Stale Gas in Tank?

77comet · 2003-01-16, 19:05

Hello,
I have both a 77 comet and a 76 maverick. My maverick has been sitting in my garage since 1997. I pulled the engine for some work and other projects got in the way of the Mav. My problem is I left about 1/2 tank of gas in the tank. I put in fuel stabilizer, but it was probably too late, about 2 Years ago. I don't think the gas is jelled, and it was stored in a heated garage, so the eastern Canadian climate shouldn't have caused too much condensation. Iwas thinking of draining the tank by pumping it out as much as possible and diluting the remainder with fresh gas. Is this reasonable or should I drain it properly by dropping the tank and inspecting the inside of the tank as close as possible? Thanks for any replies.

Mavaholic · 2003-01-16, 19:51

Smell it, if it smells OK, it will probably work. I have started cars that sat for 10 years and had no problems.

SHOGrabber · 2003-01-20, 10:51

77 Comet

What you could do is unhook the rubber hose at the tank and drain it as much as possible and blow if any gas backwards out of the line torwards the tank where it is unhooked. When the engine is back in, put strickly Water Remover (available at any parts store) in the tank and fill it up. This should do the trick.

The only other thing is the carburator will be all varnished up if the gas was left in it, and it will need rebuilt for it to run good

jeremy · 2003-01-20, 12:57

I too have run cars that have been sitting for some time, your are likely ok.

Fire it up, see how it runs. Make sure you put in a bottle of moisture remover

77comet · 2003-01-22, 21:14

Thanks for all the tips. Good Ideas on blowing out the line and using moisture reducer. I smelled the gas, it doesn't smell to bad. I do know the odour of very bad( old) gas. Also, I would expect to rebuild the carb after sitting that long.

2003-01-16, 19:05	#1
77comet Member Join Date: 2002-04-04 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 13 Vehicle(s): 77 comet 4dr, 289 / 76 maverick 2dr 250 iTrader: 0 (0%)	Stale Gas in Tank? Hello, I have both a 77 comet and a 76 maverick. My maverick has been sitting in my garage since 1997. I pulled the engine for some work and other projects got in the way of the Mav. My problem is I left about 1/2 tank of gas in the tank. I put in fuel stabilizer, but it was probably too late, about 2 Years ago. I don't think the gas is jelled, and it was stored in a heated garage, so the eastern Canadian climate shouldn't have caused too much condensation. Iwas thinking of draining the tank by pumping it out as much as possible and diluting the remainder with fresh gas. Is this reasonable or should I drain it properly by dropping the tank and inspecting the inside of the tank as close as possible? Thanks for any replies.

2003-01-16, 19:51	#2
Mavaholic Growing older but not up! Join Date: 2002-03-09 Location: Crownsville, MD Posts: 14,146 Vehicle(s): Original 72 Sprint Owner, 71 Comet GT, 71 Mav, 69.5 Mav convertible project, 57 Ranchwagon, 57 Ranchero iTrader: 36 (100%) Images: 20	Smell it, if it smells OK, it will probably work. I have started cars that sat for 10 years and had no problems. __________________ "Todays racing technology has diminished the role of the driver way too much. Back in the days of 4 speeds, the driver had a lot more to do with the outcome of the race, and I can't imagine anything being more fun than that." Ronnie Sox

2003-01-20, 10:51	#3
SHOGrabber MCCI Member & MMB Member Join Date: 2002-12-22 Location: Lima,OH Posts: 407 Vehicle(s): 1975 Maverick Grabber & 76 Maverick Stallion X 2 iTrader: 1 (100%) Images: 1	77 Comet What you could do is unhook the rubber hose at the tank and drain it as much as possible and blow if any gas backwards out of the line torwards the tank where it is unhooked. When the engine is back in, put strickly Water Remover (available at any parts store) in the tank and fill it up. This should do the trick. The only other thing is the carburator will be all varnished up if the gas was left in it, and it will need rebuilt for it to run good __________________ Willie 75 Maverick Grabber (Still Original)Yellow&Black 76 Maverick Stallion (Still Original)Yellow&Black 76 Maverick Stallion (Bad Shape)Silver&Black 70 Mustang Mach I (Needs Restored)Yellow&Black 94 Taurus SHO(Opal Frost)ATX 99 Taurus SHO(Silver Frost)

2003-01-20, 12:57	#4
jeremy I build t5's Join Date: 2002-03-19 Location: Corona, Ca Posts: 1,343 Vehicle(s): 1972 2 door 302 maverick, 1986 5.0 stang gt convertible,66 mustang coupe, HEMI ram iTrader: 4 (100%)	I too have run cars that have been sitting for some time, your are likely ok. Fire it up, see how it runs. Make sure you put in a bottle of moisture remover __________________ Jeremy -1972 302 2 dr mav-going in:5.0 roller/gt40 heads/explorer (gt40)efi setup -1966 Mustang coupe 5.0 ford racing crate motor, gt40 aluminum heads, b cam, duraspark elec ignit, t5 with pro 5.0 shifter, 8.8 coming soon -1970 maverick grabber. bone stock. Was a parts car, till I fixed the damage. FOR SALE $1200

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2003-01-22, 21:14	#5
77comet Member Join Date: 2002-04-04 Location: Nova Scotia, Canada Posts: 13 Vehicle(s): 77 comet 4dr, 289 / 76 maverick 2dr 250 iTrader: 0 (0%)	Thanks for all the tips. Good Ideas on blowing out the line and using moisture reducer. I smelled the gas, it doesn't smell to bad. I do know the odour of very bad( old) gas. Also, I would expect to rebuild the carb after sitting that long.

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