New to me 1989 F150 XLT Lariat.
. It has 59,800 miles and that is the factory assembly line paint job done in 1991 while it was being made 
The following users liked this post:
David Young (02-13-2019)
02-13-2019, 08:07 AM
#13
Old Timer
Then put 5 gal of 93 octane or highest you can get next time you need fuel.
If the truck is going to sit, keep as little gas in tank as possible and add HEET to it.
Change your fuel filter a few times.
Last edited by vjsimone; 04-09-2019 at 10:55 PM.
02-14-2019, 08:16 PM
#15
Senior Member
02-14-2019, 09:12 PM
#16
An XLT lariat back in the day is no where near what a Lariat truck is these days, A 87-91 Lariat i have seen come with crank windows, single rear tank and a non tach cluster, but I guess it's how the truck was ordered. But again a Lariat these days isn't even a top tier truck, and the prices OMG, I'll stick with a 87-96 truck.
02-14-2019, 11:38 PM
#17
Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Memphis, TN, Earth, Milky Way
Posts: 11,256
Received 1,731 Likes
on
1,487 Posts
HEET is just ethanol. Modern gas comes with that already in it, which causes a LOT of problems in these older trucks.Not necessary or beneficial. These engines are designed to run best on 89 octane gas.Hi-octane gas is not high-quality or high-performance. It does not benefit low-compression engines like these in any way. Read this & its caption:
(phone app link)
If the gas in the truck is bad, either remove & dispose of it properly (and usually the tank, too); or dilute it with a few cans of Berryman's B-12 pour-in (available at WalMart & most parts stores) and new 89-octane gas (fill the tank). Zero ethanol (E0) is best.
(phone app link)
If the gas in the truck is bad, either remove & dispose of it properly (and usually the tank, too); or dilute it with a few cans of Berryman's B-12 pour-in (available at WalMart & most parts stores) and new 89-octane gas (fill the tank). Zero ethanol (E0) is best.
04-09-2019, 11:23 PM
#20
Old Timer
Ethanol Phase Separation” (EPS)
Yes, I am very aware of the Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) issues, especially “Ethanol Phase Separation” (EPS). Which is why I provide the guidance I do. Whereas the water separation can start as early as 30 days and out to 90 days depending on the composition of the fuel. There is also a nasty substance created during the separation process. The key is to minimize the EPS process using smart fuel tank management. For the most part, that is keeping the tank as empty as possible for a non-daily driver.
By the time the Ethanol fuel reaches one’s fuel tank, it has absorbed plenty of moisture along the way and is fully saturated, so it not going to even absorb the water that has separated from the last load of fuel. I was laughing at the Gas-Line antifreeze on the shelf’s years ago, saying to myself; I’ll never need this again, then and old friend/Gas station owner, told me about the Separation, and after looking into it, it’s obvious that we need to manage the fuel in our limited usage vehicles even more.
https://roadguardians.org/september-...-chads-corner/
Octane in fuel degrades with time as well. You might have put in 89 two months ago, but it’s no longer 89. I think I stated “put 5 gal of 93 octane”, this is meant to be a 1-time event, not lifetime tank filling. What this does is bump whatever crap is in his tank, even after pumping, hopefully to 89 or higher to mitigate a low octane issues while troubleshooting, like pinging & misfiring, so, one less thing to consider. The OP has no clue what’s in the tanks of his auction vehicle.
Adding Octane Booster is also a 1 time event to boost the potentially low quality fuel he inherited with his truck until he can get to the fuel station for the “5 Gal”.
I’m with you, I always pull the tank of an old vehicle, add a new pump/sender, check the plumbing, wiring, connectors and your done with it. No issues with normal operation, I agree, but when acquiring the unknown vehicle fuel tank contents and the normal EFS occurring in sitting vehicles, another approach should be considered.
See attached document;
This was a test of water absorption by different products/snake oils, this is why I promote it and use ISO-HEET (methyl alcohol), it fared better than Seafoam and others. (correction ISO-HEET not HEET)
Loads of information out there on the EPS, octane and snake oils.
By the time the Ethanol fuel reaches one’s fuel tank, it has absorbed plenty of moisture along the way and is fully saturated, so it not going to even absorb the water that has separated from the last load of fuel. I was laughing at the Gas-Line antifreeze on the shelf’s years ago, saying to myself; I’ll never need this again, then and old friend/Gas station owner, told me about the Separation, and after looking into it, it’s obvious that we need to manage the fuel in our limited usage vehicles even more.
https://roadguardians.org/september-...-chads-corner/
Octane in fuel degrades with time as well. You might have put in 89 two months ago, but it’s no longer 89. I think I stated “put 5 gal of 93 octane”, this is meant to be a 1-time event, not lifetime tank filling. What this does is bump whatever crap is in his tank, even after pumping, hopefully to 89 or higher to mitigate a low octane issues while troubleshooting, like pinging & misfiring, so, one less thing to consider. The OP has no clue what’s in the tanks of his auction vehicle.
Adding Octane Booster is also a 1 time event to boost the potentially low quality fuel he inherited with his truck until he can get to the fuel station for the “5 Gal”.
I’m with you, I always pull the tank of an old vehicle, add a new pump/sender, check the plumbing, wiring, connectors and your done with it. No issues with normal operation, I agree, but when acquiring the unknown vehicle fuel tank contents and the normal EFS occurring in sitting vehicles, another approach should be considered.
See attached document;
This was a test of water absorption by different products/snake oils, this is why I promote it and use ISO-HEET (methyl alcohol), it fared better than Seafoam and others. (correction ISO-HEET not HEET)
Loads of information out there on the EPS, octane and snake oils.
Last edited by vjsimone; 04-10-2019 at 11:06 PM. Reason: Adding text