ok.. Emtpy or full tank before winter??
 

I hear so many mixed opinions from the guys in my area on filling up or leaving it empty, like to know what you all feel on it. I fear the condensation build up over 5-6 months hear in Michigan. So whats your thoughts??

Empty. Even though I can still get real gas here in Wisconsin (ethanol free), I still put her to sleep empty.

I have stored them full and empty. There are plusses and minuses to both ways. I just make sure I treat what is left and have yet to have an issue. I top it off in the spring and take it easy for the first tank.

I have stored 1/2 full each time for the last few years with ethanol laced gas, treated with Stabil marine and HAVE never had a problem the following year starting and running. Just make sure you treat what is left in the tank.

Do not store full like I did a few years ago. It expanded in storage and came out the overflow valve. The ethanol ate the paint off the side of the boat.

Two half tanks the last three years treated with Marvel Mystery oil and ran through the entire system plus heavy engine fog with same . NO problems !

loaded question,,,,,ethanol mix,,,,or pure gas?


100% fuel, full,,,,,mix,,,,,empty

EMPTY! No questions on whats going on in there then.

Empty. The last thing I want is my boat sitting in an enclosed storage garage for 6months full of fuel.:rolleyes: Take the boat out for one last run, before cleaning it and putting it away for the winter... Just my .02..:)

With Ethanol gas, its good for around 90 days and with Phase Seperation I empty my tank all the way.

fixx
 

I have been storing my boat completely empty for the last 25 yrs,,i have a steel gas tank in my donzi OE from 1977..last year i did a fuel sender and just for giggles i put my boar scope in the hole to have a look inside,,,not a spec of rust,some s h i t on the bottom which i sucked out with my vacula but other then that it was mint inside..unherd of for a donzi fuel tank,they usually rot through by now so i guess draining it must have helped..i also tape off the uver flow so nothing can get into the tank..

empty!

I store my boat outside in lower Michigan. I have always just treated what is left in the tank with Stabil. Last year I only had 1/4 tank (80 gallon tank). Filled he up in the Spring and never had an issue.

I would drain it. Ethanol is a water magnet, and Stabil does nothig for that. I've already found this out the hard way with my garden power equipment. I've replaced three carburetors and one engine (about the same price as the darn carburetor).

Michael

What's paint? Us West Coast guys have gelcoat. ;)

I'm just a cheap ass and put it in my truck at the end of the season. Empty the last 10yrs + with no treatments.

How do you guys empty the tank if you cant get out on the water any more?

I just pull the fuel hose off and put a automotive pump on it and pump it into 5 gallon gas tanks.

The pros of an empty tank as I see it is that if the fuel goes bad it will be less to deal with. If you go out in the spring and fill up you will be going out with all new fuel. The cons is that as I understand it it is more likely to phase seperate with less in the tank. If the small amount does seperate all the new fuel will be bad anyhow and you will have to deal with all htat bad fuel. Less fuel in the tank means that you are more likely to have moisture build up in the tank, especially if you are storing it outside with the temperature differences. I have sarted to add Mercury 2 stroke mixing oil into all my hard equipment and since I started doing that I have had much better luck. Even my chain saw that I had not used for 2 years started up easily. I am not sure if Mercury is adding anything to their oil to help or what but that is my new plan to treat what is in the tank.

Empty

I pull the fuel line off and hit the vent tube with compressed air, once it starts flowing it siphons itself out until empty.

Also a great time to reset the gauge sending units for empty, the fill up in the spring gets me the setting for full.

After draining I run my engines until they stall, then pull the water sep, dump it, and reinstall empty.

I agree above, tape off the vent lines until you are ready to go in the spring. Mud wasps and spiders love those tubes.

I pumped mine out by pulling the fuel line off before the fuel filters, and pumping it into 55 gallon drums. Then used same pump to fill daily driver all winter.

I would never do full usually about 1/4 to a half then treat it

Electric fuel pumps. Do not crank over with an ignition on and coil hooked up! You might need to bypass the oil pressure switch.

here at bp stations we can get premium without ethanol. i always run that. put it away with under half tank in it treat it and open season i put at least ten gallons of race fuel just to bump up what i have to avoid the big D.

decades of boat'n, put'm away w/ whatevers in there w/ proper stabilizer added of course, never a prob!!

Empty!! Use the remaining gas in your other gear, might as well, you paid for it.

Nothing like a FRESH full tank in the spring for peace of mind. Plus any moisture that might collect in the tank during the off season will get diluted away with the new fuel in the Spring.

I built my portable siphoning system out of a Holley electric fuel pump, 20 feet of fuel line, and some clamps and hose barbs for about $50.

Both my tanks get drained bone dry right into my truck.

Done both - never a bit of anything in the fuel filters the following season and never a bit of problem. Don't over think it.

Getting the boat properly winterized is MUCH more important than your fuel level. Just throw some stabilizer in it and forget it.

never really looked at fuel levels just treated it with "some" sabilizer. Probalby over treat.

Beginning of year put higher grade fuel.

No problems. Knock on wood!

Be careful not to over pressurize the tank. Do no use line pressure. Use only regulated air. 20psi should be plenty.

Bingo.

If you choose to store it empty, I would tape over the vent(s). That's a lot of air volume to heat/cool/heat/cool over the winter, which means lots of condensation. Add ethanol-laced fuel in the spring, and you get a higher probability of phase separation.

Storing it (almost) full = very little air space = very little condensation.

Personally, I'd prefer to store mine empty and sealed. I hate the idea of $800 sitting there, not doing me any good.

Always stored it with 3/4 tank with stabilizer. Never had a problem but my friend working at a Marina says that they say to empty the tank because of the Ethanol. Will continue to do what I have done for years until there is a problem.

I do the same and never a problem..fill it in the spring with higher octane gas...I use Startron year round

in your area may be diff

Ive been draining mine since 1990.Especialy with a blower motor I don't want old Oct to March 93 Oct that has lost how much oct?

On my Hustler I can take the fill hose off and see the bottom of the tank,When I redid the boat 09 I looked and there wasn't any residue or trash etc in the tank, it was dry.

Saying that I haven't run a fuel water separator/filter since2005:eek: But I buy my gas at the same Chevron every time, I'm full even when I leave town. A.D.D.

Agreed, in the Northeast all we can get is ethanol laced fuel and I've learned my lesson over the last couple of years with the damage this crap fuel can cause while in extended storage. It's amazing how crappy the inside of carbs look after the ethanol sits in there for a while.

Another issue is gas looses its octane as it sits, so those with engines that require the high octane fuel are better off not letting the fuel sit for extended periods anyway.

This year I've drained the tanks and I'm pumping in some av-gas treaded with a little MMO and Seafoam through the fuel system and engines before storing it. No ethanol and there shouldn't be any low octane issues next season either (should I use the boat, haha!) I'm doing the same with all of my summer cars, bike, and power equipment... this fu@king ethanol blended fuel sucks! :hothead:

SS930- Is Avgas lead free now? The old Avgas (1980s-1990s) had lots of lead. I know they were working on a lead free blend.

we just use ours all year long!!

Ouch, that hurts! We had frost here in Michigan the other night...:angry-smiley-038:

Still leaded.

Old school trick that still works, especially for the new crap gas- 1 ounce of 2 stroke oil for every 5 gallons of gas. That goes for everthing you own -cars, mowers, boats - I even put it in my diesel jetta since the new fuel sucks. As far as full or empty on the boat , I have 10 gal left in it, load up w/ 2 stroke a little heavy, along with some stabil and run the motors til the mix has run thru them and fog them out, leaving the mix in the system. I pull the remaining fuel out of the tankk and put it in my cars. Been doing this for years with no problems whatsoever. Your electric fuel pumps will also love you for this. The 2 stroke oil can be anything --like the walmart brand for $12 a gallon , as long as it has the additive tcw3 in it . You will notice a difference in the way your vehicles run as well as a small increase in fuel mileage (1-3mpg) with the 1 oz- 5gal ratio after three tank fills. The reason for doing this is the new fuels with ethanol and low sulfer diesel have lost ALOT of the lubricity and this brings it back. It is also ALOT cheaper than all the additives which I no longer use any of. Just my 2 cents :evilb:

I have always left my gas tank half full with fuel stabilizer and have never had a problem. After reading all the comments on this thread, I'm going to continue doing what I have been.

OK.... Is AVGAS Leaded??





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I bought some sunco 110 leaded and mixed it with 100 gal of 93,I could tell a diff in how it ran and Idled cleaner and I could smell it alittle,Sweet smell:drink:Hell I even felt better,lol

Im fixing to tear down and rebuild ,We'll see what the guild and seat look like with a little lead in the motor.

Rob