Winter Storage Leave tank full Or Empty?

I usually fill my gas tank for the winter but with the ethanol gas is that the proper approach
anymore?I was going to just ask Chris but with all the fuel problems I think we all may be wondering the same thing.

I ALWAYS use Marine Sta-Bil and have not had a single fuel related issue. There is a storage and regular use specified amount in the instructions on the bottle. I store mine full but use it all winter (although with the new offshore species ban, this winter may be different). Would be interesting to see what Chris V and others say as well.

“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples money”

GW 205
F200 Yam

Empty

Mike
“Seahawk” 204CC Angler, 150 Merc

Empty

Russ B.
God is great, Beer is good, People are crazy

I’m not Chris- but he’s put in his 2 cents on this subject a number of times: empty.

Winter Storage - Jan to Mar. 3 Months.

I understand with the ethanol that the tanks should be stored empty. What about the engine. Should the engine be run until it runs out leaving the carbs (08’ 90 2 stroke) empty before a 3 month storage?

84’ 18 Privateer
08’ Yamaha 90

Yes

Mike
“Seahawk” 204CC Angler, 150 Merc

empty is better in my opinion.
I would rather have a little water in the tank that a racor can handle, than a tank full of bad or low octane fuel.

I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com

Chris V et al,

Don’t you think that an empty tank allows more condensation and chance for water exposure than a full tank that has been sufficiently treated? A full tank prevents water condensation from getting in tank and causing corrosion. Draining the fuel does not prevent varnish formation in engines because some fuel is left behind in the fuel system. Also gaskets can dry out resulting in leaks in the spring.

Please tell me if I am incorrect in this!

“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples money”

GW 205
F200 Yam

quote:
Originally posted by breezy

I usually fill my gas tank for the winter but with the ethanol gas is that the proper approach anymore?


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Empty

If ethanol gas, empty.

18’ CC w/ 115 Yami

sshara
ethanol fuel goes bad much faster than nonethanol fuel
I would rather have a mostly empty tank with a little water in it, than 30-200 gallons of bad low octane gas

I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com

quote:
Originally posted by chris V

I would rather have a mostly empty tank with a little water in it, than 30-200 gallons of bad low octane gas

I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com


I agree. I keep just enough gas in the tank to run the motor from time to time during the off months.

EMPTY!! And run the motor out of fuel before storing for winter!!

ChrisV (if you read this thread again) I worry about running 2-stroke motors out of fuel to get them ready for winter storage. Can running a 2-stroke out of gas do any damage to rings or cylinders. And then there is always the restart.

use fogging oil when you run it out of fuel.

Wellcraft 300 Scarab CC W/ twin 200 Mercs

do not run a fuel injected motor out of fuel if you can help it
a carbed motor at low rpms isnt going to do any damage

I’m now at www.teamcharlestonmarine.com

??? Simply asking a question C.V. With all of the knowledge here, mostly yours, why would you advise someone to leave the fuel, that’s causing so many problems, in the engine itself??? I know the results of storing blended fuel, as well as many others here, and I don’t understand how it can be productive to do that?? Again just asking??

To add more confusion, I added sta-bil to my full tank (54 gals) last year, expecting my boat to be in storage for 3 months. But then the level dropped at Hartwell below the ramps and it sat for 9 months, instead.

I didn’t want to chance running that fuel through my carbs, so I siphoned the gas out of my below deck tank. Man, it was a pain in the butt. The fuel looked fine, though. I couldn’t tell the difference from the first 5 gallons to the last. I wound up using it in my lawnmower and car. This year my tank will be EMPTY.

Marine Sta-Bil claims to keep ethanol added fuel “fresh” (stable) for 9 - 12 months. So, why would you risk getting condensation in an empty tank plus risk seals drying out. If the product works as claimed, then why not treat the fuel and store FULL? Inquiring minds want to know. Not trying to be argumentative but think that this is a good topic for discussion to “flush out”.

“The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples money”

GW 205
F200 Yam