Old Gasoline 1

[NatKelley]

Has anyone had successful experience using old gasoline? Possibly mixed with new gasoline or something to make it usable in a vehicle or lawnmower??

I found a thread with responses from user rmw that led me to join this forum. I do not know how to look for users.

I have ALOT of old fuel that I'd rather use if I can, instead of calling an oil recycler to come pick it up. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

 

[ivymike]

when I have a little bit, I mix it with new fuel and feed it to my lawnmower. I'm not sure what to do with lots of it.

do you have a very large bonfire scheduled in the near future?

 

[MikeHalloran]

My lawnmowers have never really liked old gasoline.
I feed it to my cars, a few gallons per tank.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[SomptingGuy]

Why would someone have "ALOT" of old gasoline? Hoarding perhaps? When we had fuel protests in the UK a few years back, which cut supply to the gas stations, people started hoarding gasoline in unfit containers on their property.

- Steve

 

[dgallup]

How old is old? What grade was it to begin with? Any alcohol or MBTE? What sort of engines do you want to run it in? Without some idea of what you have to start with it is impossible to give any kind of meaningful answers.

 

[izzmus]

Carbureted Wankels are perfectly happy to run on poorly stored, decade-old fuel. I wouldn't try it in a fuel injected engine with any decent compression, though.

 

[patprimmer]

Also, was it stored in a well sealed container.

Generally I would say if it has no oil mixed with it and is stored in an airtight container it is OK.

I never use old 2 stroke blend as the lighter fractions evaporate off and leave only the heavier fractions and the oil kills the octane rating over time.

I would blend it of at no more than 10% in a lower performance car, but not in something where the new fuel was of marginal octane for the engine and I would still be concerned that the 2 stroke oil might damage the catalytic converter.



Regards
Pat
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[rmw]

NatKelley,

Thanks for the mention.

I hadn't run my chainsaw since Hurricane Ike just over 2 years ago and had begun to worry about the gasoline I left in it. Not leaving any was worrysome because when I got it out after Ike the gaskets in the Carb had dried and it poured gasoline for a while until they swelled up again. (it still cut the heck out of some mighty big trees and created a bad case of "chain saw envy" in the neighborhood - it is a large McCullough no longer made.)

I don't know what the threshold is, but with the new gasoline I mixed in to do the trimming of stuff killed by the recent cold weather, I think I must be good for another couple of years again.

rmw

 

[RossABQ]

I've bought two Porsche 944's that had each sat for 7+ years. One had 10 gallons in it, the other had a full tank of 15 gallons. Both tankfuls stunk to high heaven, but obviously I didn't want to dump that much gas on the ground or pay to have it disposed of ($$).

The first time I put all the gas in my '88 Chevy pickup, which had TBI. I figured it might be more forgiving than a car with MPFI. It also had a 34 gallon tank, and was about half full, so it was diluted. It ran fine but smelled really bad (exhaust).

The second time I put half of the old gas in my '52 Ford, which burned it off just fine and without any smell. I put the rest in the Chevy truck, which again had no trouble burning it off.

Bottom line, I'd use the gas, diluted maybe 50%, in something that uses a lot of gas, not some fuel-sipping econocar.

 

[TheBlacksmith]

I've dumped up to 20% (most of a 5 gallon can) into my 1999 F-150 with a 4.6 fuel injected engine and never noticed any ill effects. Of course I didn't do it when climbing mountains through PA or pulling a 6,000 lb trailer.

 

[evelrod]

I had a few gallons of leaded 110 in a fuelcell for five years or so. I started the engine up just to warm it up before loading on a transporter to it's new owner back east. Seemed ok. No smell or anything. New owner added new racing fuel and all was normal.

I have some of the same fuel in an 8gal cell that's been there for about 14 years...
Naw! That would be pressing my luck...I'll dump it next time I take my oil cans in to the dump.

Never thought too much about it...Will the oil recycle place take old gasoline?

Rod

 

[TheBlacksmith]

Evelrod - At least in Illinois NO. We had to recycle some oil out of a training facility there and they sniffed our cans with a chemical detector for large amounts of aromatics such as gas or paint thinner. A little from engine blowby was okay, but not pure gas. And Kalifornia is usually way ahead of the othr 49 on pollution control.

 

[evelrod]

I'll ask when I take this batch of used Red Line synthetic, about 20 gallons. They won't take but five gal at a time so I must hit four places. If not, I know a gopher who will just LOVE the stuff!

Rod

 

[patprimmer]

Rod

If you are going to bury it, just leave it in an open dish for a day or two, or better still, add it to the solvent in your parts washer, so long as you don't breath the fumes or put your hands in it to much.

Regards
Pat
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[evelrod]

Pat, somehow I survived (at least, so far) my first 30 years of washing parts in leaded gasoline...I'll be 71 in a couple days...I think I'll just feed it to the gopher!

Rod

 

[patprimmer]

I also have survived washing parts in avgas for the nice dry slippery coating it as it dried.

So far no physical side effects. Some may atribute personality traits to the fumes tough. ;-)

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

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for site rules

 

[TheBlacksmith]

I use Chevron Techron when when of my fuel injected vehicles starts acting up and it usually clears it up. I used it on the old throttle body injection systems where you could observe the spray pattern and the before and after difference was impressive. No flow testing, just Mark 1, Mod 0 eyeball.

 

[RossABQ]

Ditto on Techron.

On my long-sitting Porsches, most of the injectors were stuck. I hot-wired the fuel pump and used jumpers to pulse the injectors with 2 gallons of fresh gas and a bottle of Techron circulating. After 5 - 10 pulses I could hear them start clicking. Used that mix to start the engine, have had no problems since.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

I use STABIL when I know gas may be leftover from year to year. Seems to work.

Old gas in hand started equipment may just get you a sore shoulder unless you mix it with some hi-octane stuff or warm the engine up before introducing it.

 

[evelrod]

Ah, here we go..."warm the engine up before..."

Florance, Colorado, winter 1964...starting an old six cylinder Lincoln welder...Oxy-acetylene torch to 'warm 'er up' a bit. Well, let's add a little of the mix to the aircleaner to give it a boost. Hit the starter button...BOOOOOOOOOOM...exit about half the cylinder head, stage left!!!
No worries, mate! Boss hated that POS welder anyway. Whew!

Rod