Today I put 6 year old gasoline into my Nissan Xterra!

[palmerwmd]

What, is he crazy?

Bear with me:

I had it stored in a hermetically sealed high end jerry Can ( the real NATO spec, Wavian )
So no light fractions could escape.

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I filled it with ethanol free high octane fuel and topped it off with a double dose of stabilizer, then closed it and did not open it again.
This was anywhere from 5 to 7 years ago.
Call it 6 years.
So today I put that fuel from that jerry Can into my Nissan, (to be able to refill it with fresher fuel and also) I was curious how it had held up as I have 6 more cans just like this one ( albeit with much fresher fuel).
I drove it hard up the interstate ramp and kept it at 75-80mph for about 12 miles until the next exit.
On the return leg absolutely floored it on the on ramp.

The outcome:

- No sour smell , smelled like normal gasoline
- No check engine lights of any kind, no hestitation.
- Car drove/revved/accelerated normally.

The test limitation:

- This was not on an empty fuel tank. I estimate the 5 gallons mixed with another 5 gallons still in the car, so it was diluted making the test less valid.
On the other hand when using old fuel from a can in an emergency, more often than not, it will also mix with at least some prexisting fuel in the tank..
- This engine, the VQ40DE is rated for 87 Octane, the non-ethanol fuel I had stored was at least midrange. Stored fuel often loses Octane over time and one of the most common problems with old fuels is pinging and/or knock sensor SES lights.
So since the fuel was above the spec to begin with, prior to storage ,it is not a full test on how small the decay the Octane has seen.

 

[oldhp]

Car didn't blow up. That's a good thing. Why are you storing fuel? Couldn't you refill the can every year? Seems like safer thing to do and fresher fuel too.

 

[palmerwmd]

Car didn't blow up. That's a good thing. Why are you storing fuel? Couldn't you refill the can every year? Seems like safer thing to do and fresher fuel too.

I have several cans to supply my V8, 4x4 with fuel in the event of (among other possibilities) a lenghty hurricane evacution.
I owe it to my family to be able to get us out of dodge even if the gas stations are out.
This was my oldest can, among others held by a buddy, while I was overseas for a couple of years.

 

[4WD]

Car didn't blow up. That's a good thing. Why are you storing fuel? Couldn't you refill the can every year? Seems like safer thing to do and fresher fuel too.

I used to do that with 20 gallons before hurricane season … have cut that to 10 gallons but will add a couple more propane bottles this year since I don‘t plan to put gasoline in my WGen9500DF …

 

[k1xv]

I used to store fuel back when there were supply disruptions and gas station lines. I used to call it my Strategic Oil Reserve.

 

[SC Maintenance]

Good to know. What stabilizer you using - sta-bil?

Anyone know if there is any downside to putting sta-bil in your MPI type car? I store gas as well. I used to do so only during hurricane season and then cycle it, but with winter power outages now a thing - it would be much easier for me to just store it all year.

 

[Lubener]

I believe the gas being ethanol free had more to do with the gas being usable than the container that was used. The double dose of stabilizer helped too. I don't think the outcome would have been so good in that container using 10% ethanol fortified gas.

 

[joekingcorvette]

It's good to hear gas stays in shape with stabilizer. I always worry about my boat being garaged for 4 months without being run and I use stabilizer. I guess some of these horror stories about bad gas erupt from other hidden problems.

 

[eljefino]

I siphoned 2 year old untreated gas out of my Biscayne (no evap system) and it ran fine in my Prius. I suspect, with the Prius ICE being so detached from the driving experience, that it can handle mediocrity quite well. Did the same with my plow truck-- drained last years gas and ran it in my Prius. Both times the fuel looked and smelled normal.

My 1991 RV, with fuel injected Ford 460, ran fine on gas of unknown age but better on fresh gas, if that makes sense. I don't think it has a knock sensor.

What gets me are small engines, stored under cover but in humidity/ temp swings. Sta-bil-ized E10 turns to green snot in mere months. Suspect that the surface area of fuel that touches air and oxidizes is much greater. A sealed 5 gallon can, as full as can be, is a good scenario.

 

[spasm3]

I have several cans to supply my V8, 4x4 with fuel in the event of (among other possibilities) a lenghty hurricane evacution.
I owe it to my family to be able to get us out of dodge even if the gas stations are out.
This was my oldest can, among others held by a buddy, while I was overseas for a couple of years.

I keep fuel on hand but 15 gallons , I rotate it at 6 months intervals, through the mowers or cars.

 

[thastinger]

I keep between 50 and 60 gallons on hand, stored in metal 5 gallon old VP or Sunoco race fuel cans. I buy 93 octane and treat it with the Marine stabilizer. I cycle it out when it gets to be a couple of years old and write the fill dates on the top of the can.

 

[atikovi]

Having had numerous cars stored over the years, I can say from personal experience that 5 years even on E10 is no big deal for fuel injected cars. I think my record is using 9 year old gas. No noticeable issues. I have some that haven't started in 15 years so that will be interesting when the time comes.

 

[Greasymechtech]

I have several cans of ol' fuel. I try hard to rotate thru it in the vehicles. Its mostly for the generators... and sometimes ages a couple years before being utilized.

I too overdose the Stabil, usually by accident, or equivalent competitor product, and use a premium non-toptier ethanol free pure gasoline... usually 91-93usa octane around here, common marine/offroad/smallengine/recreation engine fuel). Use ethanol free fuel and stabilizer for any/all cans of fuel you keep, whenever possible.

There is no toptier ethanol free fuel. E10 is a requirement for top tier. I don't store E10 but some might not have a choice.

Also have couple 20-30lb propane tanks for the grille/generator/heaters/refrigerator too.

Both the gas and propane have come in handy multiple times, especially when power is out and gas stations are either empty, or not pumping because of whatever catastrophic outage.

When wasting old stored gasoline in the car, I usually just use a 5-gallon can at a time and then fill up with new fuel. 5 gallons of even stale fuel with 10-20gallons of fresh toptier fuel has always been a nothingburger.

The Stabil360 and 360marine both have added PEA too. K100, StarTron, Pri-G, BioborEB, EthanolShield also cleans/removes gum/varnish and/or carbon deposits. I'd recommend pretty much any stabilizer product when compared to none. So, the better products are adding carb/injector cleaners to their stabilizer products.

Most products work tolerably well for E10 fuel too, and some are more specific to E10. I just wouldn't push my luck for longer than 1 year storage with ethanol.

I would state that the fuel in my metal cans seems to run better than the plastic jugs.

I guess the big issue is with condensation/water/rust and that depends on your local climate too.

 

[twouvakind]

It's a wonder to me that we don't hear more stories about fuel/gasoline household storage mishaps. The above posts make no mention of safeguards like you see in industry (flammable lockers, materials of trade exemption etc.)

 

[palmerwmd]

Good to know. What stabilizer you using - sta-bil?

Anyone know if there is any downside to putting sta-bil in your MPI type car? I store gas as well. I used to do so only during hurricane season and then cycle it, but with winter power outages now a thing - it would be much easier for me to just store it all year.

I use mostly Sta-Bil.
Have used Pri-G in the past before but am unsure which one I had used on this can.

 

[palmerwmd]

It's a wonder to me that we don't hear more stories about fuel/gasoline household storage mishaps. The above posts make no mention of safeguards like you see in industry (flammable lockers, materials of trade exemption etc.)

Hydrocarbons stored hermetically sealed do not combust magically on their own.
Now certain industrial chemicals are a different story and will eventually form peroxides that will "go off" when exposed to a little vibration, heat or anyting really that can bring them above their energy of activation point.
While gasoline has a high energy density and wants to roll down that energy hill (=oxidize into more stable components) it also high energy of activation generanlly not reached in storage

 

[Greasymechtech]

Household? like next to the couch or in the linen closet? or adjacent to the fireplace or coal/wood stove, or oil/CNG/LPG furnace? My microwave and kitchen stove have unused room for fuel storage too. Sheds garages(detached better) are a good start. I think that some of us still have common sense with explosiveflammable fuels. Others don't and need OSHA. And, surprisingly, most of my neighbors have nothing more than a single 1, 2, or 5 gallon container for their lawn tractors or generators, and maybe a quart for the chainsaw or weedwacker, and a single 20lb propane tank connected to their grille. Around here, just don't paint the tanks to look like a deer, or add a big red bullseye to them, and mishaps won't happen.

Safeguards are for fools with no common sense. But, 'Wavian' is mentioned and that alone is a safeguard when compared to melting/expanding/leaky seam plastic containers and EPA sealed pressure expansion/contraction swings. Don't forget that your stovetop is hot and don't stick your fingers in a running fan. While you're at it, don't Pledge your hardwood floors too.

So, other than Darwin awards, I am not surprised that we don't see stories of mishaps. Most understand that fuel is flammable, except in NJ, where all gas stations were full service because the residents like roasting themselves, or maybe in ConwaySC which requires a list of safeguards, or a disclosure addendum.... fuel burns and can ignite/explooooode so be werrry vewwy careful or just hire a professional to top off you lawnmower or generator fuel.

 

[spasm3]

It's a wonder to me that we don't hear more stories about fuel/gasoline household storage mishaps. The above posts make no mention of safeguards like you see in industry (flammable lockers, materials of trade exemption etc.)

i just a justrite type 1 safety can.

 

[Owen Lucas]

I've read the HEET is supposed to be the best stabilizer, why? I don't know.

 

[spasm3]

I've read the HEET is supposed to be the best stabilizer, why? I don't know.

Thats just more alcohol added.