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You ever let you Jeep sit for too long.. ?

M

Meeks

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Alberta, Canada
How long does your Jeep have to sit before the gas turns sour--- ? And when it does-- what happens?

I blew my engine not to long ago.. okay, a while ago-- six months, and just got the change and the time to fix it.. when I get everything back together, and turn that key-- is the fuel delivery system still going to work? Is the fuel going to be sour?
 
Jess said:
you should have put some stabilizer in it. Do it now....it can't hurt and may help.
Click to expand...

X2. It will probably still start and run, but probably run like crap until you've burned through this tank. I'd definitely run through this tank ASAP once you get it running, and get some fresh gas in there.
 
jumper the fuel pump relay and run the fuel hose to a bucket-- let it run 'til you're empty and replace the fuel. Todays oxygenated gas turns to poop in about 5 minutes!-- maybe not that quick, but close! Ask me how many motorcycle carburetors I've cleaned and rebuilt this summer from sitting over the winter....... 4 bikes, 4 carbs each, new gas SUX!

--Shorty
 
Mine started up and ran fine after a full year of sitting, and that was 4 months ago...just my .02
 
Meeks said:
How long does your Jeep have to sit before the gas turns sour--- ? And when it does-- what happens?

I blew my engine not to long ago.. okay, a while ago-- six months, and just got the change and the time to fix it.. when I get everything back together, and turn that key-- is the fuel delivery system still going to work? Is the fuel going to be sour?
Click to expand...
It starts turning in about six months and is pretty much turned to gunk after 18 months.
At the minimum I'd add a can of gas tank deicer/dryer and bounce up and down on the back bumper for awhile, any moisture in the tank is likely in the bottom by now. Run it for a few days and then change out the filter. A can of stabilizer sure won't hurt either. Followed by a can of injector cleaner.
The best solution is to jump the fuel pump relay, run the fuel into containers, filter it and maybe use it in the lawn mower or blend it with some good gas.
Been there done that, once the fuel turns to gunk, getting everything clean again is a pain and often has to be repeated a few times until all the bad stuff is gone. I once had to use compressed air to move the fuel out of the fuel lines, what came out looked like jelly. I'm sure glade I checked before the gunk found it's way to the injectors.
 
89xjgrey said:
Mine started up and ran fine after a full year of sitting, and that was 4 months ago...just my .02
Click to expand...

I have had similar luck. In fact I have never had gas go bad on me, even after letting it sit for 4 years. I do find that keeping the gas tank full, or not ever letting it get below 1/3 full level helps. I let my 87 Gas jeep set all summer, about 8 months, and all I did was start and run it once every 3 weeks or so for about 7 minutes to keep the batttery charged.

I parked my 73 Ford LTD, Carbed, 351 V-8 in 2003, and started it 3 weeks ago. It started right up in less than 120 seconds of cranking, which was the time it took to get gas back into the carburator. All I did was clean the distributor points with a nail file first. I let it run for 1 minute, shut it off and restarted it, and it only took one second to restart it!!!!:woohoo:and it still ran like it was brand new! Drove it, etc, no problem with the old gas.

I am amased at the stories I see and read hear about bad gas, or old gas problems. And I live on the south coast where condenstation is a regular guest, like Ice is up north.
 
Ecomike said:
I have had similar luck. In fact I have never had gas go bad on me, even after letting it sit for 4 years. I do find that keeping the gas tank full, or not ever letting it get below 1/3 full level helps. I let my 87 Gas jeep set all summer, about 8 months, and all I did was start and run it once every 3 weeks or so for about 7 minutes to keep the batttery charged.

I parked my 73 Ford LTD, Carbed, 351 V-8 in 2003, and started it 3 weeks ago. It started right up in less than 120 seconds of cranking, which was the time it took to get gas back into the carburator. All I did was clean the distributor points with a nail file first. I let it run for 1 minute, shut it off and restarted it, and it only took one second to restart it!!!!:woohoo:and it still ran like it was brand new! Drove it, etc, no problem with the old gas.

I am amased at the stories I see and read hear about bad gas, or old gas problems. And I live on the south coast where condenstation is a regular guest, like Ice is up north.
Click to expand...
I let my race truck sit every winter and every summer had to clean what separated out of the gas, out of the float bowl. Something separates out of the gas, that leaves a stain and sometimes turns to a near solid. I can actually smell the difference in old gas. I've seen the jelly left in the bottom of a gas can that has been sitting too long.
Sometimes you get lucky and the solids redissolve, sometimes you don't. After having to clean out some carburetors (one various vehicles) and having the lawnmower run like chit for the first few runs in the spring; I've learned not to trust the stability of gas too much.
After letting my gas driven compressor sit too long, it refused to start the other day, probably a gummed up carb. It's happened to me way to many times to be a coincidence.
 
88XJSport said:
My jeep sat 5 years. After we fired it up, it idled like it had fresh gas in it.
Click to expand...
Maybe you guys get better juice than we do.:cheers:
I guess all the warnings in the destructions for lawnmowers, chainsaws or whatnot, advising against storing them for the winter with fuel in the tank, are just superstition.
http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/fuels/bulletin/longterm_gasoline/

be6aad.png
 
Last edited:
Meeks said:
Thanks guys-- put a can of stabalizer into the tank. I was just concearned since isn't the filter internal, and non-servicable?
Click to expand...

pretty sure there are 2 fuel filters in an XJ - one internal and one in line.
 
mine also sat for over a year with less then 1/2 tank. started right up (after i changed a bunch of bad stuff :p)

my snowblower sits all summer and my mowers all winter, so far i havn't had a problem with either of them *knock on wood*
 
My 91' sat in a barn for a year with about a 1/4 of a tank. It ran pretty good for gas that old. I changed the fuel filter and did add some fuel system cleaner along with 5 gals. of new gas.
 
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