fuel life

[dripley]

i filled my tank up the day my tranny crapped out. so it is sitting in the driveway with a full tank of fuel. it could be a couple of months before i get it back on the road. how long can the the fuel sit there before it degrades and is there something i can doto prolong its life? really dont have anything else to run it in.

[MnTom]

A couple of months shouldn't be a problem. A couple of winters ago my truck sat almost all winter (only put 400 miles on) and had zero problems with the fuel.

[Mopar1973Man]

We've got fire truck in the valley that sit with the very same fuel for years... Like I know of 1 fire truck where it just started and ran for a few minutes and shutdown. Never driven... They buy diesel for every few years... I've got a drum of diesel sitting in the yard that is sealed and about 4 years old and it just fine...

[jshmohr]

Diesel fuel will store fine UNLESS it has any BIO in it the Bio fuel has a much shorter shelf life and will promote the growth of bactieria and othe crap. Like me I am blessed to have that SH@% in every fill because my stat mandates it in all our fuel:doh:

[dripley]

very very little bio out here. i think i wil just get me a tranny and let the fuel lay. appreciate the info guys.

[Mopar1973Man]

No bio around me... I've got to haul to a big city to even find some...

[MnTom]

Around here the state says ALL diesel fuel is supposed to be a minimum 2% bio.

[dripley]

when i was in OK they sold B5 at the love's i was working at. a sticker on the pump said that it could contain up to 20%. does that ring true with yall's experience or am i i just dreaming that it said 20%? meant to ask yall that while i was there.

[AH64ID]

It wouldn't hurt to add a stabilizer to it. My dad's commercial fishing boat would get filled up every August and not started until April, every year for the 15+ years he owned that boat.. never a fuel related issue. He did use Amsoil Diesel Concentrate as well, which is a fuel stabilizer. I also use it every tank and these days can go 2+ months without a fill.

[MnTom]

Yes, Dripley, the fuel can have up to 20% bio. Also, I had a 1994 CTD in my garage for two years with a full tank and it ran just fine.

[CSM]

Gasoline "varnishes" due to evaporation of some of the light hydrocarbons, and the reaction of Oxygen with some of the stuff in Gas. That stuff is mosty additives, 100LL Aviation Gasoline won't varnish as bad or nearly as fast. This is due to 00LL having minimal additives and you can easily tell as it still has that pure "old school" gasoline smell. Diesel has heavier hydrocarbons, so it doesn't have as many light hydrocarbons (solvents) to evaporate. Diesel also has a lot fewer additives, so the oxidation process is minimal. Diesel and even gasoline will last for a LONG time when properly stored. Usually Oxygen and Heat are the primary contributors to varnishing. If you think about it, its been stored for "millions of years" (an unknown, but very long time) in rocks and came out of the well just fine. Its usually the additives we put in gas and the way we store it are what kills it.

[mr.mindless]

. If you think about it, its been stored for "millions of years" (an unknown, but very long time) in rocks and came out of the well just fine. Its usually the additives we put in gas and the way we store it are what kills it.

Not a real good analogy.... Refineries aren't just for their looks and pleasant scent.

[CSM]

Not a real good analogy.... Refineries aren't just for their looks and pleasant scent.

Neither are oil wells. I was pulling tools out of one in Utah last month and the neither the scent or looks were very appealing.

[MnTom]

Neither are oil wells. I was pulling tools out of one in Utah last month and the neither the scent or looks were very appealing.

Yea, crude doesn't smell very good at all........

[TD52]

TX has nothing but mixed fuel .. they had to remove a lot of the surfer and use corn as the mixture and also banned all places that made bio-fuel .. because the state said they were going to make it and there will be no competition But they do not make Bio-fuel .. they just wanted the fuel to be taxed and if you are using waist oil from fryers it can not be charged road tax

[Dave3500]

If you're worried about it, add a fuel stabilizer. Lucas is supposed to blend fuel even with water.

[dripley]

i am not really worried about. just finished putting my truck together and getting ready burning it up.:hyper:

[Dave3500]

i am not really worried about. just finished putting my truck together and getting ready burning it up.:hyper:

Cool!

[RJC2]

I have had fuel (off road diesel) for two and a half years now in the farm storage tank. I am just getting ready to refill it. (big $ this time). The tractors run fine. I have thought about algae in it but "thank the good Lord" it has been fine so far. I average that length of time for each refill. Last one was $1.69/gal. if I remember right. One farmer told me he had a problem with algae. It killed the injectors in his new John Deere, a $127,000 tractor.

[dripley]

makes my time frame pretty insignificant.