[indigo]

I will throw in my $.02s worth regarding topping off your fuel tank for the winter. All that does for you is give you a tank full of at least 5 month old fuel (depending on where you live) at the start of the next season.

I always had the habit of keeping as little fuel as necessary in my tank. By doing so, I was able to keep the fuel as fresh as possible.

I would like to attempt to debunk the "condensation in the fuel tank" theory with a very specific personal example. I had my beloved Tartan 34 laid up in the water for the winter. The fuel tank had maybe 4 gallons of fuel in it. In February of that year, a small electrical fire started in the battery compartment which is adjacent to the fuel tank. Luckily, the only stuff that burned was the insulation on a bunch of wiring and THE FUEL TANK VENT HOSE. That hose ran from the tank, through the battery compartment and then aft to the transom. There was NO explosion or fuel fed fire. If there had been enough air in the tank to create condensation, I fully believe that there would have been a combustible mixture of air and fuel vapor and a resulting fire or explosion. The fact of the matter is that the vapor pressure of gasoline is such that gasoline vapors displace the air in the tank above the fuel and pure (or nearly so) gasoline vapors will not burn nor will they cause water condensation within the tank. The whole vapor pressure thing is the reason that you can smell gasoline if you sniff the fuel tank vent.

Fresh fuel is a must for good reliable operation of your A4.

Tom

+1 on the fuel fill cap. Get yourself a stash of o-rings for the cap and change it each year.