Old gas

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cali27

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Hey guys. My tank is still 1/2 full from the fall. I know that gas is no good but how long is a tank of gas actually good for? Does Stabill make it last longer?

Thanks
 
from all I've read yes, and I use the "marine" version of it in my rig.. You can try pouring some "seafoam" gas treatment in the gas if concerned about water, it supposed to dry out the water. I've used seafoam in a 5hp 4stroke engine on a pressure washer before with old gas, and it made it run on some bad/old gas that was in the tank with no ill effects.
 
Seafoam might fix your problem here. Props (pun intended!) to the person that said that. But that's only if you have water in your gas.

Yes, Stabil works and works quite well. I have used both the "Marine" and "Regular" versions of the product and both do what they claim to. They will keep gasoline that's properly stored (out of the air) good for 1 year, perhaps as much as 18 months. I am not sure what the difference is between the regular and marine versions, but as the bottle says "overuse will not harm the engine" and it doesn't seem to.

Personally I keep a number of DOT certified METAL 5gal jerrycans around, some for the cars/trucks some for the boat some for other things like chainsaws. I add the recommended amount of Stabil, add 1/2 more ounce and then fill the can. If the time expires on them, I rotate the gas after 1 year. If you plan on storing gas that long, put a date tag on it.

If you're concerned about your on-board fuel tank. Add the Stabil before gassing up near the end of the season. If you screw up, simply read the label, add the needed amount when you trailer and let the bumps in the road do the work of mixing it in.

So yes, it works and works well.

Stabil does NOT keep water out of your gas, nor will it help with it.

Gas MUST be stored in a SEALED container. And NO a cheap plastic jerrycan doesn't fit the bill, nor does a plastic outboard motor gas tank. Proper storage is with a metal, DOT certified can with a large rubber O-ring seal and a metal lid.

Stabil only stabilizes unstable aromatic hydrocarbons within the gasoline that will cause the gas to go bad within a couple of months. It will not affect nor will it prevent "wet" gas AT ALL. For that you need a different product like DryGas (seafoam) that actually removes the water from the gasoline. DryGas simply adds ethanol to your gas (increases what's already in there from the pump thanks to the feds). Ethanol is a dehydrating agent, but in solution with something like gasoline it does two things: drives off water from the solution and prevents water from freezing in the solution.

For water in your gas, if that's your concern buy a yellow bottle of "DryGas". I used to use it in the car all the time when I lived in places where frozen water in your tank might sideline your vehicle for a few months. For gasoline storage however, Stabil is a great buy.

A final note: if your gas is simply old and was not treated with Stabil or a similar product, it's probably shot. Still flammable though. Great for starting camp fires really fast (and fun!), but no longer useful for running an engine. Untreated gas, stored away from the atmosphere has a maximum effective lifetime of about 3 months at best. Usually it's more like 2 months. If exposed to air, that lifetime decreases.

Best of luck!
 
I agree with Sasquatch, but after all the problems my buddy had with running bad fuel thru his motor, I wouldn't chance it. It was (and still is) a nightmare. IMHO it's not worth the risk for a few $ of gas...toss it and get new.
 
Gee, there's starving people in the world. Let's turn our corn into gas. What a brilliant hopey-changey idiotic government idea! About as smart as a screen door on a submarine. But I digress.

Sta-bil only works for MTBE-based fuel. And with MTBE, you use the red color sta-bil. You use blue sta-bil for ethanol fuel, not that it does any good.

The problem is, there is no treatment that will prevent ethanol-based fuel from undergoing a condition called "phase separation" Once this occurs, your gas separates into two layers, a layer of high octane water on the bottom, and a layer of low octane fuel on the top. Neither burns worth a **** in an engine.

Once phase separation occurs, there is no treatment to reverse this condition. The fuel isn't even fit to run in a lawnmower.


So, the best course of action is to always try to use non-ethanol fuel, and treat it with red sta-bil. If you can't find non-ethanol, then, if you plan to store your boat for more than a month or so, don't put a lot of fuel in the tank, and be prepared to drain it before the start of next season.

Use the old gas for bonfires in the backyard, as that's about all it's good for.
 
Sometimes my gas sits for a year and its still good. If I ever get worried about old gas then I just pump it out of the boat and throw it in the truck with never any issues.
Geographic location has a lot to do with how long gas lasts. Seems like in humid states water forms in gas a lot quicker then drier states like CA (where i'm located).

If your going to remove the gas from your boat then remember you have gas in your fuel line and carburetor(s) that you will have to remove if you want it all out.
 
Sasquatch pretty much summed it up. If in doubt use all fuel before storing. However, I mix seafoam constantly in my fuel all year in all 2-stokes I use.(and I have a lot of them!) Haven't had a problem yet, but I still am sure to mix enough fuel, gallon by gallon, that I think I will use within a reasonable amount of time. If in any doubt for me, I dump older fuel into the truck or my old 4-stroke snowblower.(that thing will burn anything and doesn't even smoke a lot!) Sure do love that seafoam!
 
Our manufacturers have advised us that fuel is now getting "old" in as little as 10 days to 2 weeks. I have noticed this as well. Let some fuel sit in a sealed mason jar for a week or so. Pull the lid and smell it-it doesn't smell the same as when you put it in there "fresh". It also gets darker and if it's E-10, it separates. Dump that out. Then take some fresh fuel and put it in the same jar, and mark the level with a sharpie. Let is sit undisturbed overnight. In 8 hours, we lost 48cc of fuel to evaporation. That's a LOT. What was left behind? Good question. Did not smell like "gas".

In a sealed container that sees NO sunlight, it might last 2-3 weeks before it's getting old. And that's with the newer style low-perm fuel tanks not the old style, which would allow fuel vapors to evaporate THROUGH the plastic. Metal is ok too so long as it's 100% totally sealed (you will know it's sealed when it "gongs" during temperature change). If there is any way for it to evaporate out (through the skin, out a vent, etc) it lasts even less time. Older "vented" tanks are known for this with today's fuel quality (or is it "Lack" of quality?).

That is one reason I went to a 3 gallon tank in my junker. 6 gallons gets old and useless before I ever use it up. Heck 3 gallons is the same way just not as bad-for me anyway. And the back side of the boat is also lighter with only 3 gal. This time of year, so long as the weather cooperates, I'll use 3 gal in about 3 weeks.

Our manufacturers have also advised us that E10 is not a good idea, although it will "work" in carbureted motors, and E15 is a definite no-no. It works ok in cars & trucks that goe through it quickly but not in boats that might sit with fuel in the tank for a month. Sometimes more.

Next problem with all that nasty cowboy coolaid mixed fuel is microbial contamination...or "gelling". After the petroleum evaporates out, and moisture is drawn into the alcohol, microbes can grow in it, and it gels. And that gel is corrosive to aluminum. I've had to replace several carbs this year so far. Bowls get eaten up to the point where they leak. Had an F25ESHB (yamaha 4 stroke 25) actually had so much gel in it that the moisture/gel had eaten up the main body and the main & pilot jets were laying in what was left of the bowl. NOTHING was even salvageable for parts. Garbage. Not even good for scrap.

I advise all our customers to only carry as much fuel as you need. Don't let it sit for more than a few weeks. Try to keep moisture out if at all possible. And use a fuel treatment, such as Ringfree plus. That stuff beats the snot out of seafoam for outboard motors. But it won't treat water. That's what your water separator/filter is supposed to do.
 
I just advise people to steer clear of ethanol fuel to begin with, and a lot of these problems can be avoided.

One other reason to stay away from ethanol fuel....compared to MTBE based fuel, it takes 30% MORE ethanol fuel to produce the same amount of power as MTBE based fuel, in other words, run ethanol, and you're getting less mileage out of a tank.

Not sure how much longer we'll have MTBE fuel, though, as the granola munchers and the hopey changey government think ethanol is the answer to saving the environment, and they're going to force it down our throats, just like they do everything else we don't agree with, such as 'free' health care.
 
It's refineries that are living ethanol...and its not exactly easy to find gas without it anymore....get fuel lines that can handle it cause it's not going anywhere.
 
I keep seeing mention of non-ethanol fuel in this thread, but I haven't seen any, anywhere. I guess I must live in the wrong place because they don't seem to have it anywhere that I've been. Where are you guys finding it? I live in a desert in west Texas and have to drive quite a distance to get my boat to water, but even then, I'm not finding non-ethanol fuel at the marinas. I'd be interested in knowing where to look to find it.
 
Jdholmes said:
It's refineries that are living ethanol...and its not exactly easy to find gas without it anymore....get fuel lines that can handle it cause it's not going anywhere.

If they ever increase the ethanol from 10% to 15%, the type of fuel line used will be a moot point, as most of the older engines can barely handle 10%. About 80% of the boats in service shops, are there because of ethanol-fuel related issues.
 

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