4 month old gas in tank. what to do?
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2012
Posts: 867
Likes: 15
From: South Central Pennylvania
Yes, that would have clairfied it. And I should have said incorrect information, not uninformed. That was borderline non sequitur.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,370
Likes: 43
From: In the foothills of southwestern NC - US of A
I never added anything to my fuel in the past. Though a funny thing happened to me during this past winter - I had fuel that was less than two weeks old go bad [it was <30ş in my garage + 10% ethynol in the tank ='s thanks a lot moisture] so just throw in some sea fo...oh wait, that stuff is snake oil garbage, nevermind.
=8^)
=8^)
Elite HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 4,904
Likes: 9
From: Streetsboro, Oh
I add Seafoam in my bikes fuel for winter storage, but really only 4 months I know you will be ok. Just ride the bike, run the old fuel out as much as you can, but don't run the bike out of gas-very bad for EFI and then put fresh fuel in. If you think the bike is going to be sitting after you get fresh fuel put a few caps full of Seafoam in the full tank of gas and good to go. Also get a Battery Tender Jr and you will not have to worry about the bike sitting.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 44
Likes: 0
From: Honolulu
hey guys. thanks for the all the feedback. I siphoned the fuel out the old fashioned way (manually) and I think it has about 1 gallon or less left in it. I was surprised to see the fuel was still clear.
I also removed and charged the battery. My gauge (dakota digital gauge) shows it at 11.7v now.
Question: If I topped it off with fresh fuel, should be ok?
I also removed and charged the battery. My gauge (dakota digital gauge) shows it at 11.7v now.
Question: If I topped it off with fresh fuel, should be ok?
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 13,402
Likes: 941
From: Illinois
Seafoam, StaBil or Tecron ( the best choice) all work. But, even 4 or five months is no big deal. It will go.
I have a Buell XB12XT that I put away for three full years with a double dose of StaBil in it. When I decided to use it again, it fired instantly (battery tender) and ran fine for 1K. Now I pull it out for 1K each year.
I have a Buell XB12XT that I put away for three full years with a double dose of StaBil in it. When I decided to use it again, it fired instantly (battery tender) and ran fine for 1K. Now I pull it out for 1K each year.
I work at a small airport and it's pretty common that guys with grab 100LL (aviation gas) and put it in their bikes if they plan on leaving it sit for anything more than a couple of weeks. It's about $2/gallon more expensive, but totally worth it IMO. The LL stands for low lead, but it's such trace amounts and with that gas only every once in a while it doesn't do any harm. Also, it's used for racing fuel by alot of people, so maybe a little performance gain??
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
From: Chuluota, Florida
hey guys. thanks for the all the feedback. I siphoned the fuel out the old fashioned way (manually) and I think it has about 1 gallon or less left in it. I was surprised to see the fuel was still clear.
I also removed and charged the battery. My gauge (dakota digital gauge) shows it at 11.7v now.
Question: If I topped it off with fresh fuel, should be ok?
I also removed and charged the battery. My gauge (dakota digital gauge) shows it at 11.7v now.
Question: If I topped it off with fresh fuel, should be ok?
I'd check that battery. 11.7v doesn't sound right.
ps/ .....your fuel is fine. can't say my bike sits for long, but my boat has sat in my 100 degree F garage with the same ethanol gas in it for 5-6 months with no stabilizer and no problems. Just to play it safe in the future tho, I'd be sure to top off the tank and possibly throw a shot of fuel stabilizer before topping it off if you think it'll sit for more than 3 or so months. I'm no expert, but I recon topping it off is good because ethanol likes to suck the moisture out of the air. More fuel in the tank= less air= less moisture. Fuel stabilizer is good because it keeps the fuel from oxidizing. Oxidization is what gums up your fuel delivery system. I'm sure there's a Mech floating around on here that can let me know if I'm full of @$%)* or not, but that's how I do it.
Last edited by Skeeter$75; Aug 14, 2013 at 08:55 PM.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,484
Likes: 82
From: Mountain View, California
Hi guys. I know it's a travesty that I haven't ridden my bike in at least 4 months (almost 5). But bought a home and fixing it up has been taking my time.
Took the battery out and recharged it (was at about 9.7 volts and that bike wouldn't start).
That said, my 2012 Iron has been sitting with about 3/4 tank of premium fuel. Can I add some stabilizer to it and use it up or should I siphon it out and get new fuel? If I siphon it, problem is I don't know what to do with the old fuel.
Thanks for the help!
Took the battery out and recharged it (was at about 9.7 volts and that bike wouldn't start).
That said, my 2012 Iron has been sitting with about 3/4 tank of premium fuel. Can I add some stabilizer to it and use it up or should I siphon it out and get new fuel? If I siphon it, problem is I don't know what to do with the old fuel.
Thanks for the help!
Kick the tires, light the fires and ride that bitch.
