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Thread: Old Gas

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Grand Marais, MN. A transplant from Minneapolis
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    5,513

    Question Old Gas

    I have some old gas mixed with oil for the lawn mower.
    Didn't bother to add stablizer 2 years ago .
    Any bennefit to adding it now?
    Any way to tell if it's good other than a lab test or putting it in my mower???


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    TJH
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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Sammamish, WA
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    7,630
    That happened to me on an outboard, over a year in the tank. I ended up having to take it completely apart and clean with gumout. It's worse than old plain gas when it has the oil in it. Unfortunately it's hazardous waste so I cannot suggest using it as weed killer, but I would not use it. Bonfire starter maybe?



    Sammamish, WA

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  3. #3
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
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    If you can mix it at least 50/50 with new gas, then mix in some mid grade gas and add the appropriate amount of oil. It should work just fine.
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
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  4. #4
    I have an bass boat I got from my dad. It has an 18 gallon tank. Didn't use it for a couple of years (No excuses, just too much work) and had probably 10+ gallons of bad gas in it. Ended up siphoning it out and taking it to the local hazardous waste facility.

    Where I used to live in California there was a city hazardous waste place. Most things were free to get rid of, old paint, solvents, etc. They charged for things like tv's, computers, but usually there was a free drop off a couple of times a year.

    I used metal paint cans to collect old sovents, etc, so I could save things up and just make a trip every now and then to drop things off.

    Of course, I remember when I was a kid, things were done much differently, and for some reason we never had grass growing in the cracks of our driveway.....

  5. #5
    Most of the oil additives designed for 2-cycle engines have stabilizers in them already.

    But two year old gas is too old to use in a small engine. I would: Go to a service station, poor the gas into your car's tank. Then fill the car's tank with the pump, then put new gas in the gas can via the pump.

  6. #6
    No, there is no advantage in adding Stabil to the gas now. Stabil (or other gas stabilizers) need to be added to the gas when it's fresh (30 days or less). If added to fresh gasoline, products like Stabil will work ok for a year, sometimes more. So, if you buy gas and don't plan on using it within 30 days add Stabil. I learned the hardway a long time ago with a motorcycle. Now, I add Stabil to my lawnmower gas, weedwhacker-blower-chain saw - pruner - edger gas, boat (40 gal gas tank which lasts me most of the summer), and ice auger gas.

    Take that current gasoline and take it to your county hazardous waste site. Think twice about running much 2 cycle mix in your car as some of the sensors don't take kindly to it.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Tyler, Texas
    Posts
    356
    Quote Originally Posted by Phil Thien View Post
    Most of the oil additives designed for 2-cycle engines have stabilizers in them already.

    But two year old gas is too old to use in a small engine. I would: Go to a service station, poor the gas into your car's tank. Then fill the car's tank with the pump, then put new gas in the gas can via the pump.
    Phil, I have ridden dirt bikes (2 strokes mostly)since the mid 60's. I would pour my older race premix gas into my cars after a few months. It worked ok, until catalytic converters came out. Yep...ruined one after only a couple of times doing this. Luckily it was under warranty....and Iforgot to mention to them what I had done
    Always remember that you're unique. Just like everyone else.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Tyler Howell View Post
    I have some old gas mixed with oil for the lawn mower.
    Didn't bother to add stablizer 2 years ago .
    Any bennefit to adding it now?
    Any way to tell if it's good other than a lab test or putting it in my mower???
    I use my machines from last fall every spring and never had a problem. (2 years may be a bit much) I add a little WD 40 if I think there's goung to be gunk . Occasionally I'll smoke an engine out with Desiel fuel. However not if there's an oxygen sensor or a cat on the exhaust 'cause oil will wreck 'em.

    As to whether stabilizer will work ex-post-facto: I seriously doubt it. After all you'd need something that would be a molecular rebuild additive not a stabilizer.

    If it's a cheap engine add a little WD 40 and run it.

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