My dad owns a 2004 BMW Z4 2.5i and has had it kept inside a garage for at least 3 months without refueling it. I recently started the engine to move the car so that it would not rest on the same spots of the tires and found the engine to be idling rather roughly. The rpm reading on the tach seemed unusual and a little erratic. I think this is probably due to the age of the fuel that is in the car right now. I had moved the car about a month ago prior to this with no noticeable problems and drove it for a short distance and it seemed to perform fine. My main concerns are will the car be fine with simply going and getting more gas (the tank is close to empty) and is this damaging the car? I feel it’s a shame for a nice car like his to be sitting around in the garage and not being driven but that’s another story. He never seems to let me drive it and I only manage to sneak a drive or two out of it when I wash the damn thing and he is not around. [driving2] I just hope I will be able to purchase something like this car after I get the certifications I need for my career. But anyway, thanks in advance for your help guys.
Old Fuel
- Thread starter Severed_Biscuit
- Start date
What I've been told about winter driving and storing cars is that you should keep your tank as full as possible. Moisture can build up in the tank and if you run the car, water car get in your fuel lines and when you stop the car, the water in the lines can freeze up. I'm guessing you just have a bit of water in your tank from the condensation of water building up and not mixing with the gasoline. I say, just fill 'er up and you should be fine. Also, there's stuff you can pour into the tank that is supposed to magically remove the water... and stabilize the fuel for storage.
Yeah epj3, it makes me a little angry that I'm driving an 86' Caprice that has more bondo and rust than paint and a barely working transmission while there is a Z4 sitting the garage for months going to waste. It isn’t any good for the car at all so why not take it on a few rides and actually enjoy the car? He might as well sell it to someone who will actually get some enjoyment out of it if no one drives it. I would be glad to drive it but he doesn’t let me have the keys. It probably does have some condensation in its tank which could also mean that there’s some rust in the tank as well that the engine probably won't like. If it goes on like this the car is going to die way before it's time.
You know maybe I am a little too concerned with condensation in the tank. I just read this article regarding yacht storage. http://www.yachtsurvey.com/myth_of_condensation_in_fuel_tanks.htm We are not dealing with yachts but the calculations that this guy did prove true with car gas tanks too. Just one man's opinion but I think it’s pretty accurate.
I have owned a roadster since 1997 and garaged it every year for a minimum of three months each year and never had a problem! Without going into great detail about flat spotting the tires, etc., I do nothing more to the fuel than fill the tank before storage and add Red-Line SI-1 Injector cleaner. MY car starts and runs smooth every spring. I keep a trickle charger on it and rarely will start the car during storage.
Yup I suppose I worried about it too much. Just got to fuel it up I suppose. It's probably the only thing wrong with it. He also has to go in and get the ignition coils replaced at the dealer soon since he received a recall a while back regarding them but this probably isn’t the cause of the problem. Thanks guys.