Old gas

Time

Well-Known Member
I've got about 100 litres of gas that is about 3 years old.
Stabil was added every year (I think).
Do you see any problem using it in the boat?

Or, is there a way to test it should that be the route to take?

Time
 
Pump as much out as you can and put it in your truck, car, lawn mower, or whatever else you have that burns petrol. Better yet, kill some blackberry bushes or some other noxious weed. Just don't run your boat on it. 3 years is a long time to age gasoline, if the stabil regimen was not as advertised you run the risk of contaminated fuel, ( water that the ethanol in most low octane fuel ( read anything below 92 octane ) attracts. Gas is cheap, motors,not so much. Having spent north of $400 cleaning a fuel vapour separator on a 115 Yamaha, I would ditch that gas faster than a sour milk spit.
 
In an ideal world store gasoline about 3- 5 months in a sealed container. 6-8 months with fuel stabilizer added. Recommended maximum storage 1 year. Gas degrades over time and many expensive engine problems can develop from stale gas. You could try mixing small amounts with fresh gas but I'd likely write it off.
 
I'll do a smell test tomorrow ...
Hope the neighbour doesn't see me sniffing gas :))
 
after going through issues with bad Gas take the good advise above ditch it ...
use it on someones old truck or the weed wacker ...
 
gasoline really doesn't have a shelf life! If stored right it will last for many years... and/or can go bad very quickly! Take a fuel sample!!!! If sample looks good (clear and no water) -add some octane and use it. Let the sample set for a few hours and look for any contaminations. With that much, if the sample is bad give it to your local fire department. PS... I wouldn't use bad gasoline in anything including "someones old truck or the weed wacker"!
 
gasoline really doesn't have a shelf life! If stored right it will last for many years... and/or can go bad very quickly! Take a fuel sample!!!! If sample looks good (clear and no water) -add some octane and use it. Let the sample set for a few hours and look for any contaminations. With that much, if the sample is bad give it to your local fire department. PS... I wouldn't use bad gasoline in anything including "someones old truck or the weed wacker"!
That's good advice Charlie.When you say "add some octane" what product do you recommend for this?I have a couple of 5 gallon jerry cans full of 8-10 month old stabilized gas I wouldn't mind boosting up a bit.
 
Hi Chaz
I wouldn't use bad gasoline in anything including "someones old truck or the weed wacker"!
i had 200 liters i had to dump/give away because the local marina had made a mistake and gave me diesel and did not own up to it..
with gas here now at $1.50 a liter or more at the marina.
i don't mind if the old beater Chevy truck smokes a bit ....
besides it got used up in the end ....
so no harm come to any weed wacker or truck as both are still running....lol
 
Gas stored in a sealed tank that is fairly temperature stable will last for a very long time. There is really no need to add anything, including an octane booster!

How moist your environment and the difference between night and day temperatures of the tank will determine how fast the fuel degrades in an open vent tank. The volume of air and light ends in the tank will expand during the day pushing the light ends out of the tank and contract at night drawing in moist air.

The octane rating has to do with the fuels ability to support flame without exploding,(detonation). When fuel is stored in an open container, (your boats fuel tank), compounds known as "light ends" can evaporate off lowering the octane rating of the fuel. These light ends float out the vent and are gone forever.

If fuel becomes harder to detonate over time, it is definitely not due to a "loss of octane." The higher the octane rating, the more resistant it is to detonation. Higher octane fuels are required for high compression engines. In a high compression engine, a lower octane fuel would pre-ignite (detonate from compression, rather than from the spark), causing "dieseling" or "knocking." This reflects a common misconception that higher octane fuels detonate more easily or more "powerfully", or otherwise have more energy in them. That's not necessarily the case. The octane rating does have to do with the proportions of iso-octane and heptane in fuels, but the rating is really just a measure of the antiknock properties of the fuel.

Google – "gasoline stability study" and “octane booster”, and take your pick! Evaporative octane loss is not much of an issue when gasoline is stored in sealed containers and you shouldn’t have to add any octane booster. You will also find it is unlikely that you will find any studies on the rate of octane loss during gasoline storage in sealed containers, as this is only a concern for open vented systems, such as your boat. Hence… “Take a fuel sample!!!! If sample looks good(clear and no water) -add some octane and use it.”

When taking that fuel sample keep in mind “clear and no water” and there are different types of gasoline on the market!

Non- ethanol blended fuels are lighter than water, making the water settle to the bottom of the fuel sample.

Ethanol blended fuels increase the potential for phase separation. Phase separation occurs when water and/or moist air enters your open fuel tank that contains an ethanol/ gasoline blended fuel. ... When gasoline becomes saturated, a layer of ethanol and water, known as phase separation, can form in the tank. Note… You can’t miss this and will spot phase separation immediately!
 
Gas stored in a sealed tank that is fairly temperature stable will last for a very long time. There is really no need to add anything, including an octane booster!

How moist your environment and the difference between night and day temperatures of the tank will determine how fast the fuel degrades in an open vent tank. The volume of air and light ends in the tank will expand during the day pushing the light ends out of the tank and contract at night drawing in moist air.

The octane rating has to do with the fuels ability to support flame without exploding,(detonation). When fuel is stored in an open container, (your boats fuel tank), compounds known as "light ends" can evaporate off lowering the octane rating of the fuel. These light ends float out the vent and are gone forever.

If fuel becomes harder to detonate over time, it is definitely not due to a "loss of octane." The higher the octane rating, the more resistant it is to detonation. Higher octane fuels are required for high compression engines. In a high compression engine, a lower octane fuel would pre-ignite (detonate from compression, rather than from the spark), causing "dieseling" or "knocking." This reflects a common misconception that higher octane fuels detonate more easily or more "powerfully", or otherwise have more energy in them. That's not necessarily the case. The octane rating does have to do with the proportions of iso-octane and heptane in fuels, but the rating is really just a measure of the antiknock properties of the fuel.

Google – "gasoline stability study" and “octane booster”, and take your pick! Evaporative octane loss is not much of an issue when gasoline is stored in sealed containers and you shouldn’t have to add any octane booster. You will also find it is unlikely that you will find any studies on the rate of octane loss during gasoline storage in sealed containers, as this is only a concern for open vented systems, such as your boat. Hence… “Take a fuel sample!!!! If sample looks good(clear and no water) -add some octane and use it.”

When taking that fuel sample keep in mind “clear and no water” and there are different types of gasoline on the market!

Non- ethanol blended fuels are lighter than water, making the water settle to the bottom of the fuel sample.

Ethanol blended fuels increase the potential for phase separation. Phase separation occurs when water and/or moist air enters your open fuel tank that contains an ethanol/ gasoline blended fuel. ... When gasoline becomes saturated, a layer of ethanol and water, known as phase separation, can form in the tank. Note… You can’t miss this and will spot phase separation immediately!
Really glad to see you on this forum again!
 
A great informed reply as always Charlie.Thanks very much and as others have stated,good to see you on here again!
 
Gas stored in a sealed tank that is fairly temperature stable will last for a very long time. There is really no need to add anything, including an octane booster!

How moist your environment and the difference between night and day temperatures of the tank will determine how fast the fuel degrades in an open vent tank. The volume of air and light ends in the tank will expand during the day pushing the light ends out of the tank and contract at night drawing in moist air.

The octane rating has to do with the fuels ability to support flame without exploding,(detonation). When fuel is stored in an open container, (your boats fuel tank), compounds known as "light ends" can evaporate off lowering the octane rating of the fuel. These light ends float out the vent and are gone forever.

If fuel becomes harder to detonate over time, it is definitely not due to a "loss of octane." The higher the octane rating, the more resistant it is to detonation. Higher octane fuels are required for high compression engines. In a high compression engine, a lower octane fuel would pre-ignite (detonate from compression, rather than from the spark), causing "dieseling" or "knocking." This reflects a common misconception that higher octane fuels detonate more easily or more "powerfully", or otherwise have more energy in them. That's not necessarily the case. The octane rating does have to do with the proportions of iso-octane and heptane in fuels, but the rating is really just a measure of the antiknock properties of the fuel.

Google – "gasoline stability study" and “octane booster”, and take your pick! Evaporative octane loss is not much of an issue when gasoline is stored in sealed containers and you shouldn’t have to add any octane booster. You will also find it is unlikely that you will find any studies on the rate of octane loss during gasoline storage in sealed containers, as this is only a concern for open vented systems, such as your boat. Hence… “Take a fuel sample!!!! If sample looks good(clear and no water) -add some octane and use it.”

When taking that fuel sample keep in mind “clear and no water” and there are different types of gasoline on the market!

Non- ethanol blended fuels are lighter than water, making the water settle to the bottom of the fuel sample.

Ethanol blended fuels increase the potential for phase separation. Phase separation occurs when water and/or moist air enters your open fuel tank that contains an ethanol/ gasoline blended fuel. ... When gasoline becomes saturated, a layer of ethanol and water, known as phase separation, can form in the tank. Note… You can’t miss this and will spot phase separation immediately!

Where would Methyl Hydrate fit in, or does it? If I am ever unsure if my gas might have water I add a liter of Methyl Hydrate. I figure it can't hurt, but am I wasting my time / money?
 
Adding methanol will likely create all the problems we could have with ethanol, including phase separation. There are better additives, also the primary filter should separate the water from the fuel.
 
Thanks for all the responses.
Do you think that mixing in premium gas half and half plus sea foam might leave a usable product?

In any case, FREE GAS is available, even if you just want it to kill weeds.

Bring a can and siphon tube.
Take as much as you want.
Located Duncan/Maple Bay area.

250-748-5863

Doug
 
Back
Top