Anyone with past experience with storing their bikes in excess of six months or so. Any problems with adding fuel stabilizer or draining fuel completely? Suggestions are welcomed....[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

This time of year I keep all my machines full with double the recommended amounts and do as it suggests on the bottle of Sta-Bil.

Have no problems with starting and another reason I do this is with all the machines I have they all make excellent storage tanks for fuel if the electricity goes out and I need to fire up the generator.

Some people run theml but some fuel will still remain and will dry out during the off season leaving deposits.

I have been leaving them full for years now and start the winter fuel project long before its needed so the treated fuel is all through the system.

I have had good luck with this method since 1990 with the generators, lawnmowers, weedeaters, chainsaws etc.

I am not saying this is right but it works for myself.

 

I do the same thing and it works for me !!!!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

It all depends on your climate and how long your going to let your quad sit. In general, it is NOT a good idea to drain all of the fuel out of your vehicle. This not only goes for quads, but any conbustion engine where you have metal fuel lines and tanks. When you drain the fuel out, something must take its place, and more times than not it is moist damp air (depending on temperature and humidity). The moisture in the air condenses out and leaves water in your fuel lines which cause rust and will eventually end up in your engine.

On the other hand, you do not want to leave untreated fuel in your vehicle. Shelf life of gasoline from a gas station is approximately 1-2 months, then the fuel mix starts to break down. The octane rating decreases as smaller chain carbon molecules are made due to the fuel breaking down. If you add a stabilizer, it does not matter how much you add as long as its the amount required to treat a quantity of gas. e.g. If 5mL is needed to treat 1 gallon of gas, adding 10mL to that same gallon will not aid in the fuel stability. The stabilizer complexes with the carbon molecules and prevents degradation for some time and also absorbs some water. Remember though the stabilizer has a shelf life as well. And you should NOT treat the same gas with stabilizer over and over again. The typical life of the stabilized gas is probably in the range of 5-7months.

So, in regards to your initial question, do not drain the tank. If you are storing it for under 5-6 months use a fuel stabilizer. If you are storing it for over 6 months, use a fuel stabilizer to keep some water out of the gas and drain the gas out of the tank and refill with fresh gas before you start. You do not need to drain all the gas out of the lines as this would be insignificant to the amount of gas in the tank.

Hope this helps,
Matt

 

I hope one of you can help with my problem. I've got an ATV that I used about a month ago (mid November) for a short while. It didn't exhibit any fuel problems. The tank was about 1/4 full, and was used for a very short while during that month (not much fuel burned). It's an '87 Honda 350TRX. It has been sitting since then, and the weather got very cold here (-28 C at one point). I suspect I have fuel problems. I started it a few days ago, but after running for a short while, it stalled, and I could not start it again. A buddy suggested he could smell bad fuel, as said it smelled like burning shellac and not fuel. I did not use stabilizer on the bike.

Do I need to drain the tank now, or will adding stabilizer to the existing fuel solve some problems? What about the carb? Is it likely gummed up, and if so, is there some fuel additive that can clean it sufficiently to make things good?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Joel

 

Get new fuel. Clean your carb via following the directions in your manual(if u dont have one, get one). Dont bother adding fuel stabilizers, if youre going to continue riding. I dont think that you can use an additive to clean it out, and plus you can get it alot cleaner by taking it apart and cleaning it.

 

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I have Never stored any of my bikes in excess of six months,,,although i would never drain the fuel. Dump a little sta-bil in it.

 

Once the fuel has gone bad, it wont do any good to add stabilizer. The stabliizer needs to be added to good fuel, to keep it good.
All my quads have plastic tanks,rubber gas lines, and magnesium carbs, nothing steel touches gas. so no rust worries for me. I leave the tank with about enough gas to fill the reserve area, and add stabilizer. if I go for a ride, I only add enough gas, that will get used up, this way I always have fresh enough gas to keep from having carb problems.
Everytime i park my quads, even if i know im using it next weekend, i shut off the gas, and let the motor idle til it kills. This completely drains the float bowl, and keeps the carb passages from plugging up.