Stabil in a car that's driven once a week?

[nthach]

I moved out of the nest to be closer to work and I now drive less than I usually do. Seeing how CA gas is full of ethanol and seeing the effects of it on small engines, I was thinking of treating my tank with a dose of Stabil marine formula as a preventative measure, keeping the tank full if possible and taking the car out for a 20-25 mile run to my parents once a week. Is this overkill or no?

The car in question is a 1991 Lexus LS400, I use mostly Chevron or Costco premium in it.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

How long does the 20-25 mile run take?

Driving it and not letting it come up to temperature is way worse than not driving it at all.

You want to be able to heat everything up to operating temperature. While the coolant may show the right temperature, it's possible that the engine oil isn't up to temperature yet.

It's dry there, right? That seems to be a bit better for cars sitting around than the cold , damp, northest.

 

[JHZR2]

I don't see a need. I don't unless I know one of my vehicles will sit a long time.

 

[dparm]

Unnecessary. My job is 100% travel and there are periods of time where I don't drive the car for 2-3 weeks.

As Miller88 said, as long as you can get the oil up to temperature at some point (and for 15-20 minutes), you'll be fine. If you know the car won't be driven for a while, make sure the gas tank is as close to full as possible.

 

[Quest]

How soon/frequent do you fill up your tank?

If it's once a week or 2, then no need for adding stabil into you car's gas tank.

Also: ethanol gasoline on OPE is waay overblown. We here live in an area that has E10 gas since mid-80s, and even until most recently all gas pumps switched to E10, we don't have a lot of E10 related OPE failures or issues here in this area.

Q.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

Don't worry about it. I only use Stabil in fuel that could potentially sit for more than 2-3 months. If you still need to fill up the tank every month or two, you're good.

We have nothing but E10 around here and have for a long time, no issues.

There are other parts of the car that might appreciate a longer drive. The trip to your parents should take care of that.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
How long does the 20-25 mile run take?

Driving it and not letting it come up to temperature is way worse than not driving it at all.

You want to be able to heat everything up to operating temperature.


How in the world does letting the engine come up to temperature have anything to due with the quality of gas in the tank, the question at hand?

 

[tomcat27]

no need. especially for your usage pattern. do you fill the tank at least once a month or once every two months?
I have 7 cars and 2 drivers - so you can imagine that I have cars that sit a lot.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
How long does the 20-25 mile run take?

Driving it and not letting it come up to temperature is way worse than not driving it at all.

You want to be able to heat everything up to operating temperature. While the coolant may show the right temperature, it's possible that the engine oil isn't up to temperature yet.

It's dry there, right? That seems to be a bit better for cars sitting around than the cold , damp, northest.


The drive from my place to theirs is 25-30 minutes on a good day, 40 on a bad one. I can make it a longer drive. I used to fill my tank once weekly, and the climate here is Mediterranean - but it's been cooler and damper than usual this year.

I'm running Rotella T5 10w30, and I'm sure the TBN is a little more stout than a run of the mill PCMO.

 

[fdcg27]

Probably a waste of money.
I don't even use a treatment in my OPEs, and after you get them running in the spring, they're fine.
They also run just fine on the can of gas I have left over from last fall.
The fuel has been E10 in this area for more than a decade.
Reports of fast deterioration of E10 fuel are greatly exaggerated in my experience.

 

[Bamaro]

Dont waste your money

 

[andyd]

Not a Stabil user. I deal with e 10 gas in my old OPE with a dash of MMO and using the shutoff to run the carb dry after every use. Come fall, I do nothing else. If the battery is good, the Inty will start without drama. Last spring I started 5 OPEs in one day and used them all without having to fix anything first. I store gas in the shade, and only store 2 gallons at a time. The cars are my fuel storage.