Didn't add enough fuel stabilizer before storage

smellyflamingo

smellyflamingo

Member
Hey everyone,


When I was about to put my bike into storage, I rolled into a dealership and told them the deal, and they gave me a 3.2 Oz bottle of Yamalube fuel stabilizer and just said to toss that in and fill up the gas tank.


Now reading more about the product, about a month later... it says that you should add 1 Oz stabilizer for 1 gallon of gasoline and I have a 4 gallon tank... So I'm missing 0.8 Oz of fuel stabilizer in my tank


Will this be a problem come March or April, should I go out and buy some more fuel stabilizer (like Sta Bil) and add the remaining 0.8 Oz (or equivalent) to my fuel tank?

Cheers
 
I wouldn't sweat it
 
Don't sweat it, x2. You've already done more than probably 50% of motorcycle owners out there, few of whom will have any issues come spring for having done nothing at all.

Put your battery tender on the bike and let it sleep. 0.8 ounces of missing stabilizer should case you no concern whatsoever.
 
STARSHIP said:
Has anyone mastered the crazy measurement neck of the stabilizer bottle?
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I honestly don't think it's that big of a deal...AFAIK you can't overdose on most purpose-made stabilizer products. Some Google-fu seems to confirm that.

http://ridermagazine.com/motorcycle...-fuel-stabilizers-and-short-term-storage.htm/

I probably double dosed my bike - I literally opened the big bottle I bought right at the gas station and dumped in "more than enough", filled up the bike at the pump, and drove off to slosh/mix it and get it through the fuel system.
 
I used to never add stabilizer and then did for a few years. Now I don't. Full tank of gas put away Christmas day and will be out probably mid to late March. No point in stabilizer for me.

....and .8 of an oz isn't gonna make any difference.
 
IMHO, filling up with non-ethanol gas is more important than stabilizer for the few months most motorcycles are idled. Stabilizer has it's place as well, but avoiding ethanol and the water issues that come with it during storage should be far up the priority list.
 
Probably ok with no stabilizer so having slightly too little likely doesn't matter. What I typically do though is pre-fill a little bottle with the stuff for a full tank, and throw it in my tailbag near the end of the season. When I go for my last ride and top up, I dump it in and let it work through the system the 4-5km back to my place of storage.

Also +1 on using non-ethanol gas. Shell 91 is your best bet. The stabilizer I bought also had an ethanol treatment/water eliminator in it...got it just for added protection, and because the bike does get 87 most of the riding year.

Also FWIW, my car sits out the bulk of the winter, and gets a full tank of Shell 91 with no stabilizer in it. Still has started up fine the last few years, although I do try to burn out the tank rather quickly and get fresh gas in there once I wake her up (same with the bike).
 
I have read that too much stabilizer is worse than not enough or even worse than non. Apparently too much jells out.
 
nobbie48 said:
I have read that too much stabilizer is worse than not enough or even worse than non. Apparently too much jells out.
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Old mechanics tale as far as I'm concerned. I've read plenty of evidence to the contrary and no stories corroborating that sort of experience.

StaBil, for that matter, actually states the contrary right on the bottle.
 
So with the late 2015 riding season and all, i have been putting Shell vpower 91 in (do they even still call it vpower?) since late november...so no more 10% ethanol gas should still be in the tank as i've had to fill it a 2nd time with vpower. Now that temps aren't going to get back up to rideable temps for a while i wanna store it.... tank is 3/4 full,

I'm just gonna add the stabilizer, maybe do 20 minutes of riding in the underground lot so it gets mixed a little (it's a good 2-300m long), do oil change and then can it sit like that till march-april or should i dig up my jerry can to fill up the gas tank?
 
You're also probably fine... I personally once had corrosion start inside a tank I had spent good money on to be undented and repainted, so I'm paranoid about it and try to keep it full in the winter

I also have never had care much about ethanol content, aside from having to dry out a float bowl gasket that swelled so much from ethanol it popped out of its groove
 
LePhillou said:
So with the late 2015 riding season and all, i have been putting Shell vpower 91 in (do they even still call it vpower?) since late november...so no more 10% ethanol gas should still be in the tank as i've had to fill it a 2nd time with vpower. Now that temps aren't going to get back up to rideable temps for a while i wanna store it.... tank is 3/4 full,

I'm just gonna add the stabilizer, maybe do 20 minutes of riding in the underground lot so it gets mixed a little (it's a good 2-300m long), do oil change and then can it sit like that till march-april or should i dig up my jerry can to fill up the gas tank?
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It'll be fine. However, if your tank isn't full there's more chance for condensation to form.

Sent from my Le Pan TC802A using Tapatalk
 
PrivatePilot said:
Old mechanics tale as far as I'm concerned. I've read plenty of evidence to the contrary and no stories corroborating that sort of experience.

StaBil, for that matter, actually states the contrary right on the bottle.
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I stand corrected after contacting Stabil (Gold Eagle)

Their response:

Hello,

Thank you for contacting Gold Eagle Company. While it is true that adding more than the recommended amount of STA-BIL® Brand is safe, just like with any fuel additive, we still do not recommend to go over too much (more than 4 times the dosage amount may be too much) for the best performance out of your fuel. Hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Conrad Manzano
Gold Eagle Co.
 
LePhillou said:
So with the late 2015 riding season and all, i have been putting Shell vpower 91 in (do they even still call it vpower?) since late november...so no more 10% ethanol gas should still be in the tank as i've had to fill it a 2nd time with vpower. Now that temps aren't going to get back up to rideable temps for a while i wanna store it.... tank is 3/4 full,

I'm just gonna add the stabilizer, maybe do 20 minutes of riding in the underground lot so it gets mixed a little (it's a good 2-300m long), do oil change and then can it sit like that till march-april or should i dig up my jerry can to fill up the gas tank?
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I would fill the tank to the brim, and not because I would be worried about the gas in the tank - but to protect your tank from rusting inside. Not having the tank full to the top can allow condensation to form in the air space during temp. changes. my 2 cents.
 
My '98 XT350 has been stored with 87 octane ethanol gas in a shed with big temperature swings since new, and almost 20 years later there's been no real fuel related issues at the start of the season.

With that said, I still wouldn't recommend it – especially with the more complicated technology of today. For my road bikes, I fill the tank to the top with Shell 91, add Stabil (ballpark around the specified amount) and it's good piece of mind.
 
starboy869 said:
I just run 91 Octane in everything including my lawnmower and don't have to worry about that stuff.
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A lack of ethanol doesn't substitute for instabilities fuel during a period of storage. Two different issues.

As for what to "normally" run, most 4 stroke engines are just fine with ethanol now and actually recommend 87 octane. Lots of VTX owners like myself actually have reported (repeatedly) that their engines run better on 87 vs 91. High octane does nothing for an engine that doesn't require it, despite what the gas companies might try to suggest.

2 stroke engines however, where the lubrication is part of the fuel, ethanol is more of an issue - any water accumulated as a result of water accumulation (courtesy of the ethanol) can wash the lube film off the cylinders wall or bearings for a split second and scar parts quickly. I've seen it happen on 2 stroke marine stuff.

On 4 strokes, during the regular operating season particularly, it's not as big a deal as some would have you believe.
 
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