Ok a buddy of mine who races big time cars say this after we were talkinga bout how long my meth in my smc tank lasts. Remember i only drive my car like once a week if that.
I said--I have a 3 gallon tank in the trunck for meth that I filled up aboout 2 months ago and its still 80% full.


He says--You forgot to add, 80% full of water...Alcohol is great at pulling water out of the air, if your car sits for more than 2 days you are supposed to drain the tank and throw it since it will be packed with water. If you leave your barrel open might as well throw it away also..


I honestly dont know so I figured i would ask here. thanks guys

 

i hope this isnt true because i also only drive the car once or twice a week and last time i filled it was three months ago. im a little nervous

 

Yeah man i am totally in the dark on this, so im looking for a little info here.

 

hum I did find this.


Because methanol is "hygroscopic" meaning it absorbs water, it requires special handling procedures. The number one piece of advise is to buy only as much fuel as you will use in a week, and buy the fuel from a reputable vendor who stores the fuel in sealed metal drums.

It is preferable to store methanol in a sealed metal container. Plastic is OK for short term storage only, but put the container on wood, not on the ground. Be sure to keep your container sealed at all times.

In addition to attracting water, methanol is corrosive to metals, gaskets and seals. In four stroke engines it is recommended that you use a "top lube" or methanol fuel treatment in order to combat corrosion. Many motorsports oil manufacturers make products specifically for treating methanol fuel systems.

For two stroke applications CT recommend Maxima 927 pre-mixed at 28:1, this will combat corrosion and sufficiently lubricate the engine. Check with the oil manufacturer before mixing your favorite oil with alcohol.

Methanol must be drained from the fuel system at the end of the day every day. This is especially important in the coastal climates. Because fuel tanks and carburetors are ventilated to the atmosphere the methanol inside will absorb water and corrode costly fuel system components.

 

and more
Many problems racers have with running methanol are caused by the lack of regular fuel-system maintenance. The characteristics of methanol make it harder on all fuel-system components than gasoline. Methanol absorbs water directly from the air, even through the fuel-tank vent and carb-bowl vents.

The water content in the methanol, if allowed to get high enough, and cause fuel-metering lean-out problems in the carb, flow restrictions in pleated-paper fuel-filter ellments, and severe corrosion of the metal parts in the fuel system.

To prevent these problems, I recommend that the fuel remaining in the car's fuel cell, lines, pump, and carb buel bowls should be drained out and put into an airtight container to minimize any further water contamination. This should be done as soon as possible after each day's racing is over, even if the car is to be raced the next day.

A good way to analyze methanol for water contamination is to check the specific gravity of the fuel with a hydrometer. At 60F (16C) fuel temperature (standard checking temperature for fuels), pure methanol has a specific gravity of 0.792. If your methanol (at 60F) has specific gravity over 0.800, discard it and obtain some new fuel, and check it too

 

Here are some facts of Methonal..

Methanol, CH3OH, (i.e. methyl alcohol) is the simplest aliphatic alcohol, and is the first member of the homologous series.

Methanol is a colourless liquid, completely miscible with water and organic solvents and is very hydroscopic.

Methanol has an agreeable odour, and a burning taste.

Methanol is a potent nerve poison.

Methanol has the physical properties

Some people combine a mixture of water and methonal. Although this helps with cooling boost, it also weakens the overall methanol content. Which could change you air/fuel ratio.
As you know, liquid is not compressable. So to much H2O in the tank could actually no vaporize soon enough, cause the engine to ingest to water, which will cause engine failure.

I would only add what I can use for that day.

 

interesting, I was thinking as well if it was good to leave methanol in tank after a week...

 

Hum this is very interesting, so if i onl drive my car once a week then i should leave the tank enpty untill i need to use the car? That would be a PITA, and all make the reason for having a 2.5 gallon tank worthless. Can some tuners post up with there ideas on this? Have you guys tuned cars with meth thats been in there tank a while and noticed any diffrence.

 

Not only does it absorb water, but it also evaporates over time also, leaving the water behind.. I think that was the gist of what was written..

 

I was thinking of using METH. I have the home depot denatured alcohol. I am sticking with it now.

 

i fill my 1 gallon tank once a month the most and no problems so far after 4000 miles

 

I wonder if i should just start runing 1 gallon at a time and keeping the rest in a sealed container. How would I tell if the stuff in my car is bad. And how comethis has not been brought up before. I would think it would have with all the people buying the rear mount large tanks

 

You should be fine if your cell is closed. I dont see how it would pull any moisture from the air if its enclosed in a fuel cell. I ran meth for about 6months in my dsm and never had any problems reguarding this or anything.

 

Double edged sword...

Yes it will pull in any humidity and dilute over time.

If you think about what the most common use is for, it is used to remove water from the fuel system of auto fuel tanks and lines. So yes, it does exactly that.

95% or more of meth injection systems utilize a vented tank to offset the vacuum created by pumping the fluid out of the tank. This is great for flow, however intoduces the methanol to atmosphere air and humidity.

I watched a NHRA drag series the other day where a racer's methonal weight was measured as required by the class and it ended up being too heavy and he was disqualified. His excuse was that the methanol absorbed the moisture and upset the weight characteristics, DQ'ing him.

 

Depends how aggressive you drive the car. While
running 30+ PSI, you'll be spraying approx 2ounces per
second. Tank holds about 128 ounces.

If you drive car like you stole it, tank lasts about
10 minutes.. if you drive car playing around once in a
while.. about 1 tank full