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Veteran
Posts: 209
Location: christchurch New Zealand | looking for advice and preferably with tried and tested results, for a fuel stabiliser. With the number of cars i have ,regular use is not as good as it used to
be and now running into of issues of stale fuel, resulting in gas tank rusting internally, failure of fuel sender and compounding carb problems mostly in the idle
circuits. Vehicles are kept in a warm dry warehouse. Admittedly the gas we get in NZ is not but much better than dressed up water, have looked at what's on the shelves
locally but all seem haver conflicting comments to their success.
Av gas is an option, but not owning an airplane makes that option difficult.
Thanks Geoff
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Expert
Posts: 4196
 
Location: Connecticut | My cars may sit for six months or more over the winter. I use Startron. Recommended to me as the only one to use. Supposed to keep fuel stable for up to two years. I just started both my Plymouth and DeSoto after sitting a year. Both started and ran well. I drove the Plymouth for an hour. No problems. Ron
Edited by ronbo97 2025-09-26 8:17 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 116
Location: North Germany | Hello Geoff,
I have also stored some of my vehicles for 1.5 years. Not only FWL cars, but also newer ones from 1980 with fuel injection systems.
I should mention that I live in Germany, so I don't know what the fuel situation is like where you are.
When I park the cars, I fill them with high-octane gasoline and add two-stroke oil. About 2%, which protects against corrosion and also protects the carburetor and fuel injection system.
The tank must be filled to the top. Then I add a bottle of gasoline stabilizer. This is available here from Liqui Moly ( https://www.liqui-moly.com/de/de/benzinstabilisator-p000050.html?srs... ), and I'm sure there is something similar in NZL.
So far, I haven't had any real problems; the cars always started well and I was able to use the gasoline in the tank.
Best regards,
Roger
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13163
 
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | I just fill the tank up with 95 octane. No additives at all. Never had any problems.
I do think that Rogers idea is good or fuel injection cars. |
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Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 10418
Location: So. Cal | I've used fuel stabilizers before and they did seem to work. However, the problem I've had is that I sporadically use the car and never know when I am done for long periods of time. So I end up using a lot of that stuff before I actually stop driving it. Eventually, I started to just put small amounts of fuel into it and then use an electric pump to suck it out if there is a good chance I won't drive it for a while. |
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Expert
Posts: 3139
Location: N.W. Fla. | geoffs60 - 2025-09-26 5:35 PM
resulting in gas tank rusting internally, failure of fuel sender and compounding carb problems mostly in the idle
circuits.
Sounds like ethanol contaminated gas. Is non-ethanol gas available? |
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Expert
Posts: 3853
Location: NorCal |
Fuel stabilizers are intended to extend the useful life of gasoline, which has a shelf life, but few realize that the fuel stabilizer itself has a shelf life too...typically two years after the bottle is opened
And who knows how long the stabilizer has been sitting on a shelf before you purchased it? |
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Veteran
Posts: 116
Location: North Germany | Powerflite - 2025-09-26 6:29 PM
I've used fuel stabilizers before and they did seem to work. However, the problem I've had is that I sporadically use the car and never know when I am done for long periods of time. So I end up using a lot of that stuff before I actually stop driving it. Eventually, I started to just put small amounts of fuel into it and then use an electric pump to suck it out if there is a good chance I won't drive it for a while.
The problem here is that there is a large amount of space in the tank that is empty, and moisture accumulates there—usually at the top of the tank. This then leads to rust. That's why you should always fill a tank to the top. Of course, this only applies to metal tanks; it doesn't matter with plastic ones. Unfortunately, I've had cases like this myself.
The tank in the picture was stored for 5 years with less than half a tank of fuel.
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Expert
Posts: 4196
Location: Connecticut | My preferred method for our old Mopars is to remove the tank, clean, then use a sealant on the inside. As a bonus, you can replace the filter at the end of the pickup tube which has probably disintegrated over the years. Ron |
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Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 10418
Location: So. Cal | Zorc - 2025-10-03 4:50 AM
The problem here is that there is a large amount of space in the tank that is empty, and moisture accumulates there—usually at the top of the tank. This then leads to rust. That's why you should always fill a tank to the top. Of course, this only applies to metal tanks; it doesn't matter with plastic ones. Unfortunately, I've had cases like this myself.
The tank in the picture was stored for 5 years with less than half a tank of fuel.
That's only a problem in humid climates or where you have large temperature swings. Not so much of a problem in s. Cal or Arizona. |
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fuel issues
