Storage Question

Joe F

Hi Miles, Lo Maintenance
It's that time again here in New England....winter storage.
I've been storing this X inside or outside for the last 27 years and have had no issues (except for mice).
My question: I normally disconnect the fuel pump and run the car dry prior to storage. I recently read that this is not recommended because it could dry out the O-rings inside the carb (I have dual DCNF's).
Has anyone found this to be true? I would think that the gas in the carb would have evaporated after a few weeks anyway (leaving deposits). I rebuilt these carbs two years ago and replaced all O-rings.
Any comment would be appreciated.
Thanks.
 
Hi Joe,
For a few years, I added fuel stabiliser and tried to get only a slight amount of fuel in the tank.Then I became less "religious" about my storage. I have read a lot of stuff about winter storage and never saw anything about removing fuel from the carbs. I did that on my lawn tractor, but not in the car, even if I ran DCNF's for a long time (now DCOE'S). In fact, if stored Inside, I tried to start the car once a month, using all accessories (raising headamps, etc). and even engaging the transmission (car is on jacks, wheels removed) in first. Never had problem with the carbs after storage.
 
I stored my DCNFs dry for over 20 years and they worked fine when I reinstalled them. They were originally just drained, no cleaner used. I took them apart for a cleaning before reuse but there was really nothing there to clean up.
 
The biggest problem you have when putting your carbureted car away for the winter is the corrosion in the carbs from the alcohol in the gas. If you use alcohol free gas you're much more likely to have less damage during storage.
I think running the gas out of the carbs is a good idea because there will be less gas to gum up as it all evaporates. And it will all evaporate, so the carb will be dry. Will that harm the rubber parts in the carb? I suppose it all depends on the rubber that's used to make the parts? I'm no expert, but my guess is that the rubber parts will age much better dry than when soaked in gas. In my experience, storing dry is much, much, better. YMMV
Does it help to use fuel stabilizer? Maybe, probably?
One thing I like to do is to store the car with a full tank of fuel. (alcohol free please) I do that to help prevent rust from forming in the gas tank. Think about it, if the metal in that tank is exposed to humid air, that comes and goes as the air temps change, then rust will form. I've seen tanks with nasty rust from improper storage. When the tank is full, most of the tank is not exposed to humid air.
If you're concerned about using "old" gas in your car when you recommission it in the spring, drain it out and use it in your lawn mower. (Chances are that the gas won't be bad after only a few months, but...)
So in summary, what's worked best for me is:
Alcohol free gas
Dry carbs
Full gas tank.
 
Good topic. I'm sure we have all had the thought of this question, at some point.
What I have found and noticed is that the fuel that is in the carb bowl usually evaporates over the course of winter. The fuel in the lines also seems to drain back significantly. I know this is the case as it's usually fairly difficult to start in the spring. Not in a "just replaced the entire fuel system" type of difficult, but in a 6-8 solid cranks and multi pumping of the accelerator, type of difficult. Then there's a smoky awaking, and that beautiful sound that I've missed all winter.
Staybil will work, but honestly I can't remember using it religiously, but have used it. Most years I simply roll the car in, and flip the battery disconnect, and walk away. Coming from an aviation background, its common practice to store with fuel tanks topped off. This prevents condensation for building in the tanks, but is probably unnecessary for our cars. I tend to do it anyway, and have yet to encounter the stumbles that sometimes occurs after prolonged storage and water entering the system or crud in the carb. (Learned the hard way one year) since then, this is my ritual. GL
 
Topping off the fuel tank is a must. I replaced a tank some years ago due to it's rusting out from the inside. I also read that products like Stay-bul does not mix with fuel if poured in after car is stored preventing moisture collecting in tank. I have no proof of this.
By the way, starting in the spring requires a spurt of ether into the carbs.
 
When I think I am done driving for the year, I take the cars to the gas station. While at the pump, first I add the proper amount of Sta-Bil to the tank, then I fill the tank, then I drive it around to mix the Sta-Bil into the tank and hopefully get it thru the whole fuel system. I will usually cheat and start the cars once or twice thru the winter.

MikeH, boy I wish we had real gas nearby. I think the closest station with non-alcohol gas is about 2 hours away near one of the popular boating lakes here in central MO.
 
Living out west I have zero experience with vehicle storage. For one thing we can drive them year round, and for another it very rarely gets cold enough to matter if the vehicle is left sitting unused without specific preparation. But I have used fuel stabilizer in things like the pressure washer or a portable generator (small Briggs and Stratton type engines) that are rarely used and it makes a noticeable difference. Carb does not get gummed up and it starts again after sitting without having to do a lot of maintenance first. So I have to assume it will also do the same for cars.

Just saw this article that might be of interest. To be honest I did not read it, just the title, because it has nothing of interest to someone that does not 'store' vehicles. :p
https://classicmotorsports.com/arti...ampaign=CMS+Daily+Newsletter+Automation+Email
 
When I think I am done driving for the year, I take the cars to the gas station. While at the pump, first I add the proper amount of Sta-Bil to the tank, then I fill the tank, then I drive it around to mix the Sta-Bil into the tank and hopefully get it thru the whole fuel system. I will usually cheat and start the cars once or twice thru the winter.

MikeH, boy I wish we had real gas nearby. I think the closest station with non-alcohol gas is about 2 hours away near one of the popular boating lakes here in central MO.

Jim, have you checked this? https://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=MO
 

Yep Dan, that is the site I used to look around MO. The only place in town is a race gas place and I am not sure it is even really still in business. It does look like there are a few new locations within an hour since the last time I checked. I would burn about 10% of a tank getting home, twice, since I have 2 Xs. Maybe I should take my 5 gallon jugs along and have some extra for when I get home. One of the locations looks like it would be a pleasant drive on a nice fall day.
 
I don’t get too anal about it.

I tend to over inflate the tires by a minimum of 10lbs, add Stabil, fill the tank, run it to distribute the Stabil, pull the battery, close the interior vents and add a variety of varmint repellents inside, in the scuttle, the trunks and engine bay. I use sachets that contain mint oil and a few other herbs that has worked well and leaves the car smelling pretty decent. I also use dryer sheets in the engine bay, they are cheaper and hopefully will ward off the insulation biters.

For the cars stored outside I do the above, buy a new large tarp (20x30), drive the car onto it with enough to the one side to wrap fully onto the top surface. I then place additional varmint repellents on the tarp under the car in addition to the interior spaces of the car, I put a soft interior type car cover over the car and then a worn older car cover over that. I then fold the tarp over the car starting with the shorter side up onto the top of the car tying it off onto the rims, jack stub and tow hooks on the far side. I then wrap the front and back over onto the top of the car and tie those back to the first part of the tarp ropes and then bring the long side over the top of the entire car onto the ground below and place pressure treated 2x6s on top of the tarp and will roll them until all the slack is taken up in the tarp. I then externally wrap the tarp with loops of rope to make it conformal with the surfaces of the car to minimize flapping.

So far so good.
 
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