Fuel Expiration Date...?

higgs · Nov 22, 2009

I would guess it probably is ok, as cold weather is what causes most problems with stored fuel. But there is only one way to find out for sure.

sullyj020 · Nov 22, 2009

you should be fine, as long as no water leaked in. I had gas set for almost a year, motor started just like always.

zeehag · Nov 22, 2009

the shelf life, as it were , for mix is 2-3 months...place sta-bil in it and pray--freshen it with more and see if you still have fuel system lol...should be ok with sta-bil in it......

Steve Dion · Nov 22, 2009

I have used fuel that is 6-9 months old. As long as it does not sit in the carb and plug up everything it should work. Mix in some fresh oil/gas to perk it up.

cole16525 · Nov 23, 2009

Sta-bil?

zeehag said:
the shelf life, as it were , for mix is 2-3 months...place sta-bil in it and pray--freshen it with more and see if you still have fuel system lol...should be ok with sta-bil in it......

How does sta-bil work? is it burned up in the combustion chamber?
I have had gas and diesel last as long as 2 years in tanks and it worked just fine.
Cole

WritersWeb · Nov 23, 2009

gum

The IMPORTANT part...carb....I ALWAYS disconnect line/shut off gas AND run the motor till it stalls-out, and/or squirt some Marvel Mystery oil while it's still running (smokes up thru exhaust..) ....then also keep sta-bil in the tank...

cole16525 · Nov 23, 2009

I see now

cole16525 said:
How does sta-bil work? is it burned up in the combustion chamber?
I have had gas and diesel last as long as 2 years in tanks and it worked just fine.
Cole

I see now, Sta-bil is ethenol.
I did help a girl replace her fuel filter on her diesel Mercedes after she ran bio-diesel and the resins and junk that were in the lines clogged the filter. She said is was the 3rd time it was replaced in 2 weeks. I never liked additives, or snake oil
Cole

tommays · Nov 23, 2009

Sta-bil is aromatic naphtha 90% ,naphthalene 5%,and ld50

It is one of the older snake oils and seems to ?

Steve Dion · Nov 23, 2009

The junk in the filter from running biodiesel is normally the cleaning of the crap that was in the fuel system and tank.

Biodiesel can be a good way to keep your system clean, but if it is in poor shape can be problematic for a period of time.

walt · Nov 23, 2009

I guess that humidity and exposure to humidity would influence the shelf life of gas?

I wonder why cold weather would affect gas life?

I need to store gas in a place which can get very cold but is also very low humidity. Seems like I wouldnt have much problem (also using some additive).

Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi · Nov 23, 2009

Use Stabil

Year before last I ran out my 4HP Yamaha as usual for winter storage. The next summer it started ok but the carburator jets were restricted and I had limited power for the dingy. I tried carb cleaner, additives, etc and couldn't get it to clear. Last winter, I had it repaired and it works fine now - jets were clogged. Mechanic said they have a lot of that now since ethenol is added to gas. I use stabil now and have had no problems at all. I use it in all my leaf blowers, weed eaters, rhino, etc. Ethenol gas is not as long lasting as the old stuff!

wayne24160 · Nov 23, 2009

Old Gas

JoelHoover said:
I filled up my gas tanks (2 - 5 gallon portable tanks) with a 40:1 oil mixture in July and have not sailed since. I'm planning on going sailing after Thanksgiving, but I want to run my outboard a bit before I get down to the ocean (my boat is a trailer sailor).

Is my existing gas stash okay for now?

You obviously have a two stroke. If you put have used Stable or equivalent in it should be fine, but it is only 5 gallons, so why not be safe.
New 4 strokes are much more fuel sensitive. My 9.9 Mercury starts acting up after 6-8 weeks. They run so lean that they are very dependent on fresh fuel.

sailingdog · Nov 23, 2009

I'd point out that it really depends on whether you're using an ethanol blend or an MTBE formulated gasoline. The MTBE-based gasoline has much longer shelf-life, since the ethanol has a nasty habit of absorbing water from the atmosphere and once the water content reaches about 1.5% by volume, the alcohol/water will separate out, leaving you with what is effectively about 82 octane gasoline.

Stabilizer helps, but sealing the tank well is more helpful IMHO.

Stan Galper · Nov 23, 2009

The safest thing is to pour the old stuff into your car and buy some fresh fuel.

Richard18950 · Nov 23, 2009

I have stored gasoline in plastic containers with stabalizer added each spring for up to three years. I keep 20 gallons stored for use in a generator in case emergecy power is needed. The gasoline is rotated out every three years and always cranks the generator, lawn mower and automobiles.

Rick9671 · Nov 23, 2009

Steve Dion said:
The junk in the filter from running biodiesel is normally the cleaning of the crap that was in the fuel system and tank.

Biodiesel can be a good way to keep your system clean, but if it is in poor shape can be problematic for a period of time.

Storage life depends on conditions and use of stabilizer. Fuel stored in hot environment degrades rapidly, especially if left in fuel lines and carbureter.

Gasoline is blended by refiners for locality and season. Your July fuel is not the same as that which you would purchase in November.

I have had enough fuel problems with outboard motors that I would burn that July fuel in my car before I would risk it in my outboard even if it contained stabilizer (which does work)

Some diesel engines are also very sensitive to low quality fuel.

tommays · Nov 23, 2009

Well

It also depends on were you live as many places they still get 100 % gas like upstate NY vs Downstate which gets the blend

Absolutely · Nov 23, 2009

Why take a chance. Dispose of the gas and move on. Of course that brings on another problem. How do you get rid of the gas?

iwillmott · Nov 23, 2009

old gas

JoelHoover said:
I filled up my gas tanks (2 - 5 gallon portable tanks) with a 40:1 oil mixture in July and have not sailed since. I'm planning on going sailing after Thanksgiving, but I want to run my outboard a bit before I get down to the ocean (my boat is a trailer sailor).

Is my existing gas stash okay for now?

you can tell by the smell-old gas has an odour. I shut off the fuel or disconnect the fuel lines then run the engines until they run dry. Seems to work north of the 49th. With lots of sta-bil