Old Gas

[Jed1124]

I have a gallon left of a 3 gallon mix I made up the first week in December. I use Stihl Ultra and premium fuel (10% ethanol).Is it still good? What do you guys do if you have some old mix kicking around. Can I dump it in my old 8n tractor or will it fowl the plugs out?

 

[logging22]

Tractor is a good idea. Or a burn pile. Kill weeds in the spring. Just dont get caught by the EPA.

 

[Rftreeman]

I've used gas older than that in my saws, 6 weeks isn't that long...

 

[mndlawn]

Your fine, if you look on the Stihl 2-Cycle bottle it says they add fuel stabilizers in it. Sort of like Sta-Bil.

http://www.stihlusa.com/lubricants/twocycleoil.html#hp

 

[Ed*L]

Should be ok to use.....it ain't gonna hurt the 8n either. Your choice.
It'll probably do the 8n more good than harm, lube the valves in the old flathead a little.


Ed

 

[Elmer Fudd]

I use mix a lot older than that without a noticeable problem, but I'm not a pro. I buy mix that has the stabilizer in it, and have probably used mix that is 6 months old at times, without an issue that I can tell.

 

[Saw Bones]

I have a gallon left of a 3 gallon mix I made up the first week in December. I use Stihl Ultra and premium fuel (10% ethanol).Is it still good? What do you guys do if you have some old mix kicking around. Can I dump it in my old 8n tractor or will it fowl the plugs out?

If I have a gallon or less I wait till the pick up is down about 3/4of a tank, and pour it in, then put in about 20 gal of fuel. I have been doing this for a while, and never had any trouble. (I never let fuel sit around more than about 5 or 6 weeks)

 

[Mike Van]

Hey, welcome Litchfield from Kent - Use that gas! Nothing wrong with it!

 

[ehgauss]

From my experience as a sporadic user of chainsaws, I've kept gas for a lot longer than two months (like a year or more) with no problem, but I always add Stabil when I buy it. A word of caution about using it in a vehicle, however. While using it in the old 8N will probably be ok, particularly if you dilute it with pure gasoline, I had the experience of adding about five gallons of outboard motor gas mix to my '89 Ramcharger. The oxygen sensor gave up the ghost shortly after. I don't know if it was the oil in the fuel, or just old age, but I only burn old two cycle gas mix in my 1952 Case tractor anymore. That fouls the #3 cylinder plug every so often anyway, whether or not it gets fed mixed gas.

 

[Stihl088stock]

Store your gas in the cool shade and in a sealed container. It will last a lot longer than you'd think.

A lot of full time guys have their gas sloshing around in trucks all day and in the sun and rain. They are the ones that need to use their gas up quickly... Sun, water, heat, and movement all hurt gas... Time doesn't, but is used as a measure of the others...

 

[bass_on_tap]

Without getting into a war about fuel preservatives, phase separation, octane etc I would suggest that you do a couple of thing.
First find fuel preservatives that clearly say on the label "for ethylene fuel". The red Stabil is not recommended any more, use the blue Marine stuff. There are some others out there.
Apply this stuff to your big fuel container when you buy 89 octane fuel from a good gas station. This way you can make smaller, mixed fuel at will with this "preserved" fuel. I never know where I'm going to use my fuel and for how long it will sit after use.
Any mixed fuel I question as you did, goes in my truck and not my saw.
Keep it in a cool, dark place.

 

[masterarbor]

I know what the mechanics say about fuel shelf life, but I'm using fuel from early December right now that sat outside and it's just fine. These small engines are not that picky. I've found that a chainsaw will last many, many years with almost no concern toward maintenance. Old fuel included. Don't let the guys in the chainsaw forum know I said that though!

 

[wood4heat]

I have NEVER had a fuel related problem and I've used gas close to two years old. That was a one time deal in a Waverunner that had been sitting with close to a full tank. Every year it would use whatever fuel was left over from the previous year. In my wife's Banshee I've regularly used gas mixed Labor day weekend the following Memorial weekend. I've also used gas up to six months old in my saw. I've never used a stabilizer but do keep my fuel cans sealed, out of sunlight, and as close to full as possible.

If I do question my gas for any reason it goes in the mower. I think that thing would run on turpentine.

 

[joe912]

Store your gas in the cool shade and in a sealed container. It will last a lot longer than you'd think.

...

Yes, store it in your wine cellar.

Aside from keeping the fuel container topped off (prevents condensation in tank) I have nothing to add