Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Not sure if this is the right place to put this but..

Ive read somewhere that petrol loses its OCTANE level after a period of time.

So approx how long does this occur? Is this true?

For example I fill up the car with BP Ultimate 98RON, how long will it take to "expire" and lose its "98RON" properties?

Is it bad for the car if there is fuel in the tank from like say 6 months ago?

Cheers

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/138836-petrol-expire/
Share on other sites

I'd leave fuel in the tank, an empty tank tends to rust.

And some light reading on the subject:

http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/f...detecting.shtml

http://www.virginiawind.com/tips/gasoline_stabilizer.asp

http://www.challengers101.com/FuelStorage.html

The last one is the most generally informative. I was looking for a deterioration duration curve [time vs decay] but couldn't find one.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/138836-petrol-expire/#findComment-2585746
Share on other sites

less wh0ring more explaining.

maybe around two weeks it would drop a bit of its just sitting there in the tank?

Hmm interesting.. thanks Paul! :)

Mate works at an Audi workshop, they had a car sitting for 2 years and someone tried to start it. The petrol had thickened and needed new lines and pump as they were all clogged up.

lawl two years

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/138836-petrol-expire/#findComment-2586284
Share on other sites

a friend who used to run a local servo a few years back said it drops octane even while sitting in the tanks at the servo. so servos that dont do as many customers, fill up less often, are likely to have lower octane fuel than a busy store than fills up reguarly

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/138836-petrol-expire/#findComment-2586327
Share on other sites

Official word from Shell is that their fuel will be stable if stored up to one year, as long as the storage conditions are "adequate" - ie the containers are full to minimise exposure to air, tightly capped, out of direct sunlight, and under 27°C.

underground tanks at servos don't even fulfil those requirements. And vented petrol tanks in cars that get nice and hot sitting in the sun and cool down again at night certainly don't, so the fuel deteriorates much faster than these optimum storage conditions in Shell's literature.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/138836-petrol-expire/#findComment-2586384
Share on other sites

The deterioration of fuel is or can be brand dependent. If you read any of the links in my previous reply, it appears that the length fuel can be stored also relies on the preservatives each company uses to increase the shelf life of their brand. I don't know which ones are best, but I wouldn't trust any of them. Its an easy question really: Whats cheapest, a new tank of fuel or an engine rebuild?

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/138836-petrol-expire/#findComment-2586431
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Latest Posts

    • I don't understand how this hasn't boiled down to - Upgrade the turbo when you have everything required. ECU, injectors, fuel pump, turbo, etc. Do it all at once.  If you don't have everything required, just enjoy the car as it is and keep saving up your pennies. 
    • Sounds like you've got an interesting adventure ahead here with local support if you have trouble! My guess is that, unboosted, you will be OK with a small upgrade like -9. What will happen is that once the stock ECU sees more airflow than it expects it will add a heap of fuel and pull a heap of timing to be safe because it can't understand how it could get that much air without there being an issue. You will see clouds of black smoke and it won't pull hard through the midrange and top end. So, overall it will be a bit frustrating but should be OK. If you are still nervous set the base timing back 2o through the CAS, but it will be even more sluggish everywhere. As said above through...this is not my guarantee your engine won't be blown into a million pieces, leaving you looking for very hard to find parts A better idea is get a computer with logging ASAP, wire in a wide band O2 sensor and a use remote tuner. I've done multiple cars this way and while it is not as good as a specific tune on a dyno they can get it 90% right. I'd suggest if you can afford an R33 GTR these days you can afford an ECU and tune. And if you can't afford that you sure won't be able to afford the rebuild if it goes bad in the meantime,.  
    • Yeah it would be nice if someone took the time to put that sort of information together, but there are a lot of variations in looms. I think you are making this way hard for yourself if you just want to get it running....sourcing an SR20 with the right wiring will be a billion times easier than matching the RB loom to an S15 chassis. If you do end up going this way, you just need to trace every wire in the loom with a multimeter, 95% of them will go to a location you can confirm at the ECU.....and then post it up for the next person who needs it  
    • Just top it up with water, and keep a general idea of how much you added. It is normal for water to be pushed into and pulled out of the reservoir through the cap, and it should not be more than half full or it will be likely to overflow when hot. Any decent mechanic can do a pressure test of the cooling system to confirm if you have a leak. Keep in mind if it is only leaking a little and when hot it may well evaporate before you see it hit the ground
    • I'd ask the shop what they used and use that. Mixing coolants is sometimes OK, sometimes not, and you have know the details of each coolant to know whether it's a good idea or not.
×
×
  • Create New...