How old is old gas?

[Trigger Man]

I have been reading other post from other members about old gas burning a saw up. I use husqvarna xp mix oil in my saws, which claims to have fuel stabilizer in the oil. So how long should 10 liters of mixed gas be good for?
Also I bought my oil in a case of 24 -250ml bottles does this stuff have a shelf life? I only cut firewood for myself and family, and logg my own woodlot for firewood so I only mix 10 liters at a time. But I have had gas sit around for roughly 5 months is this not good, What do other members think or suggest. Thanks for reading looking forward to your comments.

 

[PB]

2 months, maybe 3-4 over the winter. Warmer temps help to degrade the gas and oil mixture. Pure gas will stay fresh longer than mix.

 

[blsnelling]

I never drain my OPE over the winter and have never had a problem. It just depends on how bad your fuel supply is I guess.

 

[whitemountain]

Not much experience in this area, but I have used Stihl mix from the orange bottle approx. 6 months after initial mixing and the saw ran fine.

 

[computeruser]

1 month, max.

Incidentally, 2 months and my Echo trimmer starts running wrong; fresh gas, and she's back to good.

 

[Bill.A.Bong]

Over the winter my mix has sat for up to about 3 months. Have never had any issues.

 

[fishercat]

get some Star-tron.

stuff is awesome.i never worry about the libs and their ethanol ruining your carbs. it even restores old gas.

Most reputable marine dealers sell it as well as the NAPAs around here.you WILL thank me.

 

[Zombiechopper]

I'm also curious about the OP's other question: How long does oil last if it is un-opened? Does it go bad? Is it different for synthetic vs dino?

 

[clearance]

I left an old 266 for over 2 years, half full of gas and oil. It fired right up and ran on that old mix, thats Husky for you. But, when in doubt, put it in your truck. I give mixed gas no more than 2 months.

 

[whitemountain]

I don't think 2-stroke oil "goes bad" or degrade over time like gasoline. I think the shelf life of the stuff is really long. I also don't think regular vs. synthetic makes a difference for shelf-life. Please correct if wrong.

 

[dingeryote]

1 Month, and then I dump it into the mower or splitter.

Interesting thing happened the other day.

MIL's Cub Cadet was running like crap. I figured a leak on the carb or intake boot. Nope. Gas was bought in early May at one of the local stations that has the corn in it. Drained the crap out and dumped in some saw Mix, and the thing ran fine. I have gotten away with 3-4 month old stuff and I wouldn't have believed it myself before.

Screw Ethanol.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Philbert]

Modern gasoline is formulated for automobile engines, and has many additives for mileage, emissions, etc. Some gasoline has ethanol added.

I spent a lot of time looking around on this topic, and the general consensus is that this fuel is fine for 30 days, and may be OK for up to 3 months, but after that time, some of the additives, etc. can start to break down, separate, get squirrelly, etc.

At the same time, the more modern 2-cycle carburetors on saws, etc. have been getting increasingly technical and fussy due to emissions regulations.

So, where someone may say that he has stored mixed gas for extended periods and not had any problems with his older saw, the same thing may not be true for newer saws, which may be more finicky.

Since you can't be sure how long the fuel has been in the tank at the gas station, etc., I recommend that you don't keep it more than 30 days. Nice round number. Not a problem if you are going through it on a regular basis, but more of an issue with occasional users.

Apparently, the 2-cycle oil does not break down, but once it it mixed with the gasoline, the mixture can break down with the gasoline.

I suggest that you only mix and store what you will use within that period, drain the fuel from your saw if it won't be used for a while, and pour the rest into your car or truck's fuel tank, where a gallon of 50:1 will be diluted to something like 1,000:1. Your car is less fussy.

You can even hang a date tag on your gas cans if that helps you keep track of when you purchased it (not the date that you mixed it).

Philbert

 

[FATGUY]

1 Month, and then I dump it into the mower or splitter.

Interesting thing happened the other day.

MIL's Cub Cadet was running like crap. I figured a leak on the carb or intake boot. Nope. Gas was bought in early May at one of the local stations that has the corn in it. Drained the crap out and dumped in some saw Mix, and the thing ran fine. I have gotten away with 3-4 month old stuff and I wouldn't have believed it myself before.

Screw Ethanol.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

:agree2:

 

[JohnJr]

For those that have dropped squish...how long do you keep gas? I am assuming that you would want to retain as much octane as possible in a situation like that.(Or would premium oil do a good enough job for a few weeks or so?)

 

[lawnmowertech37]

as old as it wants to be

 

[stihlboy]

For those that have dropped squish...how long do you keep gas? I am assuming that you would want to retain as much octane as possible in a situation like that.(Or would premium oil do a good enough job for a few weeks or so?)

i go 6weeks max and use stihl premium oil

 

[JohnJr]

6 weeks is the max for me as well. I just dropped my squish the other day so I will probably be a bit more conscious of it for a while

 

[gallegosmike]

For my saw's, no more then a few weeks at best. All old mix goes into into the spilter or lawnmower. I use to burn up old mix in my trimmer, but with the switch over to ethanol 10% gasoline. I am not using old mix in my trimmer!

 

[Nitroman]

Well...our last fuel barge comes in mid-October, and the next one didn't come in until second week of June, so that would be eight months? And this is for gas for cars and trucks, stove oil, Diesel, AVgas, and jet fuel.

 

[Spitzer]

Does gas stay any fresher in a steel container than it would in a plastic container, and if so why ?