Drain the tank after adding a gallon of VP 110 race fuel?

Hello All,

Hoping to come here for some suggestions or input.

My wife recently ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere in our 05' Toyota Tacoma.

I was not with her but a motocross rider helped her out with a gallon of VP 110 leaded race fuel. This was mixed with a 2-stroke oil at 50/1.

She then drove about a mile and filled up her entire tank. I also had her put some fuel additives in the truck for her short drive home.

I know that VP 110 leaded fuel is like jet fuel and debating whether or not I should drain the tank entirely or if I am worrying too much and the ratio is too watered down to worry about.

Any mechanics here or suggestions?

 

If it were me, I’d fill the tank completely full. Run the tank to 3/4, the fill it full again. Repeat this a few times. See if any lights come. If not. Call it good. Drive it.

You might pull the pull the plugs if you feel a miss. But seriously, at this point. The fuel has been ran through the system already. Dilute it with regular gas and move on.

 

lead clogs the cats and over time will ruin o2 sensors, thats really the biggest problem. Everything else in an engine is ok. leaded 110 is not like jet fuel which is closer to diesel/kerosene.

What i dont know is if 1 gallon of it is enough to cause problems.

oh and its a pretty big fine if youre caught running leaded gas on the street but no one is going to be checking a stock tacoma for that.

 

Thank you. I know nothing about leaded 110 race fuel. The tank was already filled with 25 gallons of regular-grade with fuel addictive and sounds like it should be okay. I was just concerned about the fuel ripping apart the internals of the engine and if draining completely was worth considering.

 

I seriously doubt you would see any major effects of 1:16 ratio. 16 gallon to fill from full (or more). If you top off frequently the ratio will go up.

Buy yes, lead does harm the cats and A/F and O2 Sensor.

It is OPs call. If it were my truck. I’d let everyone know the effects of NOT draining the tank.

 

Thank you. Pretty sure that I am over thinking the whole situation and 1 gallon of leaded 110 does not sound too bad when filled with 24 gallons of regular gas. I was just concerned over long term damage; if even applicable.

 

Thank you. I believe it is a 25 gallon tank so the 1 gallon ratio seems minimal. I can live with a clogged cat / 02 sensors but would absolutely drain if there was a possibility of internal engine, piston and bearing damage.

 

if you start getting bad mileage or cant pass an emissions sniffer test the lead has damaged the cats and o2 sensor.

effects of lead on the cat and sensor are cumulative, 1 gallon diluted is still running that same amount of lead through the system just slower.

Personally I would just run it, the o2 sensors will be fine as I know plenty of people that run an EFI car with o2 sensors on leaded race gas. They just replace the sensor every once in a while. Its the cats I dont know about.

 

Thank you. I am truly relieved to hear this type of feedback from the folks who know.

I have a business trip to Las Vegas later this week and will fill up regularly and observe how everything goes. I might run the truck for a bit today at idle just to try and clean out the system wish fresh fuel.

Appreciate all of your help.

 

Yes it is cumulative. How ever the oil ratio is diluted. 2 Stroke oil needs heat and complete combustion to burn the oil.
Most 2 stroke engines turn 9k+ rpm.

Not saying you are wrong. Just explaining why I said to dilute frequently.

As for the cats. I’d wait and see what happens. With the way things are now. Who’s to say they will even be there in the morning?

 

The oil part isnt even a concern at that level once the tank was filled with straight gas afterwards, just the lead. Not even enough to foul the plugs.

 

Hi All,

Quick update; having a buddy with an older truck who has a high capacity pump and is willing to help me clear out the tank. I'm sure that this is a bit of overkill based on the feedback but figure that it is the most conservative action to take. I will re-fill with a fresh tank after draining and hope for the best.

Appreciate everyone's quick feedback on a Sunday morning. We love our taco and hope to contribute back to the community in the future.

 

Do what you think is best.
It’s your truck. We aren’t the ones paying for it or having to rely on it daily.

 

Tank of gas. $50
Cats, sensors and labor. $3000.

 

How are you getting the gas out? Pulling the banjo fitting on the fuel rail?
Kind of hard to siphon gas out of a Toyota. It's almost impossible snake a line to the bottom of the tank.

For what it's worth, I've been dumping my premix boat gas into the truck for years. St the end of boating season, it's the best use of that old fuel. I could have less than quarter of a tank or almost full, I notice no issues

 

Just fill it with regular and run it. Its really not worth the trouble of draining and such for 1 gallon

 

Draining the tank now is like closing the barn door after the horse gets out. It's already been driven with the leaded fuel. If any damage is done, it is already done.

 

You're wasting your time, resources and brain cells used for worry.

One gallon and she drove a mile. So that's about 1/15th or something over 8oz.

That means the remaining 120oz were diluted to be .039 % of the tank.

Insignificant.

 

a gallon? its well diluted by the rest of the fuel you've put in... i wouldnt worry about it.

 

I pre-mix 2 1/2 gal. of fuel for two stroke weed eater, leaf blower, chain saw etc, every spring. In the fall I dump the unused fuel into my truck or car (whichever has the fullest tank). Done this for years.....Your issue, as referenced above, is a non issue.