Fuel and Oil longevity question

[Bubbasboat]

I have 5 gallons of oil gas mix, 1/2 gallon 2 stroke oil, 2, 1/2 tubes of lower unit oil. They have been stored in a boat for 3 years. Outside. Are any of these any good?

 

[coolbri70]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

the oil is probably good, the gas is likely stale

 

[roscoe]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

nothing wrong with the oil or the gear lube.

Don't use the gas in your boat.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

Oil is Good.

Pull a sample of the gas and half fill a jar with it.
If it is cloudy/milky, No Good!

If it is clear, Shake the jar vigorously.
If the foamy "Head" disappears in under 5 seconds, I would use it.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

If messing with the gas do it outside away from any cellar way or ground level entrance.
Gas fumes are heavy and treacherous and will flow to the lowest point or along a draft.

 

[Bubbasboat]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

What causes the cloudiness, Water ?

Oil is Good.

Pull a sample of the gas and half fill a jar with it.
If it is cloudy/milky, No Good!

If it is clear, Shake the jar vigorously.
If the foamy "Head" disappears in under 5 seconds, I would use it.

 

[Bubbasboat]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

Yes, basic but essential advice for everyone to hear. Always work in a WELL ventilated area when working with any type of explosive/flammable material!!!!!!!!!!!!

If messing with the gas do it outside away from any cellar way or ground level entrance.
Gas fumes are heavy and treacherous and will flow to the lowest point or along a draft.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

Oil is Good.

Pull a sample of the gas and half fill a jar with it.
If it is cloudy/milky, No Good!

If it is clear, Shake the jar vigorously.
If the foamy "Head" disappears in under 5 seconds, I would use it.

I didn't know you could "proof" gasoline lol. You must been around an ol' moonshiner to know that trick.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

Yes! The cloudiness is caused by the water. Not Good, but there are recovery methods.

I have found that the more of the light volatiles that have evaporated from the gasoline, the more of a "Head" it will hold. In essence, gasoline slowly turns into kerosene if left on it's own to evaporate.
Fresh Gasoline loses its "Head" in under 3 seconds.

You heard it here first!
This is my own observation and I have not read of anyone else having using this test for gasoline.
Moonshine, Yes! Gasoline, No!

 

[nwcove]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

dont even consider using 3 year old gas for anything other than burning ant nests or brush. jmo

 

[Bubbasboat]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

Would it make any difference if it's been stored in a sealed tank the entire time?

dont even consider using 3 year old gas for anything other than burning ant nests or brush. jmo

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

Would it make any difference if it's been stored in a sealed tank the entire time?

+1
Gasoline does not have an expiration date!

Two day old gas could stored in an un-sealed container and be full of water.
10 Year old gas could be as good as day one.

Test it!

Pouring gasoline on the ground to start fires is never a good idea.
It is bad for the environment and hazardous to the user.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

+1


Pouring gasoline on the ground to start fires is never a good idea.
It is bad for the environment and hazardous to the user.

Dang, now what am I going to do for fun.

 

[Bubbasboat]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

I probably wouldn't do it even IF I had someplace to do it! In Colorado, open fires are mostly a no no! But, just as a note, we are burning the fuel in our engines and putting exhaust into the air and allowing oils to go into the water, also an environmental no no, but we still do it?? Just a thought, after all, boats in general are not particularly environmentally friendly.

I am still working on the question of fuel being good or bad. So many different points of view. I found another thread on virtually the same subject. Same thing there, good, bad, never, always, etc!!

Here is the link: http://forums.iboats.com/boat-topic...ny-fuel-stabilizer-when-i-laid-up-646815.html

+1
Pouring gasoline on the ground to start fires is never a good idea.
It is bad for the environment and hazardous to the user.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

Fuel/Ethanol threads always turn into into a bunch of re-quoted anecdotal evidence.
Weigh the solid evidence yourself, use a testing method instead of just believing it is good or bad based on what you want the answer to be. There is no reason to assume it is good or bad unless there is a solid reason behind the assumption.
Just because it is 3 years old, doesn't mean it is automatically bad. Test it!

Burning the Gas is much better than pouring it on to an ant hill or a brush pile.
Burnt gas eventually reduces mostly into CO2 and Water.
Plant life will recycle it eventually.
Not all the Gas dumped on the ground gets burned.
The remainder gets washed into the local WaterShed or down into the Water-Table.

 

[nwcove]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

10 year old gas could be as good as day one??? todays fuels e-10, e15 or the like when stabilizers arent added can quite quickly form sulfuric acids. the attached pic is of a motor that was ran on 8 month old, non stabilized e10, motor ran ok for an hour in a barrel then was shut down and left in the barrel overnight....the discoloration of the paint was caused by the acid that formed in the fuel.
as far as using it to burn whatever?....sure its not the best practice, but may people just dump it wherever. sure glad that all the crud that drips from 90% of the vehicles on the roads doesnt find its way into the water courses! bottom line is....take yer chances if you plan to run it in a boat! jmo

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

View attachment 231206 10 year old gas could be as good as day one??? todays fuels e-10, e15 or the like when stabilizers arent added can quite quickly form sulfuric acids. the attached pic is of a motor that was ran on 8 month old, non stabilized e10, motor ran ok for an hour in a barrel then was shut down and left in the barrel overnight....the discoloration of the paint was caused by the acid that formed in the fuel.
as far as using it to burn whatever?....sure its not the best practice, but may people just dump it wherever. sure glad that all the crud that drips from 90% of the vehicles on the roads doesnt find its way into the water courses! bottom line is....take yer chances if you plan to run it in a boat! jmo

I'm not saying this didn't happen, but how, when, where, and what lab analyzed the paint to confirm it was from acid supposedly in the fuel?

 

[nwcove]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

what lab ???? Good gawd.....i didnt go all CSI on it! lol its my motor ran in my barrel, with my well water that i drink, shower in and cook with everyday, and just a side note, when i ran the motor at that time with that oldish fuel, the little spritzes of water that would come out of the barrel and land on my hands and arms it stung like oven cleaner! lol. maybe i shouldnt have said " was caused"....and said " could have been caused"? if you have a better theory on what oxidized the paint from the water line down in the barrel....plz do share it.

 

[82rude]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

ok ive watched csi and I slept at a holiday inn lately nwcove, so I will take a stab at it and say the mixture of unburnt gas, oil, is what did it not necessarily the age of the gas alone.due to surgery last year my snowmobile was left 2 years at least with the same gas and she started no problem with zero issues.i just did the prudent thing and added fresh gas and seafoam.now to be honest I always store the sled with lots of stabilizer.unless you wash out and sterilize the barrel every time you could of also had residual extras in the barrel maybe.of course this thread could go on forever and ever .I know my 2 poke lawnboy has never met gas it didn't like yet .

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Fuel and Oil longevity question

what lab ???? Good gawd.....i didnt go all CSI on it! lol its my motor ran in my barrel, with my well water that i drink, shower in and cook with everyday, and just a side note, when i ran the motor at that time with that oldish fuel, the little spritzes of water that would come out of the barrel and land on my hands and arms it stung like oven cleaner! lol. maybe i shouldnt have said " was caused"....and said " could have been caused"? if you have a better theory on what oxidized the paint from the water line down in the barrel....plz do share it.

The scum could be just about anything then, and from the pic (which is very difficult to determine) looks very much like a calcium deposit. Calcium does just the opposite of most compounds and as the water temp increases less calcium can be dissolved in it, plus as it evaporates it leaves the calcium behind. The scum looks to be at or above the surface of the water, which is where a calcium deposit is most likely to be noticed.

The fuel couldn't contaminate that amount of water with enough Sulfuric acid to do anything to your skin, let alone burn it.