Full or empty tank while stored in south

Cubey

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Generally I've read that when storing a vehicle, filling the fuel tank before storing is best. Does that apply to IDIs too?

I don't care to sell my 87 F250, I have too much money in it and I might want it again some day, so it's being stored at a relative's house while I'm out on the road with my IDI motorhome.

It's not going to be driven for several years, more than likely. Diesel fuel stabilizers only last about a year.

I hate to waste a nearly full tank that it has by letting it go bad in there.

Am i better off draining as much as I can (it has electric fuel pump, i can empty it easily) or leaving it full and trying to dispose of 18 gallons of potentially bad diesel fuel later?
 

MtnHaul

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I don't have an answer, but as I understand it the more air space in the tank the more room for water to condense. If you leave them empty/near empty for multiple years I would worry about corrosion. If it were me I probably would buy a good diesel stabilizer from a reputable brand and hope for the best with full tanks. But I also would be concerned about the fuel trapped in the IP. I wonder if filling a fuel filter with stabilizer and then running the engine for ~20 seconds might replace a majority of fuel in the IP with stabilizer. Just spit-balling here.

Interesting stuff from BP

https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp-country/en_au/media/fuel-news/long-term-storage-diesel.pdf
 

Macrobb

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Just a thought to throw out there...
Tank wise, I'd empty it. You've got the electric pump, when you come back just add fuel, drain a bit off(till it looks/smells good) and call it good.
IP wise... I'm wondering about getting some thin motor oil, like 5W20 or something, fill the fuel filter(and maby put it in the fuel tank as well) and just run the engine until it's running on straight oil.
Motor oil will not degrade or evaporate over time, unlike diesel, and might be easier on the seals?

A side note: Firing up a 6.9 that had sat for over 7 years, the diesel in the tanks still ran it and nothing had stuck together because the system was closed/sealed. A bunch of cranking and ether and she roared to life.

However, I have seen an IP which had been pulled off a motor and all the fuel in it evaporated over time, leaving everything sticky.
 

Shadetreemechanic

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I would leave everything full. I have started diesels after a decade with no ill effects. The diesel doesn't go bad as long as there is not water in there, and water gets in mostly through condensation and an empty tank. If your fuel system is tight, you should be fine.
Remember to throw a garbage bag over the air filter housing in case your hood seal leaks. Water in the intake will kill one.
 

Knuckledragger

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Leave it full. And don't bother with stabilizers, that is just money wasted. i started my truck up on 12+year old fuel from a half empty tank and had no ill effects. It WAS stored in the arid desert, so that may be an issue. Diesel is a light oil and takes a lot of time to evaporate, unlike gasoline. And it is stable all by itself, with no help.
 

IDIBRONCO

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I would also go with leave it full. Like MtnHaul said, I'd worry about the tank and sender rusting. I know that there's a lot of humidity in the south. If you're really worried about the fuel going bad, go back and drive it once a year or so. Then leave it with a full tank again.
 

mu2bdriver

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Another vote for full. Don’t neglect the battery either so when you’re ready to fire it up you don’t get disappointed. And add some anti-mice stuff so no further disappointment.
 

Oledirtypearl86

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Fill it tank as full as you can I'm my opinion also like mu2bdriver said anti mouse things I use Irish spring soap in my camper in the winter and it works great also I would add a anti alge if it's in anarea that has high humidity and heat but that's just me
 

RDieselKid84

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Fill it up and use a biocide for the alge, this low suffer diesel will grow it. I left my front tank emety and it rusted after a few years. I would use PRI-D fuel stablizer. It is use for a long time sotrage. Just my two cents. The back tank had alge in it after a year parked and half full of fuel. Two new tanks cheeper than cleanen.
 

MtnHaul

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And add some anti-mice stuff so no further disappointment.

This might be even more important than worrying about the fuel tanks. Dropping and replacing a tank or two seems way easier than dealing with the damage that rodents can cause.

Another thought would be to put some sort of desiccant in the cab to absorb moisture.
 

Jason1377

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Why not buy a used shipping container they stay dry/animal free n there pretty cheap used here in Arkansas they run between 1k to 3k I've seen ppl use them n there rig is still good just no fuel left in tanks I'm sure diesel had same break down as reg gasoline does just a thought
 

Cubey

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Why not buy a used shipping container they stay dry/animal free n there pretty cheap used here in Arkansas they run between 1k to 3k I've seen ppl use them n there rig is still good just no fuel left in tanks I'm sure diesel had same break down as reg gasoline does just a thought

No where to put it. It's in a city. I can get away with storing the truck but not having a shipping container in a residential neighborhood.

I'd just sell the truck if I had to spend thousands more to store it.
 

Cubey

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Fill it up and use a biocide for the alge, this low suffer diesel will grow it. I left my front tank emety and it rusted after a few years. I would use PRI-D fuel stablizer. It is use for a long time sotrage. Just my two cents. The back tank had alge in it after a year parked and half full of fuel. Two new tanks cheeper than cleanen.

This should work too? I have a $10 off $20+ regularly priced merchandise coupon I could use, bringing it down to $20 from 30.

https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...ts-bio-kleen-diesel-fuel-biocide/9016/4682851

I have never used the rear tank, despite a seemingly working fuel tank switch. I just always refueled the front. It's a few gallons below full I think. I would have to top it off from a gas can, as the insurance has been dropped. I'm not going to drive it around without insurance, that's for sure!


Someone mentioned batteries: It has mismatched, wrong size batteries (27 and 31) that are already bad, so I'm not worried about them. My motorhome had the junk batteries when I bought it and the truck had fairly new (about 5 months old now) Walmart 3 year free replacement Maxx 65N batteries, so I just swapped out the batteries. It didn't make sense to buy 2 more new batteries and let the other nearly new ones sit and go bad. Same engine, same batteries. They didn't get associated with a vehicle when I bought them and they are the proper 6.9 batteries, so warranty can still be claimed if needed.
 
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