Diesel in storage for over 8 months

Thanks everyone

I was thinking just like every poster here Guess I jut wanted some positive thinking to make me feel better.

Thanks again

Leon

My buddy got cancer, and stopped driving his Country Coach in 2005. In July of 2010 I drove it up to Sequoia NP (It has a 120 gallon diesel tank and no stabilizer in it at all - ever). The tank had been left about 2/3 full. I tried to use up all the fuel, but bought about 30 gallons on the middle of the trip Garden Grove to Sequoia NP) to have plenty of fuel to run the generator.

At the end of that trip, we had about 1/4 tank left.

In October of 2010, I drove it to Las Vegas, where we had about 1/8 tank left, bought 40 gallons, and drove to St. George. Filled the tank all the way, before going to Zion, Albuquerque, and heading back home. In Albuquerque, we where around 1/4 tank again, and filled it most of the way, so where pretty sure that all the 2005 fuel was used up by then.

We did not change the filters, and it ran great.

At the end of the 2010 trip, we planned on parking it for a long time (actually is still parked in his un-heated garage) and filled the tank. Still did not add any stabilizer. It is a 1998 with a inline 6 diesel engine. The diesel generator also ran great too!

He had also changed the engine oil at the start of the 2005 trip, and 600 miles later at the start of the 2010 trip. We changed the generator oil at that time too.

Good luck with your truck, I think you will have no problems in part to much better and cleaner diesel underground storage tanks now (fiberglass, not rusty steel tanks). Also the stabilizer keeps it much cleaner.

Fred.

wow!! your biggest worry is if mice ate your truck. drive it.

Perrysburg Dodgeboy wrote:

Sport45 wrote:
Unhook the battery minder, then get behind the wheel, start the thing and go.

The oil is fine. The garage "breathes" a little due to temperature swings. The crankcase breathes a little of the garage air due to even smaller temperature swings.

X2 Dads sits for 6/7 months doing the same you do and never changes the oil before he starts driving it.

Don

X3
I have done this the past 5 years or so. One year I pulled a sample from the fumto drain valve and sent it out to Blackstone for testing. In their report the guy laughed and said " oil don't go bad just setting there".
My biggest concern would be the fuel starting to slime up. But you treated that also so you should be good to go IMO.

Sport45 wrote:
Unhook the battery minder, then get behind the wheel, start the thing and go.

The oil is fine. The garage "breathes" a little due to temperature swings. The crankcase breathes a little of the garage air due to even smaller temperature swings.

X2 Dads sits for 6/7 months doing the same you do and never changes the oil before he starts driving it.

Don

Change it, put it in a clean container and I'll recycle it for you. OH you are in Hawaii... never mind.:B
X2 on what Sport45 said.

According to your owners manual the oil needs changed every six months regardless of miles..

How long do you think they sit at dealerships on lots?

No, I don't believe it either.. ;)

If the batteries stayed good you will be good to go. My Dad leaves his all winter when he heads to Hawaii. Only issue he had was when someone else borrowed it and left it outside and it had a bunch of water make it's way to the fuel tank through a breather.

Chris

Unhook the battery minder, then get behind the wheel, start the thing and go.

The oil is fine. The garage "breathes" a little due to temperature swings. The crankcase breathes a little of the garage air due to even smaller temperature swings.

If there's enough moisture in the oil to be a problem, it's already done any damage it could do while sitting there. Drive it, heat up the engine for a couple of hours and if there's any moisture in there it will evaporate. I'll bet if you drained the oil and sent in an oil sample they wouldn't find any more moisture in the oil than when you parked it. Same goes for the gen set.

Bill