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How long can petrol sit in your tank?


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#26 enderwigginau

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Posted 16 September 2009 - 02:06 PM

Half a bottle of metho added to a FULL tank of petrol approx every 6 months will help eliminate water in your cars fuel tank.

Herne


Half a bottle!!!! That's a lot of metho in the tank.
A cup every so often is a better plan. You then won't have carby, seal or plug issues.

Butane is bubbled through the fuel to raise octane ( ever wondered what that vapour was, rising out of the fuel filler? :P )
As soon as you fill up, the octane has dropped from the measured/reported value.

Vehicle fuel tanks ARE NOT sealed (required to be vented/breathing in ADRs) so as the butane and other volatiles (light compounds) "boil off" the fuel further degrades as these release to the atmosphere.
The better quality your fuel (Premium, 100RON, Av Gas) the faster this will occur.

Caltex struggled for many years to achieve standard grade ULP............make up your own mind on using their Premium.

Add to this that Shell optimax (or equivalent premium) has contained detergents for many years and BP now has this.
When left to sit, the detergent settles out as the fuel degrades.........

Grant..

#27 TerrA LX

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Posted 16 September 2009 - 09:39 PM

Just think about this when you go comparing fuels, each state has several different brands and grades but each state only has ONE or TWO refineries...

#28 _gen3torrie_

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Posted 16 September 2009 - 11:55 PM

OK. So the PULP in my drop tank would still be allright after 3 months? Seeing as that's how long it takes between refills.
Or would I be better off half filling it?

Just thinking, thats all.


you actually get to see your drop tank full

f*ck me it must be a small drop tank im getting a 120l and i doubt i'll ever see it full

Working within the fuel industry I must agree with TerrA LX.

I shouldn't (legally) be commenting but i personally I, Don't refuel any of my vehicle's when a Tanker is dicharging at a Site, Use anything but Premium Unleaded even in my daily drive and Stick to a Site that has a high turnover of product.


whys that is that cos it pushes the old petrol to the pumps?

cheers josh p.s i only run my daily and torana on BP ULTIMATE

#29 _mello92_

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Posted 17 September 2009 - 12:30 AM

My droppy is about 90lts Joshy boy.

Factor in my super economical 6 and yeah, it stays full for a while mate.

:)



#30 AbsynthHatch

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Posted 18 September 2009 - 12:21 AM

Josh
I can only speak as to what happens in Nth Qld, its probably the same else where.
It doesn't matter how matter how times these Service station changes their brand name, refurbishes itself etc, its still the same 30 000 litre tanks sitting in the ground.
These tanks inadvertently start to fill with water, either through condensation, or via rain at delivery time...etc.
Mix that with all the dirt and muck that has accumalated in the tanks over the years, all getting stirred up when a Tanker is discharging..... A good reason to stay away.

Anyone ever seen a service station underground tank being cleaned.... You won't, it doesn't happen.
The only time they would get pumped out is when a shandy occurs. (2 incompatible fuels mistankenly get unloaded on top of each other)
An example would be diesel was unloaded by mistake into the ULP tank.
This shandy fuel would get pumped out of the tank into another tanker, taken back to the terminal and pumped back into the Bulk Unleaded tank. The ratio of 30 000 litres of tainted fuel on top of 30 000 000 litres probably ain't to bad. (There is a joke that if it will burn, put it in the ULP tank??? Sad hey)
Why do I stick to PULP, cause I've seen what goes into the ULP tanks and I don't want that going into my fuel tank.

In Nth Qld we have all the major fuel retailers plus a couple of independants. ( Shell Caltex Mobil BP etc) Catex and BP are the only 2 companies with a sea port and storage facilities here, so their ships are the only ones to deliver fuel here... therefore Shell and Mobil's fuel will always be either Caltex or BP's.
Its all done on what the Oil Companies call the Borrow and Loan system.

#31 _mumstaxi_

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Posted 18 September 2009 - 08:50 AM

Pic of what moisture in your fuel tank can do....

http://s83.photobuck...eltanksmall.jpg


i would have posted the pic instead of a link but don't know how to do it now with the new forum layout ?




MT

Edited by mumstaxi, 18 September 2009 - 08:54 AM.


#32 TerrA LX

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Posted 18 September 2009 - 09:18 AM

i would have posted the pic instead of a link but don't know how to do it now with the new forum layout ?




MT


From your photobucket page just copy "IMG CODE" and paste it here.

#33 _mumstaxi_

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Posted 18 September 2009 - 01:15 PM

Posted Image

Thanks mate, i was using the "insert image" icon as i used to before !


MT

#34 MRLXSS

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Posted 18 September 2009 - 01:20 PM

^^ YUCK! No wonder i am always changing my fuel filter!

#35 _mumstaxi_

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Posted 18 September 2009 - 02:28 PM

Here is another shot showing the tank floor, all the dark brown bits are loose rust flakes and a sandy type crud (about 3mm thick) that looked like the sea bed.



Posted Image


You can understand why i replaced this tank rather than try and clean it out and coat it. :mellow:




MT

#36 enderwigginau

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Posted 26 September 2009 - 10:52 PM

Uh-huh, always coat the interior of new or refurbished tanks, and make sure the strainer on the fuel outlet line is in good condition.

Grant..

#37 _drs88_

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Posted 02 November 2009 - 07:09 PM

I work as a bush pilot up north and we refuel from some dodgy looking drums that sit in the heat for 12 months or so, and this has resulted in checking for gravy running down the legs on several occasions! and AVGAS is filtered allot more than MOGAS.

Cheers,

Dan

#38 _BrettLH253_

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Posted 06 November 2009 - 01:07 PM

This is making me want to get out and drive the torana more often. Probably only fill up every 3 months with the 100ltr drop tank. Sometimes it doesnt even get driven or started for 6 or so weeks.

Good points raised. With premium unleaded, wouldnt servos have smaller tanks as they know it will get used less?

Cheers
Brett

#39 enderwigginau

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Posted 09 November 2009 - 08:26 PM

That would be a big fat NO :P




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