Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run it?

[DansSearay2011]

have a 75 Sea Ray with about 40 gallons 2-4 year old gas. Would it be a good idea to run Seafoam in the gas and run the boat or should I dispose of the fuel and put fresh fuel in. I am leaning towards running the fuel. I have gotten mixed opinions about this. What are your thoughts? I would add fresh fuel with old gas as well to help dilute it.

 

[fari1979]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

I would try to forget about the dollar value of all that gas, because it really isn't gasoline anymore. Its spoiled, and running that much through your motor would end up potentially costing more in maitnence.

I would dump the gas at a certified place (oil recycling center, etc...) and sleep better at night knowing you are running clean, fresh gas even if it costs an arm and a leg.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

Adding a fuel system treatment to 3 year old gas does not make it new gas -- it is still stale. What you could do is drain remove about half of it and fill up with fresh, but the safest route is to drain all of it. THEN add SeaFoam or any of the other additives.

 

[roscoe]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

Drain it.

Seafoam is for maintenance, not resurrection.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

I personally wouldn't dump it, but I wouldn't run it in the boat either. I run any old gas I drain out of project vehicles in my 2 strokes since they don't seem to care about it. Using up 40 gal would take a while though. If nothing else it makes good boyscout water for starting your campfires

 

[DansSearay2011]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

Thanks for all the replies. Will be draining it. That's what my intentions were initially. Found a recycled center that will except all my gasoline for no charge.

 

[ryanmech]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

drain 10 gallons into your pickup next time you need a fill up. I don't know about seafoam additive but there are some out there that can help older gas.. I had a 75 chris craft with with about that much old fuel in it when I bought it but it was like 5 years old not 3. put ten gallons of fresh on top (had 50 gal tank) and ran it ... I would run down about a quarter tank and refill ... which was annoying but better than throwing away $160 worth of gas in my opinion the thing to be careful of is water in the fuel being stuck with 10 gal of water in the bottom of the tank on the water is a really bad way to spend the night on the fourth of july......

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

O/P.....wise choice.... old fuel is not suitable for use....

 

['78 Crusader]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

Run an AD in Craigslist and sate that it's "free fuel...just come and get it". Be sure to sate that it's 2-3 year old fuel out of your boat.....that way they are informed ahead of time.

I know a lot of people who have done this and they get rid of the fuel inn a few hours. Guys use that stuff for their lawnmowers etc.

 

[DansSearay2011]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

Craigslist might not be a bad idea. Again thanks everyone for replies as I will be draining the fuel. Have a solid pump to get it out. She runs too good to take the risk. When I bought the boat I hooked up a separate tank with good gas. Did not think there would be so much in the main tank.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

you are lucky to have a place that will take it for free.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

Don;t recylce it. I just used 5 yr old gas in my 8HP tractor. It smelled bad out the exhaust but ran just fine. Had to pull the carb for yearly service and it was still clean as last year.

I would not use it in a boat because of the high load the engine is under but for lawn equipment it will not harm it. 5 gal at a time in a car will not hurt either.

 

[fari1979]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

this may be a dumb question but someone was telling me that a little oil in the gastank of the car is not going to hurt it.

If this is true could you dump some 50:1 or whatever enriched gas into your car instead of wasting it?

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

this may be a dumb question but someone was telling me that a little oil in the gastank of the car is not going to hurt it.

If this is true could you dump some 50:1 or whatever enriched gas into your car instead of wasting it?

50:1 isn't a little oil. If you have an old carburated car with no sensors you might be OK but you don't really want to be burning a whole lot of oil in a modern vehicle - it can really foul up the sensors.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

many years ago I dumped half a gallon of 50:1 premix into my car so as to be sure I could make it to the gas station...... the cat converter was plugged within 10 miles. NOT a good day

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

back in high school a guy did that in a 1964 Impala. He looked like the mosquito truck going down the road.

 

[rickryder]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

I just used up about 30 gallons of 9 year old fuel from the boat in my 94 F250 pick up.....5 gallons at a time when I put $25-30 in the truck.....no ill effects other than smelling bad.

 

[Brewman61]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

One gallon of 50:1 mix will contain about 3 ounces (closer to 2.5) of oil. If your truck has a 20 gallon gas tank, do you really think that 2.5 ounces of oil mixed in is going to even be noticed by the sensors? I'm thinking probably not. That's not a whole lot of oil even in a ten gallon tank. If you pour 5 gallons of the stuff into an empty tank, then I could see potential harm.

 

[rincon madness]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

i pulled 75 gallons out of my 78 Wellcraft airslot. I would dump it in my Chev p/u half and half with fresh fuel. Ran fine.
good luck.

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Boat with about 40 gallons of 2 or 3 year old gas? Should I use seafoam and run

When I purchased my boat it had been sitting on land for 5 years. The owner insisted the fuel tank had been emptied and cleaned. I'm unsure when at some point it was refueled, but sure enough after 25 gallons of fresh gas, the tank was full. It never smelled bad, and with 200+ gallons, I took my chances. The boat ran alright through that tank. The screens on the carbs got gummed up at one point, and the starboard motor had a slight stumbled when getting on plane. After A 190 gallon refuel mid summer, she never gummed the screens again, and the stumble almost went completely away.

I'm not sure if the gas was 5 years old or not, but the boat ran half a season on it, although not perfectly.