Fuel Question

[Mel Griffin]

I only drove 200 miles this summer and I'm ready to putt Patroit in storage untill June 14, couch was full beginning of 2013,

and I plan on filling it up before storage this fall. This means the majority of fuel will be in coach approx. 2 years or more

as I plan on about 200 miles next year. The question IS---with only driving 200 miles a year and adding approx. 25 gals

of new fuel a year, will this cause me fuel problems in the future?

Miami Mel

[Edward Buker]

Mel,

There are diesel fuel stabilizers and anti algae growth additives mostly used in the marine industry. If you are near Miami the use of these additives is more important then in colder less humid locations. I would recommend that you drive the coach until you are down to a quarter tank once each year and fill it after adding an appropriate amount of the additives, leaving it stored with the fuel tank full as planned. My thinking is that the forced use of the old fuel is far less expensive then any dealing with fuel tank or fuel system algae problems. It is good to run these coaches once every month or two for a few miles to keep everything functioning if you can. My two cents...

Later Ed

[Roy Warren Co-Admin]

Mel,
My two cents are that you should drive your coach to at least 1/4 tank annually, use necessary additives as described by Ed, and run your generator and heater system at least 5 minutes monthly.  I don't know if you have an Aqua Hot or Hurricane heating system, but you should run these items monthly.  It will give you a good reason to have some alone man time.
Roy Warren

[Gerald Farris]

Mel,
The use of a fuel stabilizer in diesel fuel is helpful, but it is not near as important as it is in gasoline. I have used diesel on the farm that has sat in the storage tank for over 5 years without a problem, but I would not recommend it.

As for microbe growth (algae), it occurs at the line between water and fuel in a diesel tank. Therefore if there is no water in your tank, you will get no microbe growth. The reason to fill a tank before storage is to have as little air in the tank as possible to reduce the amount of condensation from the air. This condensation adds water to your tank, and therefore causes microbe growth. This is a common problem in the marine industry because of the large tanks and high humidity environment.

To answer your question, I do not think that you will have a problem, but the use of a fuel stabilizer would not be a bad idea.

Gerald  

[Jerry Carr]

I will keep our rig inside storage for 2-3 months, but I do start the engine and APU once every 2-3 weeks I think Roy's comment about the Aqua Hot is one that I need to add to my routine.

I always top off before going into storage ( old aviation habits) to prevent condensation in the tanks, we also change all the filters once a year when doing our annual maintenance ( we only put on 3-5K miles each year) so far this routine has served us well.  How do you store your rig? Tires should be watched if you outside uncovered and maybe even blocks if your on the ground. The forum may have some good input on this issue as well as extended storage for airbags/Batteries/ Inverter settings.

  

[Keith Oliver]

Jerry:

I doubt this is a game changer for you, but if you are planning to keep your present coach till it gets old, please take better care of your diesel engine by resisting the temptation to start it once every two or three weeks.  Diesel engines have tremendous longevity that is reduced by cold starts.  Unless you plan on bringing the temperature of the oil up to a level that will evaporate off any condensation that has dribbled down from the last cold start, all you will accomplish is to increase the amount of non-lubricationg condensation in the oil, reducing the effectiveness of any lubrication to the piston walls, bearings, etc, and add unnecessary wear to the engine generally.  The complete abandonment of the engine for 2-3 months has no adverse effects on it.  It takes a load to get the oil heated up, so you really need to take it out and go up a hill or two to do anything worthwhile.

I have owned and operated diesel boats for 40 years, over which time I have seen quite a few owners re-power after only a few thousand hours instead of getting the manufacturer's predicted 10k hours before any major work is required.  The boaters who need this most frequently are the owners of racing sailboats, or those avid sailors who just love to sail, and who use their engines to get beyond the breakwater, then shut it down and hoist the sails.  Those badly treated engines are the first to go.  At the other end of the spectrum are generators on remote sites that run 24/7 for months at a time, so don't get cold starts more than a few times in their 40 to 60k hour lifetimes.

For comparative numbers, at avg 50mph, your rig should go (50x10,000) 500,000 miles if treated well, before anything seriously needs attention in the ER.

[Edward Buker]

I'm still in the camp that 200 miles a year in general is not enough running of a diesel coach to keep things operating properly without some schedule of routine operation. If Miami Mel is actually in the humidity and salt air of Miami then it is even more important to have the coach be driven from time to time. I would not feel the same way about the desert south west, that location is very forgiving regarding condensation and metal corrosion causing things to freeze up. I live near Pensacola and on a cool morning I can come out and every metal surface can be dripping wet on the outside and underside of my coach.

I agree with Keith that if you run the coach, it should be driven over the road and the engine should reach normal operating temp of 180 -190 degrees and the engine oil should approach 200 degrees or higher. There are storage circumstances where you are buried in a lot or warehouse for a storage season and in that case you are better off to just not start the engine at all given you will not reach operating temp just sitting at idle.

I know there are many cases where there is very low mileage put on in a year and everything works out but in general mechanical things that do not move and get used tend to have issues. At least that has been my experience....

Later Ed

[Joel Ashley]

That's exactly what Brett Wolfe, well known chassis and engine tech and author, recommends;  it is best to get engine temp up to full levels under a true load, which means on the road.  

Since I can do little more than idle mine or wind RPMs sitting still, I am theoretically better off not starting the engine at all.  The quandary then comes, in our situation where just getting the rig out to the street is an agonizingly difficult endeavor, how to occasionally move the coach to keep the tires from taking a set, given I shouldn't run the engine.

As tempting as it is to crank the engine every so often when I run the HydroHot and generator (under load), it has sat quiet since November, and unfortunately so have the tires.  If I had a heavy enough jack and stands I might have gone that route.

Joel