauls agree. It's not gas anymore, get it out of there. Getting rid of it depends on where you live. Here, we have to let it evaporate or burn it, can't find anyone to reponsibly recycle it, and it's dangerous to keep around until toxic day at the dump.

Gas preservative is little more than one tablespoon of BTH food preservative (health food stores) mixed into ten gallons of gas. It will slow the escape of the volatiles in gas, but one they are gone, its crap.

Think about the hygroscopic properties of the ethanol present in modern gasoline. All that moisture it attracts and resulting rust it either causes or dissolves out of an old tank.

I wouldn't run that gas through anything. Drain the tank. Rinse it and the fuel lines with a few gallons of fresh gas. Put the old gas and the results of the rinsing into a suitable container and dispose of it at the nearest hazardous waste site.

Install a good filter and keep your fingers crossed.

I tried to burn old gas in a brush pile, the stuff wouldn't even burn until it got hot.

Richard W.

I've had gas congeal and turn into a noxious jell once - ruined the inside of a pristing gas tank too..... the fuel separated into a water layer and a layer of this stuff that was probably some primitive form of napalm.

Hey Bill, look what i dragged home yesterday!

27 Willys, all mechanicals in place and turns freely, body from dash back missing. If we can get it to run it will become a speedster.

An article I recently read on plug-in hybrids said that they expect gas to keep well for at least 6 months in the sealed tank the EPA requires on modern vehicles. The gas isn't exposed to moisture and unlimited oxygen the way it is in a lawnmower. Actually it keeps well over the winter in my lawnmower which has a cardboard gas cap gasket with only a tiny pinhole vent.

BHT is an anti-oxidant that (in plain English) helps keep the gas from turning rancid.

jsw

Awesome looking car. I am jealous. It looks solid enough. Jesse

Stupendous Man wrote: ...

Oh, that is cool! What's the story behind it?

Bob

Suggestion: start right now with photo documentation of it & your work. You'll regret it otherwise.

I had a really rusty tank on my '51 International. I took the tank out, drained the ancient gas, put soapy water and rocks in it and tumbled it around for a long time and drained it. Did this several times. Dried it thoroughly and reinstalled it. Within a month's driving the inline filter plugged up with rust flakes; it seems that you'll never get all the stuff out. My solution was to buy another inline filter, the clear plastic type, and tape a small supermagnet to the outside. Thee magnet draws the rust to the side of the filter and keeps it from plugging up so soon. Lasts a year or more this way. The smaller filter at the carb I blow out once in a while. A magnet won't work on it because it has a steel case.

Dan

Dump it, flush it with some fresh gas, use Sta-Bil when you fill it again. Had this problem with year old gas in christmas tree processing equipment. Stuff looked like lumpy orange juice. NOT rust---the machines used plastic boat tanks for fuel. Seems to help a bit if you keep the tank full if it's going to set for a long time.

Coat it with a polymer like Red Kote. I have been using it for many years. Here's some on Ebay.

It has very little effect on the volatiles, actually - but it slows down oxidation and rancidification of the "oils" that make up the fuel.

SeaFoam in itself is also a stabilizer, so no need to buy 2 products.

Cushman identified a bacteria that can grow in old gasoline, in the tanks of their Cushman Trackster,

anyway. Pretty hard to get rid of apparently. Clogs the filters in the tank and generally makes a mess of everything. I don't think it is killed by alcohol.

Pete Stanaitis

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