Does 98 Octane go bad? Leaving fuel in your tank when not driving for a month
#1
Does 98 Octane go bad? Leaving fuel in your tank when not driving for a month
Heh guys. I use 98 Octane fuel on my XJS. I just heard from a friend that 98 starts to go bad if you leave it sitting in your tank for more than 2 weeks.
I work away for 1 month at a time and just wanted to know if anybody knew if this was so?
I work away for 1 month at a time and just wanted to know if anybody knew if this was so?
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paulyling (12-12-2014)
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paulyling (12-12-2014)
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Odd that you should post this question now Paul. A few us,and some in the know,mechanics etc,were discussing exactly this question.
We concluded that what some had said to prompt the discussion had led from the old leaded petrol (super as it was called) where if left for extended periods would be considered gone bad.
I have no problems and nor does the car/cars that have had 98 octane in them for over a year.
Even the fussy lawn mower that sits idle through winter runs just fine with the 1/2 tank that was left in it.
A month or few wouldn't concern me in the slightest.
We concluded that what some had said to prompt the discussion had led from the old leaded petrol (super as it was called) where if left for extended periods would be considered gone bad.
I have no problems and nor does the car/cars that have had 98 octane in them for over a year.
Even the fussy lawn mower that sits idle through winter runs just fine with the 1/2 tank that was left in it.
A month or few wouldn't concern me in the slightest.
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paulyling (12-12-2014)
#7
no problems with fuel sitting for a couple weeks. but with newer ethanol fuels its best to top off before letting your vehicles sit as the ethanol tends to absorb moisture. but a couple weeks to a month wont hurt anything 4-6 months fuel might slightly degrade. but should still run fine. older fuel formulas used to store a lot better than current fuels though.
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paulyling (12-13-2014)
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My 5 ltr mower fuel tin lasts me a year, never had a problem starting the mower or whipper snipper with it.
I recently started a chainsaw that had fuel well over 12 months old and it ran fine.
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paulyling (12-13-2014)
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It's all irrelevant anyway as any modern Jag achieves full rated power on 91 AKI (95 RON) fuel. Paying for even higher octane is just wasted money.
#12
Not true. North America has a different rating system for octane from the rest of the world. Ours is rated according to AKI (anti knock index) theirs is rated by RON (research octane number). Rule of thumb is that RON will be 4 points higher than AKI, meaning that our 94 is 98 on their scale.
It's all irrelevant anyway as any modern Jag achieves full rated power on 91 AKI (95 RON) fuel. Paying for even higher octane is just wasted money.
It's all irrelevant anyway as any modern Jag achieves full rated power on 91 AKI (95 RON) fuel. Paying for even higher octane is just wasted money.
Also, 95 ron here has 10% ethanol in it. I doubt a 25 year old XJ-S should be run on ethanol. My C30 gets that *****... But the Jag doesn't deserve using crap from the pumps... 98 ron has no ethanol in it (at least here in Europe!).
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True enough- if the OEM specifies fuel higher than 95 RON then that overrides everything else. My comments were directed towards the N. Am. market where anything higher than 95 RON (91 AKI) is not commonly seen. I believe the cars sold here were tuned with this fact in mind. I was primarily addressing the misconception that high octane fuel makes engines produce more power as it contains more energy.
The Satan Ethanol debate is probably best left for another day. I've been using it for over 20 years, never had a moment's problem. Just about all gasoline here, including 91+ AKI has ethanol in it
The Satan Ethanol debate is probably best left for another day. I've been using it for over 20 years, never had a moment's problem. Just about all gasoline here, including 91+ AKI has ethanol in it
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paulyling (12-13-2014)
#14
True enough- if the OEM specifies fuel higher than 95 RON then that overrides everything else. My comments were directed towards the N. Am. market where anything higher than 95 RON (91 AKI) is not commonly seen. I believe the cars sold here were tuned with this fact in mind. I was primarily addressing the misconception that high octane fuel makes engines produce more power as it contains more energy.
The Satan Ethanol debate is probably best left for another day. I've been using it for over 20 years, never had a moment's problem. Just about all gasoline here, including 91+ AKI has ethanol in it
The Satan Ethanol debate is probably best left for another day. I've been using it for over 20 years, never had a moment's problem. Just about all gasoline here, including 91+ AKI has ethanol in it
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paulyling (12-13-2014)
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According to Bywater Jaguar standardized the lower (11.5 to 1) compression ratio *across the board* when Marelli ignition was introduced.
Do you have Lucas ignition?
I doubt a 25 year old XJ-S should be run on ethanol.
No worries. My 1988 V12 ran sweet as a nut on E10.
Jaguar was OK with E10 even way back in the day. In fact the owner's handbook for my 1988 (Canadian) V12 VDP specifically mentions that E10 is OK to use.
Up in my neck o' the woods E10 has been standard issue for as long as I can remember...at least since the early/mid 90s. The way people talk you'd think the sides of the road would be strewn with dead and dying cars! I can assure you, that's not the case
If you *store* a car with E10 gasoline in the tank you might wanna take some precautions. If you simply want to *drive* a car with E10 gasoline in the tank, don't think twice about it.
Cheers
DD
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paulyling (12-13-2014)
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Gasoline and rubber have always had a strained relationship. Same with gasoline and paper/cork gaskets, and all sorts of other things that were drying out and rotting to pieces wayyyyy before E10 was introduced.
I well remember being taught how to open up a Carter AFB 4-barrell carb to replace a dried-out accelerator pump.....in 1974 !
Nowadays people blame E10 if their girlfriend gets pregnant or trash cans get knocked over
Cheers
DD
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paulyling (12-13-2014)
#18
No worries. My 1988 V12 ran sweet as a nut on E10.
Jaguar was OK with E10 even way back in the day. In fact the owner's handbook for my 1988 (Canadian) V12 VDP specifically mentions that E10 is OK to use.
Up in my neck o' the woods E10 has been standard issue for as long as I can remember...at least since the early/mid 90s. The way people talk you'd think the sides of the road would be strewn with dead and dying cars! I can assure you, that's not the case
If you *store* a car with E10 gasoline in the tank you might wanna take some precautions. If you simply want to *drive* a car with E10 gasoline in the tank, don't think twice about it.
Cheers
DD
Jaguar was OK with E10 even way back in the day. In fact the owner's handbook for my 1988 (Canadian) V12 VDP specifically mentions that E10 is OK to use.
Up in my neck o' the woods E10 has been standard issue for as long as I can remember...at least since the early/mid 90s. The way people talk you'd think the sides of the road would be strewn with dead and dying cars! I can assure you, that's not the case
If you *store* a car with E10 gasoline in the tank you might wanna take some precautions. If you simply want to *drive* a car with E10 gasoline in the tank, don't think twice about it.
Cheers
DD
Gasoline and rubber have always had a strained relationship. Same with gasoline and paper/cork gaskets, and all sorts of other things that were drying out and rotting to pieces wayyyyy before E10 was introduced.
I well remember being taught how to open up a Carter AFB 4-barrell carb to replace a dried-out accelerator pump.....in 1974 !
Nowadays people blame E10 if their girlfriend gets pregnant or trash cans get knocked over
Cheers
DD
I well remember being taught how to open up a Carter AFB 4-barrell carb to replace a dried-out accelerator pump.....in 1974 !
Nowadays people blame E10 if their girlfriend gets pregnant or trash cans get knocked over
Cheers
DD
The first mass production car - the Model T - was built to run on ethanol... It worked then as it looks
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paulyling (12-13-2014)
#19
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As Doug mentions, ethanol gets blamed for everything. Bona fide cases? Pretty rare.
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paulyling (12-13-2014)
#20
Though I must say, I did pay a lot more at shell for 103 ron (EU) with 0% ethanol
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paulyling (12-13-2014)