[FC] Winter storage

[Bryan Blackwell]

On Dec 23, 2010, at 4:16 PM, Ben and Lynn Stiles wrote:

> Is there a reliable additive that will help to keep things fresh? I have 
> tried to find ethanol-free gas locally, but those who sell it are 
> getting harder to find- and soon it will be impossible as new regulation 
> comes into play.

Here's what I said on the subject at a recent meeting of our local club (Northern Virginia Corvairs):

In the past, I've not done much to prepare the Corvairs for winter, generally our cars don't sit that much to warrant any extra prep.  In the last couple of years, I'd had problems with the '66 on startup - nothing major, but a lot of rough running until we got some fresh gas.  Then, the '62 wagon ended up with some green deposits in the carbs, and it didn't really run very well at all after sitting for a few months.  Concurrent with this were some things I read about problems with alcohol blended fuels.

So, I did a little research.  Most of the problems with alcohol blends (the 10% blend we see around here) centered around two things:

- The alcohol works like a sponge, and pulls moisture in from the air.  This results in the green corrosion I found in the carbs.
- It also dries out gaskets, which can lead to metering problems in carbs.

So, with the weather getting chilly it seems that we won't be driving the Corvairs much for a while, I filled both cars up with fresh premium, and added per the instructions:

- Marine Stabil, to keep the fuel fresh longer
- Marvel Mystery oil, to prevent corrosion and preserve the gaskets

Both cars got a ten mile or so drive to ensure the additives mixed and got through the system.  We'll see how that works out come spring.

--Bryan

Bryan Blackwell bryan at skiblack.com
http://autoxer.skiblack.com/
 Corvairs: '62 700 Wagon, '64 Greenbrier, '65 Corsa, '66 Corsa
 '69 Road Runner, '09 Ford F-150, '99 Neon R/T
 Kid cars: 00 Grand Marquis, 00 Miata
"Why do something if you're not going to obsess about it?"