(stats- carb swapped 1988 C4, Eddy carb, parked over the winter about 4 months)

Sooo, need some advise because I've never been in this situation before.

Parked my 1988 carb swapped Corvette over the winter. 3/4 tank of Shell 93 gas with Stabil 360 in it. Car basically sat. I probably started it 3 times over 3/4 months to move it, never really got it hot or anything.
Spring rolls around, I put a different exhaust on it, during the test drive it went dead lean, literally died rolling back into the driveway! I popped open the carb & it had a "gel" like substance in the float bowls, crud on the squirters, it was ugly! I didnt get a pic but the fuel went bad no doubt.

I start to refresh the carb, halfway thru I decide to just try a smaller one on it so I bought another Eddy carb. Carb is a non issue now. I tuned it in, took 2 test drives & it seems fine now, but....

Issue now, is the remaining fuel in it. It is running fine but I'm freaked out because I've never had fuel "gel" up like that before. The smart half of my brain says drain the tank & replace the filter, maybe even pop out the fuel pump & replace it since its so easy on a C4. The "cheap" side of me says top it off with non ethanol gas & let it dilute the mess & move on.

The last test drive today, it was fine, but that little voice in my head says dont drive it 1 inch before doing something! I'm running a AFR gauge so I can see the second it changes, but, ugh!

Any ideas? Is the gas in the tank just plain bad now? I think I know I need to change that filter also, just need some encouragement! The fuel in it, do I dare add anything else to it or just call it bad & get rid of it?

Thanks for any ideas!

 

Stabil usually does ok.

Next time, use PRI-G.

In fact, get used to using PRI all the time.

Be sure you do NOT over treat. You'll just be wasting money at that point.

Ratio is 2000:1.

Try to get as close to that as possible.

Strong stuff. Try not to get it on you. Don't smell it, either.

But, it works great.

 

Moving you out of detailing section for further discussion

 

never had a prob with Stabil. maybe when you put the Stabil in the tank you didn't drive it long enough to get it completely thru the fuel lines and into the carb bowls. suck some gas out, does it smell bad? like varnish? does it look clear or v. lightly golden? put some in a glass and wait, does it separate showing possible water/other contamination? if all is ok, run the existing treated fuel completely through the system and into the carb bowls and try again.

I wouldn't bother to change filter if the fuel didn't seperate, meaning no water/other contamination. and bad gas doesn't generate particulates.

 

ditto pri-g

 

I had not heard of pri-g. It says it helps with engine deposits along with keeping the fuel fresh. I wonder if it can be used with Techron. Dan

 

Go for a nice long drive, refuel and forget about it. 😁

 

I use Pri-G with Techron and Seafoam. I have CONTINUALLY fought carb issues with my collectibles. Part of my problem is that I just don't drive them that much and I live in a humid climate. Fortunately I have recently located a source of 93 octane ethanol free gas. Since I have a number of collectibles I actually have a spread sheet tracking when I add gas or additives.

Yes, whenever you add anything to your gas tank you have to run the vehicle long enough to replace the fuel in the carb bowls.

 

No way would Shell 93 gas go bad in four months, even without stabilizer. This is another issue. The worst thing you could have done was start it but never let it get hot enough to burn condensation out of the exhaust and oil. I suspect you had water in your tank to begin with. Did you have it full while it was stored?

 

Thanks all!
I'm going to drain as much as I can siphon from the tank and toss in 10 gallons of EXPENSIVE non ethanol - rec gas, cry over the price a bit, and go drive. I will be watching the AFR gauge like a hawk for a while then call it done. Never had fuel issues before during storage so this was a 1st for me, learned a lesson there. I'll look into the Pri-G & no ethanol for the next storage season!

 

As bac22 pointed out you may have some water in the tank. Even siphoning out gas might not get it as it is at the bottom of the tank. I would add a bottle of classic Heet before filling the tank with fresh fuel. Dan