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.

 

[NatKelley]

Sorry for the slow reply guys....Thanks for all your suggestions.

I bought an old general store/gas station,converted it into a cafe, & recently found the old tanks in the ground need to be emptied and removed. 1000 gallons of gas in there since 2000. The state guy that came to check it says, there is no water in it- but it smells old.

Maybe I can bottle it and sell it as parts cleaner to mechanics??? =)

 

[drwebb]

A lot of waste oil goes to burner fuel. Might be worth gauging any interest among your local dealers. That may be where whomever remediates the tanks would send it.

 

[1gibson]

Would everyone still agree with their comments considering ethanol content of gasoline in the past few years? Ethanol being more prone to water absorption?

 

[evelrod]

The problem with "old fuel" is not so much water contamination as evaporation. The major problem of any fuel not stored in a sealed, light proof container. Not one of the current crop of red or white plastic jugs. Sealed metal containers can keep fuel, in my case, racing fuel viable for quite a while.

Evaporation of oxygenating additives such as ethanol or MTBE can happen at a pretty surprising rate leaving "base stock", more or less...The 'bad smell'.

I would still try to avoid using fuel that has been in undetermined storage for anything save, feeding my gophers.

Rod

 

[swall]

You bring up a good point. I have heard a rule of thumb for E10 fuel storage of 90 days max. Some of the fuel stabilizer products now claim to be suitable for ethanol blends.

 

[TheBlacksmith]

If ethanol didn't mix with water my scotch and water would taste funny! Plus pure ethanol will absorb moisture out of the air, which is why you don't see 200 proof everclear. I remember an old backyard boater's test for ethanol (the alcohol would dissolve old time marine fuel hose!). Add exactly 100 ml of the fuel under test to a graduated container, add exactly 100 ml of pure water. Cap and shake the container. Let settle for 30 minutes. If there is now a line at 110 ml between the "scotch and water" and the gasoline, the gasoline had 10% ethanol in it.

 

[berkshire]

So we are looking at 1000 gallons of 11 year old Gasoline. Stored in an underground tank, which your state inspector says, is water free.
If it is that old, it most likely was not formulated with any Ethanol. It might have MBTE, but that’s not bad, however it might have tetraethyl lead that’s bad.
Try it in an older car without a catalytic converter first...
B.E.

 

[rmw]

Wasn't leaded gas a thing of memory by Y2K?

I'd be suspicious of the report that it has NO water in it especially if it is that old. One reason that the gas is 'old' is what can have evaporated off has evaporated off. It is gasoline's high vapor pressure that keeps it from having a tendency to collect water. I have my doubts about the vapor pressure on the top of that gasoline is what it was in 2000. At least with an underground tank it had less tendency to "breathe" as ambient temperatures fluctuate.

If it were mine, I'd mix it in smaller quantities with good fresh gas and have 1000 gallons less of gas to have to buy in the upcoming months. The question is; can you pump it in such a manner so as to be able to mix it in with your good gasoline little by little over time.

If so, your gopher will live longer too. If not, the gasoline won't kill him, it will drown him.

rmw

 

[evelrod]

If I was still back home, I'm so cheap that I probably would try to save that much fuel. Mix it with 'new' and use it in the summer. Those hot West Texas summers would help. My father in law kept a 250 gal tank full on his Lubbock area farm for years, 'just in case'. I'm pretty sure that after he died "someone" must have used it...never heard any family bitching about bad fuel.

Don't worry about that gopher...I shot that sucker several years ago. ["It's a joke, son"!...Foghorn Leghorn.]

Rod

 

[RossABQ]

I'd sell the gas! Guaranteed if you put it up for sale at $2/gallon and are completely up-front about its history, you'll have a line of people in F-350's around the block!

 

[Compositepro]

You have to be very careful with the quality of the fuel you put into modern diesel engines. Repairing clogged injectors is very expensive. They are not like the old diesels that would run on crude or used motor oil.

 

[MikeHalloran]

All Diesels run like crap on gasoline, whether fresh or old, the current subject of discussion.


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[rmw]

I actually think they'd run a little better on old gasoline than fresh because of it having less volatile matter, but that is just a guess. Agreed that they run like crap on gasoline. Learnt that the hard way - let the wife drive one of my diesel vehicles. That is when I started adding motor oil as fast as it would take it..

But how did that get into this thread?

rmw