What to do with old gas?

[amuller]

I know that has been discussed before, but: I have several gas tanks with varying amounts of fuel mix, generally one to two years old and likely mixed at varying ratios. What would you do with this? Am wondering about putting it in our vehicles, maybe in amounts of one gallon per tank fill, but am not totally confident that this wouldn’t cause problems. Thoughts?

[A Hoskins]

Today’s gasoline does not store well, not even the non-ethanol 91 octane stuff. The older it gets the more it takes on a yellow color and if it is over 6 months old I dispose of it. I always save some for washing parts. It is environmentally acceptable to pour it out in a shallow pan and let it evaporate.

"Fox News" isn't.

[amuller]

Putting it out to evaporate doesn’t feel environmentally acceptable to me but I don’t have a good alternative. Around here, “haz waste” collection times are few and far between….

[fisherman6]

I avoid using it in anything with a catalytic convertor. Other than that mixing it in with straight gasoline to burn in a 4-stroke is fine in my experience. I sometimes burn excess up in my mower. Most of the time I just use it up at the beginning of the next season in my outboards assuming I know the mix ratio contains sufficient oil for the motor I’m running it in. Not sure about the environmental acceptance of allowing it to evaporate. I thought the reason the government mandated the non-vented fuel cans and why we are encouraged to not get fuel, mow grass, etc. on “ozone action days” is to not allow the fumes to flash off and pollute the air.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

[frankr]

How much does it cost to clean the fuel system in today’s fuel injected cars?

[Anonymous]

I use the old gas to start the burn pile in the fall and in the spring. Aged gas looses it’s octane and flammability and when you try to run a motor it will either not let the motor make any power past 2000 rpm or under load it will ping and could cause engine damage. Any gas close to 6 months old does this.

[joecb]

Works great for killing poison ivy.

Joe B

[hans]

Give it to Farmers, they can run most anything, especially in older tractors.

[fisherman6]

Maybe I should clarify the motors I’m burning my fuel mix from last season in. XR55 mentioned that the old gasoline loses its octane and flammability after about 6 months and can cause pinging / detonation and cause engine damage. This is true and for higher compression engines that require higher octane ratings it is a problem. Most of my motors are 1950s and 60s OMCs. None of them are particularly high compression and do not require high octane to run properly. If I notice a loss of performance or any detonation at full throttle and spark advance, that fuel will get disposed of in another way. In the few motors that I do have that run a higher compression ratio I run fresh fuel in them. The 50s OMCs, in my experience show no ill effects from running fuel mix that is even a year old. If it is older than that, I usually mix it in with fuel for the mower and get rid of it that way. If it is really old, stale, and smells like varnish it gets used to burn brush in the spring and fall.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

[outbdnut2]

As long as you know the gas/oil mix, and it has no ethanol or ethanol has not phase-separated, I’d use it in your old outboards. I’m in Minnesota and I routinely keep ethanol-free, oil-mixed, gas over the winter and use it the next season – no problems, no stabilizers. I make sure it is not just a little bit in a big tank, as gas can evaporate leaving a heavier oil mix behind. Never had a problem.
Dave

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