# What should I do with this 'old' gasoline?



## Mr. Krinkle (Jan 13, 2022)

Got a 5-gallon container of gas I bought when gas was cheap(er). I added STA-BIL when I filled it, but it's been at least a year since I filled it. (Should have written the date on the container, d'oh.)

Should I use it now in my car/tools/generator, and refill it with fresh gas while I can? I realize with the STA-BIL it's supposed to be fresh up to 2 years, but I'd rather use it and refill it, just to be on the safe side. Or, should I just leave it alone for another year and worry about it then?

Opinions?


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

I'd add it to a vehicle about a gallon to every fill-up.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Longevity depends on a few factors.
Is it an ethanol blend? Has it been sealed well from moisture accumulation?
If it's only been a year, and you did put a stabilizer in it, it's likely just fine to still use regardless of blend. Assuming it was sealed from allowing more moisture and kept out of direct sunlight, it's probably just fine to run on its own.
Stabilized ethanol blended fuel is good just beyond a year.
Stabilized pure gas is good beyond 2, and possibly up to 3, years.

If you're unsure, diluting it with a full tank of new will remove any risk to engine harm.


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## mathmonger (4 mo ago)

In my experience, old gas still works. It might run like crap and probably gum up your engine, but in an emergency, I'd rather have 5-year-old gas than no gas. I often find myself frantically dumping gas into the car because we are in a rush to go somewhere and I suddenly remember that we barely had enough gas to get home last night. So that helps to keep the gas fresh. I think smaller engines might be more sensitive and it's a pain to divide a big can into all those little tanks. So I would just take the whole can and dump it into my truck and replace it.


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## Mr. Krinkle (Jan 13, 2022)

mathmonger said:


> In my experience, old gas still works. It might run like crap and probably gum up your engine, but in an emergency, I'd rather have 5-year-old gas than no gas. I often find myself frantically dumping gas into the car because we are in a rush to go somewhere and I suddenly remember that we barely had enough gas to get home last night. So that helps to keep the gas fresh. I think smaller engines might be more sensitive and it's a pain to divide a big can into all those little tanks. So I would just take the whole can and dump it into my truck and replace it.


Imo, you're not a real prepper if you barely have enough gas to get home, ever. lol.

Pm me if you need a loan.


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## mathmonger (4 mo ago)

mathmonger said:


> So I would just take the whole can and dump it into my truck and replace it.


Replace the gas or replace the truck? heh


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## mathmonger (4 mo ago)

Mr. Krinkle said:


> Imo, you're not a real prepper if you barely have enough gas to get home, ever. lol.


That's fair. But I'm working on it.


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## Real Old Man (Aug 17, 2015)

Save the gas and use it to fill wine bottle s with ivory soap flakes.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Should rotate your stock on a 6 month plan. Why are you letting it sit for 2 years? Use up a can or 2 then refill it.

Unless you have a huge single tank. Then you have a problem.


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## CapitalKane49p (Apr 7, 2020)

Real Old Man said:


> Save the gas and use it to fill wine bottle s with ivory soap flakes.


Molotov approves of this message,

Godspeed


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## Real Old Man (Aug 17, 2015)

It's called prepping


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## Mr. Krinkle (Jan 13, 2022)

Chipper said:


> Should rotate your stock on a 6 month plan. Why are you letting it sit for 2 years? Use up a can or 2 then refill it.
> 
> Unless you have a huge single tank. Then you have a problem.


Why am I letting it sit for 2 years? Who said that? Not me.

I hesitate to refill it because it'll cost me $40 to refill it, that's why! Maybe I _will_ let it sit for 2 years! Then I can sell it for $80.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

If you put one gallon of it into your car every time you fill up, it will cost you _exactly_ the same money to refill the container compared to putting an extra gallon of gas into your car to top it off.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Mr. Krinkle said:


> Why am I letting it sit for 2 years? Who said that? Not me.
> 
> I hesitate to refill it because it'll cost me $40 to refill it, that's why! Maybe I _will_ let it sit for 2 years! Then I can sell it for $80.


 Just leave it you don't have to worry. It will be fine. Stabil is one of the biggest jokes doesn't do a thing.


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## MaterielGeneral (Jan 27, 2015)

Chipper said:


> Just leave it you don't have to worry. It will be fine. Stabil is one of the biggest jokes doesn't do a thing.



Totally disagree with you. Ever since I started putting STABIL in all of my gas I have not had one problem with my tools like chainsaw, snowblower etc not starting.


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## rebeltaz (Sep 29, 2019)

I just wanted to pipe in here. As a small engine mechanic, I have many gallons of gasoline stored outside under a roofed in cage without any stabilizer that stores for over a year and runs just fine. Stabilizers do nothing. I have never used stabilizer in my own equipment and never had to rebuild a carburetor (of my own) until the one year I decided to practice what I had been preaching to my customers. The next spring, I had to rebuild every carburetor I owned. Want more than anecdotal evidence? Watch this for further proof - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-xkNBjnenDA3DyuEhAL10PgZ19A72rz5


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## Demitri.14 (Nov 21, 2018)

So you don't use a stabilizer, what advice were you telling your customers that you followed.

Or is this just click bait ?


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## rebeltaz (Sep 29, 2019)

Demitri.14 said:


> So you don't use a stabilizer, what advice were you telling your customers that you followed.
> 
> Or is this just click bait ?


No. It's not click bait. The link is to a guy on youtube - Taryl Fixeds All - who did a year long experiment using gas alone and with various stabilizers. In his experiment, it didn't matter what you did. The gas breaks down at the same rate either way. It's an interesting watch if your in to that kind of thing. I like his videos any way, so...

To answer your question, I was telling my customers to use Sta-Bil in their gas when they put their equipment up for the winter. Simple, but no one ever listened to me anyway. Meh... so much the better because I keep seeing them year after year for carburetor issues every spring 

Now, I tell them to shut the gas off (if there is a fuel shut off) and run the engine until it's out of gas. This is what I have always done and what I continue to do to this day with no issues at all.

[edit]
I think I realized what you meant. I WAS telling customers to use Sta-Bil, even though I never did. That one year that I decided to practice what I preached - i.e. actually use Sta-Bil - is when I had to rebuild my carburetors.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

rebeltaz said:


> No. It's not click bait. The link is to a guy on youtube - Taryl Fixeds All - who did a year long experiment using gas alone and with various stabilizers. In his experiment, it didn't matter what you did. The gas breaks down at the same rate either way. It's an interesting watch if your in to that kind of thing. I like his videos any way, so...
> 
> To answer your question, I was telling my customers to use Sta-Bil in their gas when they put their equipment up for the winter. Simple, but no one ever listened to me anyway. Meh... so much the better because I keep seeing them year after year for carburetor issues every spring
> 
> ...


Did you leave gas in the cylinders, but with Sta-bil, or did the product itself cause the carb fouling?


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## rebeltaz (Sep 29, 2019)

Kauboy said:


> Did you leave gas in the cylinders, but with Sta-bil, or did the product itself cause the carb fouling?


In the cylinders? What I did was add the Sta-Bil to the gas at the recommended amount (I forget what that was now) mixed in a 5 gallon container. I poured that into the tiller and the mowers. I ran all of the engines for five or tn minutes until the mixture could fully circulate through the carburetor and fuel system. And that was where I left it. 

Now, prior to this, I had not added anything to the gas over the winter and I hadn't even bee running the engines until they were out of fuel. I just left them over the winter as they were the last time I used them. 

Now, I do at least run the engines until they are out of fuel - as I tell my customers to do. This included ALL of my equipment, generators, tillers, mowers, trimmers, chainsaws.. everything. 

I cannot say for 100% certain that the Sta-Bil actually CAUSED the carburetors to gum up. However, it is highly suspect since for two decades I had never had to clean one of my own carburetors using straight, low grade, ethanol fuel yet the one time I did add the stabilizer... bam! I don't know... I'm just giving my own personal experience. 

Did you get a chance to check out the experiment?


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

rebeltaz said:


> In the cylinders? What I did was add the Sta-Bil to the gas at the recommended amount (I forget what that was now) mixed in a 5 gallon container. I poured that into the tiller and the mowers. I ran all of the engines for five or tn minutes until the mixture could fully circulate through the carburetor and fuel system. And that was where I left it.


Long day, bleary-eyed, and didn't think that question through before submitting.

My question was intended to ask about whether you left gas in the engine, fuel line, carb, or anywhere, when it had the stabilizer in it, or did you burn it out like you had the previous years?
Trying to narrow down the cause by eliminating variables.


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## rebeltaz (Sep 29, 2019)

Kauboy said:


> Long day, bleary-eyed, and didn't think that question through before submitting.
> 
> My question was intended to ask about whether you left gas in the engine, fuel line, carb, or anywhere, when it had the stabilizer in it, or did you burn it out like you had the previous years?
> Trying to narrow down the cause by eliminating variables.


lol.. yeah, no problem. Like I said, originally.. I wasn't even running the fuel out. I'd leave straight gas in with no issues. When I did add the stabilizer, I didn't do anything different, other than add the stabilizer. Only now do I actually run all of the gas out. (tl:dr, version of my previous reply  )


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## Dirk Pitt (Apr 21, 2015)

I have used 5 year old treated gas in my truck. Other than the STABIL. I did nothing. You know what happened when I put it in my truck ?
Nothing, all normal. But your mileage may vary. Pun intended. Not ideal but it did work


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Stabil is decent but a better product is PR-G. I've used it after 4 years and no issues.


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