I currently have a new Chevy Volt. While I use 1/2 a tank of gas while learning the car I have not uses any gas for the last 9 months and have put 5,000 miles on the car. I there a problem not using the gas for long periods of time? Will it spoil?
Yes, it will spoil, but slowly. I’d be nervous about storing gas in the tank for more than 6 months without using fuel stabilizer. Since these things don’t go m ore than about 45 miles on a charge, take a drive in the country and burn off some of that gas. Look into buying and using some StaBil mixed into the gas.
You have an expensive complicated vehicle with a warranty. There is no reason not to express your concerns to the dealer if you cannot find the answer in your manual. The gas engine is probably running much more then you think . There are also Chevy Volt forums you could look at.
I could be wrong, but I thought the Volt’s computer tracks when the gasoline was last added to the car and would use the ICEautomatically when it’s getting close to expiring (I think the manual says it’s good for a year in the tank too without using stabil, but I might be remembering a post about a different model year Volt…)
Read the manual regarding fuel maintenance mode. Your car’s computer knows how old the fuel is and how much has been added. It keeps a running average of the fuel age and will run the engine to consume the old fuel until the average age rises above the threshold.
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Everything I’ve read says the Volt keeps track of fuel age and runs as needed. But if you’re nervous, toss in a bottle of Stabil. Cheap insurance.
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Didn’t you buy a Volt because gas is already bad? I’ve gone 19 months between gasoline purchases in my '87 Toyota pickup without detecting a problem. I put in a bottle of gas/carb/fuel-line cleaner when I go that long but not Sta-bil.
My8101, I know this is boring but please read your owners manual. It addresses this concern. If you go long enough without using gas you will see a message telling you it will start the engine to consume some fuel. You Volt will not let the gas go bad. I normally keep the tank at just 1/4. Only when I have a long trip do I top off the tank, then go in “Hold” mode (which forces the engine to run.)
Thank you so much. I found page 181 and got my information.
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