Using Sta-Bil in gas tank

Retired Bob · August 12, 2015

My 2014 Silverado LT does not get driven very much so the gas tank can, at times, have fuel in it that has not been refreshed with new fuel. I do use TopTier gas (Shell and BP). Would there be any value in adding some of the blue (marine) Sta-Bil to help with the 1) freshness and 2) the water associated with ethanol gas (10% or less)?

Robert.jean1 · August 12, 2015

Never used the product. I don't ride my HD Roadglide in the winter very often and haven't had one issue with gas going bad and that's with it sitting sometimes for three or so months.

SouthpawHD · August 12, 2015

Not sure marine Sta Bil would is what you want. They use it in marine applications because of the water and moisture that is obviously in the area. Unless your truck is parked in water or subjected to areas of high moisture content, I would not use that.

How long does a tank of gas sit in your truck?

irish4life8911 · August 12, 2015

I would recommend starbright instead. Made for ethanol fuels....

http://www.starbrite.com/item/star-tron-gasoline-additive?category_id=569

Sells in advanced auto, Wal-Mart, auto zone...

Spurshot · August 12, 2015

I don't know what's in Sta-bil, but the manual says don't put anything in the tank except gasoline and GM fuel treatment P/N 88861013. Fixing a fouled fuel system is what you're trying to avoid. I'd follow the Owners Manual. Maybe make a point of driving the truck often enough to burn a tank every month or two is cheaper than possible mechanical problems?

larryz71 · August 12, 2015

I burn about a tank every 1-2 months during warm months and will not be driving it at all in the winter (Terrified of road salt, and have a company vehicle).

I use SeaFoam from AutoZone in every tank.

ghgmi · August 12, 2015

Buy less gas. You don't have to fill the tank.

At the end of my old truck's life, I was only using it for errands on weekends. I was worried about gas going bad like you are, so I switched to buying gas a half-tank at a time instead of filling it.

Edit: After reading some comments below, I want to clarify that I'm not advising partial tank fills to store a vehicle. I'm advising more frequent fills for a lightly but continually used vehicle.

ghgmi · August 12, 2015

I use SeaFoam from AutoZone in every tank.

I think SeaFoam's the automotive equivalent of chiropractice. I'll never use it.

larryz71 · August 12, 2015

I think SeaFoam's the automotive equivalent of chiropractice. I'll never use it.

Anyone else have an opinion? I am not a mechanic by any stretch, but I thought SeaFoam was a really good product if you want to preserve the quality of gas for extended periods of time?

Thanks

soltys · August 12, 2015

Anyone else have an opinion? I am not a mechanic by any stretch, but I thought SeaFoam was a really good product if you want to preserve the quality of gas for extended periods of time?

Thanks

I've used SeaFoam for long term storage of my sleds, boats and my last car that use to sit in the winter and even the lawnmower. Vehicles stored in the cold has a less chance of the gas going bad because it doesn't turn as fast in cold weather. But in the hot summer, my sleds have never had an issue when I've used SeaFoam.

The good part about seafoam is you can add it afterwards if the gas has already turned bad and it will help it burn more cleanly to get it out of the tank. Did that one year that I didn't use it in my sled and the first start up in the fall, it wouldn't run because the gas was bad (bad gas has a different smell). So I put in some seafoam let it activate and it was totally different. It will also act like an injector/fuel line cleaner that will also help removed anything that may have turned inside the lines.

SkiBum5.0 · August 12, 2015

Buy less gas. You don't have to fill the tank.

At the end of my old truck's life, I was only using it for errands on weekends. I was worried about gas going bad like you are, so I switched to buying gas a half-tank at a time instead of filling it.

No. To store the vehicle you want a full tank. Just use automotive Sta-Bil or other fuel stabilizer plus high quality, premium octane fuel. If it's sitting for less than 6 months at a time this should be fine. You should also increase tire pressure to near max to avoid flat spots if it is sitting for months at a time.

TJay74 · August 12, 2015

You want a full tank to keep moisture out of the tank. Stabil will help as well. I have used Seafoam for years and it works, plenty of documentation on it.

ghgmi · August 13, 2015

No. To store the vehicle you want a full tank. Just use automotive Sta-Bil or other fuel stabilizer plus high quality, premium octane fuel. If it's sitting for less than 6 months at a time this should be fine. You should also increase tire pressure to near max to avoid flat spots if it is sitting for months at a time.

Agree you want a full tank to store a vehicle. But the OP didn't say he was going to do that. He said that it doesn't get driven much. If he can arrange it so that he needs to buy gas about once a month, he'll not have old gas.

But yes, full tank for storage (and no-ethanol gas at that if you can get it in your area).