What to do with bad car gas?

[meanwhile]

I have four containers with about 20 gallons of gas in them. The man who helps us says the gas is "bad" and it will mess up the car, weed whacker and etc. He said it is bad since I did not put.....something....I am not sure what...but something in it. The gas has been stored outside for about a year. What do I do with it? We have a burn pile...will it just burn up or is that not a good idea? Is there something else it can be used for?

And then, what do I put in the next batch of gas to keep it from going bad?

Thank you.

[big rockpile]

I was just wondering the same thing I have 5 gallons I need to get rid of in the next couple days.

big rockpile

[swamp man]

Kill the yellow jackets that just chased me out of the neighbor's yard while I was mowin'.

[mnn2501]

You need to use a product called Stabile (or one like it) that keeps gas good, otherwise it starts breaking down and will foul fuel injectors or carburators. I learned my lesson the hard way with a tiller I left some gas in over the winter a few years back.

I don't know what else you can do but burn it, but with the amount you have be very careful -- it would be an inferno.

[ibcnya]

I start fires with bad gas. No trash man here. Cans in one barrel, glass in another, paper in the burn pile. Splash a little bad gas and Woof!

[Old Vet]

Mix it with diesel or used motor oil before you burn it. It will not be so flammable if mixed with diesel or used motor oil 1/2 mixture. I use it in a drip torch or other container and burn grass on ditch banks or fence roes. You also can use it for burning brush piles or even trash. Just be careful and don't use it straight or it will burn so fast that it will explode.

[meanwhile]

Thank you - we called a neighbor too and he said he can use some in his burn pile. Thank you

[BeeFree]

I heard that old old john deere tractors could still burn old gas. We haven't tried it as we don't have any old gas. I do know that the gas will separate and shellac your engine. Sure tears it up in a vehicle.

If I was going to use it on a burn pile I would put it on there and let it soak for a bit and then try to figure out a way to light it without being close. Perhaps a cloth burning wrapped around a stick shot with a bow into the pile. I have seen gas explode and it isn't a good sight. I was lucky once when I put some in my barrel of trash then threw a match into it. Fire exploded all around me. Only the good Lord knows why it didn't burn me, but thanks to him it didn't. I will never light a fire that has gas in it again unless I can be a long long distance away.

[Cabin Fever]

Give it to the kids who ride their noisy 4-wheelers up and down the road ditch.

[RonM]

Take notice that gas doesnt ignite like it use to since they have removed the lead, still be careful with it.... The product to mix it with is called Sta-bil.............can be bought at tractor supply or most auto part stores......

[Alice In TX/MO]

But, you have to mix it with the gas before storage, not after it has 'turned.'

[pheasantplucker]

When I read the title of the thread "What to do with bad car gas"...the first thing that popped into my head was to roll down the window.

[crafty2002]

If you have a diesel or know anyone that does, you can mix it with the diesel fuel about 2 gallons to a 20 gallon tank and the "bad gas" for a gasoline engine will actually run a diesel engine better than straight diesel fuel when mixed like this.
I am just like my father was. If gas has set in a can for even 2 or 3 months the first thing I do is smell it. You can tell straight off if it is dead (as daddy called it) and if it is, do not put it into a tank for a gas engine unless you are prepared to work on it.
He always poured it into a can for the well machine and I could tell the difference when picking the tools up from the bottom of the well.
But it does mix with diesel and does great. But as I said, only a couple gallons to a full tank.
What gas a diesel cost today, I would give it to someone for there diesel before I wasted it. Twenty gallons. That's 80 bucks worth of fuel.
I also rode with a guy in a Ford 550 truck with a Lincoln welder, large gang box and was pulling my welder with a large gang box, and a load of metal on the truck to boot, all the way from Va. to Fla.
We stopped for fuel and he started filling it up, a diesel truck, with gas. He put 7 point something gallons of gas in a 32 gallon tank before he realized what he was doing. We set there for a good hour with me telling him to top the tank off with diesel and lets go. He finally did so and got better gas mileage than with straight diesel fuel. He started putting a couple gallons of gas in every tank full and got about 2 miles per gallon more out of it. He went from 8 plus to 10 plus MPG and that was with him pulling my trailer with the welder on it.
Point being, old gas works great in a diesel engine.

[michiganfarmer]

I would mix it with enough good gas so I could use it in the mower, splitter, or tractor. I wouldnt throw it out.

[Gary in ohio]

I assume he is talking about stabilizers not being put in. If its only a year old then I wouldn't worry to much, mix it 50/50 with good gas and use it in the mower.

Now if the gas is 3 or 4 years old then it starts to break down much more and in most cases will just evaporate and leave a carmel colored dust inside the can.

[amwitched]

If the gas is really old, you will be able to smell it and tell in an instant. It turns to varnish and it reeks.

My suggestion is to fill up an old gas can, put the gas can out by the road (maybe next to an old mower) and let the thieves take it. Hee, Hee!!

[Phantomfyre]

Since we're on the subject, um, how you you deal with a car that's had gas sitting in the tank for over 2 years with no stabilizer. And a pretty full tank, no less. (Car got parked b/c it needs the tranny checked, and we didn't really need it, so we never got around to taking it in...)

It's a 92 Lumina, if that makes any difference.

[solidwoods]

Crafty- Good info. Sounds like you've proofed the concept so I'll log that one.
Phantomfyre- The car sitting 2yrs with gas. I'd siphon out all you can first. Use a small very flexible hose, not a garden hose stiff type, those can hit some of the items in the tank and make the gas gage not work. Then allot of tanks have a drain bolt on the bottom of them. That will get the last out. Be container prepared for the qty that will come out, also no sparks.

A siphon tip is if your siphon hose isn't clear (so you can't watch the liquid so you don't get it into your mouth). Cut a second hose (garden hose dia.) put the siphon hose in the liquid (check for the most depth by blowing bubbles and listen), then stick the lg. dia hose into the gas port. Clog the port opening with a rag. Blow into the lg. dia hose. This pressurizes the tank and will start the siphon through the other hose.
So no Drinky Gas.
jim

[n9viw]

OMG, if anyone ever gave me diesel mixed with gas, I'd smack em! NOTHING is worse for injection pumps, lift pumps, separators, and injectors than something as abrasive as GAS! Want proof? Dip your finger in gasoline, then rub your thumb and forefinger together. It almost feels 'gritty', there's no lubricity in it at all. Now, dip a finger in diesel, and do the same thing. Some diesels, particularly bio-mixes, are so slippery they could be used as a marital aid!

That said, there was a blurb about Mercedes actually 'condoning' the use of gasoline mixed in diesel as a winter fix for gelling, but it turns out that was a TRANSLATION ERROR. It was supposed to be KEROSENE, not gasoline. Kero is known as Diesel #1.

Back on topic, I've used 'old' gas (from 'unknown' age to as old as 1-year-old 'known') in my carbureted vehicles and lawn equipment. As has already been said, mix it half-n-half with 'good' gas, make sure it's filtered, and run it with nary a worry. Never had a problem. Incidentally, I never hold on to enough gas to have to Sta-Bil it, I always run my engines dry, and fog both the cylinders AND the tanks. No problems in 20 years of doing it this way, but I have had Sta-Bil precipitate out on me and gum up my carburetors, that's for sure!

[WildWisc]

http://www.priproducts.com/prigproduct.htm

Q: I have fuel that has been sitting in storage for several years. Will PRI-G help make this fuel better?

A: Yes. When thoroughly blended with fuel, PRI-G will restore even the most degraded fuels to a refinery-fresh, usable condition - provided the stored fuel does not contain metals or foreign chemistries not compatible with refined fuel. Although the fuel will be restored to usable specification, PRI-G does not restore the fuel to original color.