Sta-Bil or Sea Foam
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 5,284
Likes: 235
From: Rockledge FL
I do know this, my vette sat with a full tank for 2 years while I was overseas with no stabil, seafoam or any other sort of snake oil. When I got home I unhooked the distributor and spun it over until I saw oil pressure, rehooked the coil and it fired right up.
CF Community Team
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 19,371
Likes: 5,248
From: Cape Cod, Mass.
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Neither is needed. Sitting over the winter is not long term storage. Fill the tank to reduce condensation. Ideally, you drive it when the roads are clear and dry and run a tank full of gas through it. That's what I have always done.
Instructor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 208
Likes: 0
From: Fl
sta-bil or sea foam
I've used sea foam for years in all my cars, never had any problems and always felt it worked and did the job. It's been around a long time. Best price I've found is at the Rural King stores.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,892
Likes: 42
The number of people who have said 'use it cause it's cheap and can't do harm' just amazes me.
Last time I was in a major car parts store, they must have had a few hundred oil/fuel/coolant additives in similar size containers at similar prices to stabil and seafoam. Using the same logic, why not dump in all of those too?
Last time I was in a major car parts store, they must have had a few hundred oil/fuel/coolant additives in similar size containers at similar prices to stabil and seafoam. Using the same logic, why not dump in all of those too?
Pro
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 624
Likes: 1
From: Melbourne, Fla. 6 months- New Middletown, Ohio 6 months
My cars may sit at most 3 months and I do not use Sta-Bil. I do add a can of carb/injector cleaner about twice a year to my truck and once a year to my Vette and my Nova. I have looked at Sea Foam as a possible cleaner but was turned off by the limited explanation of ingredients. I think it said petroleum distillates which could be nothing more than a little kerosene and some isoproprol. I prefer to use Berryman B-12 which contains Xylene which has been one of the main ingredients in carb cleaners for years. Next time you are in the parts store, compare the ingredients of the various carb/injector cleaners before you choose.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,635
Likes: 8
From: Enid Oklahoma
My cars may sit at most 3 months and I do not use Sta-Bil. I do add a can of carb/injector cleaner about twice a year to my truck and once a year to my Vette and my Nova. I have looked at Sea Foam as a possible cleaner but was turned off by the limited explanation of ingredients. I think it said petroleum distillates which could be nothing more than a little kerosene and some isoproprol. I prefer to use Berryman B-12 which contains Xylene which has been one of the main ingredients in carb cleaners for years. Next time you are in the parts store, compare the ingredients of the various carb/injector cleaners before you choose.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,487
Likes: 10
From: Palm Beach Florida
St. Jude Donor '12
Just used two cans of it today. (sea-foam) They were on sale, and I am ready for a oil change anyway. Put one full can in the oil, and ran the car for the day. Tomm. morning will dump it out and put in the synt. I used half a can on the intake vacuum, let the motor suck half it in. The other half went into the gas tank.
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
From: Rice Lake Wisconsin
Additives
I've never understood why you guys insist on putting that crap in your cars. There is no need for anything other than gasoline in the tank if you're only storing for a year or so. You think the car dealers put anything in the tanks on new cars when they take delivery of them...? Some of the new cars sit on the dealer lot with only 2 gallons of gas in the tank for over a year until they get sold - no problem. Many of the Chevy dealers in the mid-late 70's had the Vettes sitting on their lots unsold for a year and a half with no additives in the tank - the cars started and ran just fine - I know, because I was there doing it. I've had the same gas in one of my collector cars for 2 years, and it starts and runs with no problem. I can assure you that the National Gasoline Reserve doesn't have any "Sta-Bil" in it, and it sits for 5-10 years at a time. The only time I've ever seen gas go bad was in a car that was stored for 25 years with about 3 gallons of gas in a vented tank - the gas turned to shellack. I doubt Sta-Bil would have saved it...
..and I've never seen Sea Foam fix a carb that needed a rebuild, either.
Don't believe all the ads you see on TV... sheez...
Lars
..and I've never seen Sea Foam fix a carb that needed a rebuild, either.
Don't believe all the ads you see on TV... sheez...
Lars
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,209
Likes: 33
From: Texas-out west
listen to Lars, he's the man and from my personal experience living in Colorado few years back for 2 winters I used nothing for over 4 months, living in Texas I went 4 years without anything but gas in tank, I decided to pull from storage and it started perfect and ran perfect, well after I cleaned rat nest in the fan shroud
little ****s didn't live another winter though as I relieved them of life on the spot
little ****s didn't live another winter though as I relieved them of life on the spot
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 14,112
Likes: 28
From: Florida
Maybe you guys can just make some cheaper gas with one of these.
Here is a link for some great reading,
Pour your own babbet bearings, use graphite on spark plug theads, cover your headgasket with door screen to prevent it from blowing out, gasoline wood saw (early chain saw), Ford car pto farm adapter, Remingtom Arms and Metallic Cartridge Company, bombarding airship (bomber), 2 storey 9 room house materials delivered for $1548.00, 5 room bungalow for $473.00
http://books.google.com/books?id=ui5...torage&f=false
Here is a link for some great reading,
Pour your own babbet bearings, use graphite on spark plug theads, cover your headgasket with door screen to prevent it from blowing out, gasoline wood saw (early chain saw), Ford car pto farm adapter, Remingtom Arms and Metallic Cartridge Company, bombarding airship (bomber), 2 storey 9 room house materials delivered for $1548.00, 5 room bungalow for $473.00
http://books.google.com/books?id=ui5...torage&f=false
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 15,892
Likes: 42
listen to Lars, he's the man and from my personal experience living in Colorado few years back for 2 winters I used nothing for over 4 months, living in Texas I went 4 years without anything but gas in tank, I decided to pull from storage and it started perfect and ran perfect, well after I cleaned rat nest in the fan shroudlittle ****s didn't live another winter though as I relieved them of life on the spot
little ****s didn't live another winter though as I relieved them of life on the spot This entire post and others similar to it illustrates the power of advertising and how carefully chosen words can eat away at the rational thinking of otherwise intelligent people.Note how NOBODY can come forward with actual examples of Corvettes that suffered from fuel degradation over a winter attributed to lack of 'miracle juice'? Notice how the closest examples are third party stories about boats and lawn mowers?
Jeeze Louise already
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 1,124
Likes: 140
From: Western New York
I live outside of Buffalo, N.Y. and we have some long, cold winters. My car goes into storage at the very beginning of October and I get her out in the beginning of May. Every year for the past 36 years, I've filled her up with fresh gas, removed the battery, and covered her up. In the spring, I reinstall the battery and she starts right up. Have NEVER used any additives in the gas tank and never plan to. A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY!
Duane
Duane
Pro
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 576
Likes: 3
Jeeze Louise already
One day I was comparing oil additive and fuel additive in a discount auto store.
Took an educated guess, bought the oil additive, left my brain at the register and poured it in my gas tank.
Ran like a wet paper bag.
Using reverse logic, putting gas additive in the gas should work better.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 5,116
Likes: 5
From: Livonia MI
Getting a bit off topic, but recall an article on Cuban taxi driver's doing this all the time. Guess not to bad for the low compression 50's Chevy's they're driving.