21 replies to this topic

[chrisandsarah]

I've got a mini clubman estate, with about 2/3 of a tank of fuel that is unfortunately nearly ten years old (the car has been in storage).

I have heard that petrol has a shelf life, but is it at all possible to say dilute it with say 3/4 fresh petrol to use it up - or should it be tipped away?

[ANON]

just use it, as long as it hasn't got water in it and you're using it in something without a cat.

[chrisandsarah]

Will it run ok with the old petrol? Won't do any damage etc?

[Dan]

If it's unleaded then at ten years old it won't be much use in a car, although it is still highly flammable so you can't just get rid. If you dilute it gradually into new fuel it won't cause much of a problem really especially if you are using an addtive with octane booster, but don't put loads of the old fuel in at once. If it's 4 star then it may well still be fine at ten years old.

[dklawson]

I have used old fuel as a cleaning solvent. I have also mixed it with gasoline used in yard appliances (lawn mowers, 2-cycle string trimmers, etc.)

[cagy]

I'd either dilute it or do as Dklawson said and use it in patrol driven garden tools. It won't do damage just might smoke a bit

[twrminisport]

Won't do any damage.
Remember the grade of petrol today is vastly superior to the grade of petrol that the a series was designed for in 1950 post war britain.

Just dilute it a bit and it will be fine.
Often getting old petrol in bikes that havn't been run in years through the shop, i put it in my mini or morris minor.
Save yourself some money

Jesus

[Carlos W]

the fuel that came out of my mini was brown and horrible!

all the volatile organic compounds will have evaporated after 10 years! just throw it away or use it as cleaning fluid! it may effect the emissions when you take it for an mot!

Edited by Carlos W, 14 March 2012 - 05:58 AM.

[ANON]

Will it run ok with the old petrol? Won't do any damage etc?

i ran one of my bikes with petrol that was at least 8 years old and it was pretty much fine, was bit slow starting and ran rough for about ten seconds or so but was fine from then.

just check for water especially if it's been stored somewhere damp. cold or outside.
and top up before you use it.

have you checked float bowl and lines aren't gummed up?

Edited by ANON, 14 March 2012 - 07:55 AM.

[AVV IT]

My mini sat in the garage for about seven years with the same tank of fuel in. I emptied that tank out before I put it back on the road a few years ago and now when I remember, I pour a couple of litres of the old fuel back in on top of fresh fuel, shortly after I've filled up. It runs with no problems and with today's fuel prices you really can't afford to just throw it way.

Plus I reckon that old tank of fuel was probably a pretty good investment. When you consider that I probably bought it for about 70p per litre, then I must be getting somewhere near a 100% return on it!

Edited by AVV IT, 14 March 2012 - 10:07 AM.

[R1minimagic]

I would at least run it through a filter before using it

[reallybig]

there's no point draining it and you better not get it started when i'm not there

after pushing it down the dirveway about 20 times...

[chrisandsarah]

I won't be touching the car until the summer :)

When I do - I think I will drain the fuel into another container through a filter. Then add it to my tank a little at a time.

Thank you all for the info!

[Midas Mk1]

Make sure you have a fuel filter installed! Ran the Midas with a mixture of 8 months old and fresh fuel, and it blocked the fuel lines, no fun when doing 80 in the fast lane......

[reallybig]

probably best to remove fuel tank and give it a clean out