RE:Fuel deterioration in winter storage (la bomba baby)

["JOHN FAGERLUND" <jrf@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Michiel,

An open fuel tank full of fumes is a bomb waiting to go off.  When the tank
is emptied, it is full of gasoline vapors.  One spark, and the car and
surrounding stuff (maybe you) are toast.  If you feel you must have an
empty tank for winter, syphon the gas out, carefully remove the tank, pour
the remaining fuel out, then vent the tank to remove residual vapors.
To vent I don't mean open her up.  You need an air source (sparkless)
blowing fresh air into the tank and the vapors out.  This should be kept up
for a few hours.  While in the Navy, the fuel cells on the aircraft were
vented for 24hrs.  During this time, no one was allowed on board for safety
reasons.

One suggestion would be to fill your tank and buy a can of fuel
preservative from your local parts store to keep your gas fresh.

For only a couple months, I don't believe you will have much of a problem
with fuel going bad.  There may be some other issues with the fuel system
and the goo that is left behind when the gas evaporates.  Again, I don't
know how much of a problem this will be in a cold climate.

Happy Winter

John Fagerlund
'95 540iA, BMWeee
'91 Golden Retreiver/Yellow Lab, a blonde with high center of gravity
(Carol Dota?)
'96 Terrier, great at power slides on tile


>Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 18:48:26 -0500
>From: Michiel van Wessem <jmvw@domain.elided>
>Subject: Fuel deterioration in winter storage
>
>Isn't it possible to just drain the fuel tank? Maybe like this: attach a
>nice long piece of cheap fuel hose to something in the engine compartment
>that has fuel pressure and put it in the fuel opening of another vehicle
>and keep the ignition in run position until all the gas has been pumped
>out. Hey experts, does the fuel pump stay active if the car isn't started?
>
>When storing the car without fuel, maybe leave the gas cap off and tie a
>piece of cloth over the fuel opening so there won't be any water
>condensation in the tank (avoiding corrossion). Check the smell in your
>garage every now and then though, if too much gas would get in the air,
>there's a danger of explosion.
>
>Ok, these things are just ideas. What I say may be utterly stupid.
>
>Michiel

------------------------------