Time between fill ups

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vwsb1974

New member
Joined
Feb 22, 2019
Messages
4
So i have had my I3 since last September and I am just wondering how log between fill up's is to long? I last got gas on the 24th of February It was 93 non ethanol. I know the I3 has a pressurized fuel tank to help keep the fuel fresh. I have a little over 5,500 mils since i got that tank and have used the REX twice on this tank and the car has performed one maint. cycle due to the REX not being used. The car has also recently been in for its annual service / oil change. I have coded the car for the larger tank size and it is still showing over half a tank. I am just wondering if anyone else has gone this long between fill ups and if so have they seen any adverse effects from stale fuel.
 
Condensation/moisture in the gas - which is the biggest problem as gas sits in a tank, is supposed to be prevented by the pressurization. Since I rarely use my Rex engine, and only get the maintenance cycle runs, I add PRI-G small engine fuel stabilizer, to be on the safe side. Military uses the PRI-G stabilizer in stored fuel that will sit for years.
 
Personally, I'd probably run that gas out and replace it. My personal thought is that, one, I'd like the oil to be circulated through my engine more often that once every 6-weeks or so to minimize start up wear (one study concluded that 90% of engine wear occurs in the first 30-seconds of cold starting that can get worse if not run and all of the oil coating runs off), and any moisture that might have condensed in there can start to corrode things, and two, just to be on the safe side, put fresh fuel in there won't hurt. Older engines with carburetors were maybe more subject to gumming up, but fuel injectors are harder to clean if they do. Lucky you can buy gasoline without ethanol in it...can't really find it around here easily.
 
I have since started using this tank of gas. I think moving forward I will use the REX at least once a moth or so just to keep the oil film on the cylinder walls. I wonder if the computer is programmed to stop the REX when both valves are closed to prevent condensation from entering the engine when prolonged times of no use?
 
I've started to use REX HSOC @40-50% once a week or so , when I know that the most local DC Fast Charger is more expensive than using the REX for 25 -40 miles. Thats about 1/4 -1/3 of the tank.

I drive about 75 miles weekdays HOV highway round-trip on a 94Ah, but don't have a home 220v charger yet, soon I hope, so my use is a mix of DC Fast , 110V (usually 7 hrs a day so 20 miles range) and level 2 once in while (usually not worth the effort to find one, unless it's where I am at).
 
vwsb1974 said:
I wonder if the computer is programmed to stop the REX when both valves are closed to prevent condensation from entering the engine when prolonged times of no use?
I'm guessing that there's no engine state in which all valves in both cylinders are closed.
 
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