Got called in to consult on a stored classic that refuses to start, and it looks to me like there's about 8 gallons of very stale gasoline in the system. (Likely several years old.) Two questions: Are there any chemicals that can be used to rejuvenate this bad load of petrol? If I do end up draining it all out (my choice, I think), how does one dispose of nearly two jerry-cans of geriatric gas?

How long has the gas been in storage? Maybe your local petrol station could dispose of it for you in an environmnetally friendly way.

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired

I take my used motor oil, antifreeze, old paint cans, etc. to a local hazardous waste collection facility. Try your yellow pages for something similar. Gook luck getting that classic running!

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Glen Tokuhara
Beauty & the Beast and the wagon that could!

Pour in a can or two of Berrymen's B12 and burn it in the engine.

Good luck,

You can go to a boatshop and look for a fuel stabilizer. That is what is used for winter storage of boats. It may help to make it useable if there isn't excessive breakdown of the fuel due to the long storage...

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Scott Longston
Northern California Wine Country...
"Turbos whistle, grapes wine..."

Use it in your flamethrower.

We mix it with plenty of fresh fuel and use it in our "shop truck", carbureted of course! We figure the old Ford couldn't run any worse

I put 5 gal of 1 (or 2, cannot remember) year old gasoline to an old Chevelot (350 engine) and filled it up with fresh gasoline + 1/2 qt. of Gumout. It was leaded gasoline back then. My next two week was a nightmare. The car could not start the next day after about 100 miles. I used starting fluid to try to start it and broke 3 push rods. I took the heads out to a rebuild shop and changed all valve lifters and rods. Still running with the same tank of gas, it happened again after another 100 miles. This time, no starting fluid, but pulling the intake manifold out to find out the reason - there was a lot of brownish sticky stuff at the valve and the seat. It was so sticky that the valves were very hard to open. I cleaned them with Gumout and put everything back together; replaced remaining gasoline with fresh fuel. Problem was resolved.

Do not use the old gasoline to clean parts. I read one true story about a guy who was doing just that in a supposedly safe place. He got burned because he dropped a wrench on a concrete floor and the spark ignited the gasoline. -- another reason to drive a MB diesel.

David

The gas that David had sounds like it was "sugared"! This collects on the of the valve stems and binds them in the guides till the engine loses compression. You can usually see this in the fuel once drained as it will settle to the bottom like water. Soda pop is a common sugaring agent used by vandals!

From the original problem description, I doubt that Larry is dealing with sugared gas. It is just old from the classic car setting up for an extended period.

I still say that some B12 and putting up with some rough running for a while will probably cure the problem. If you can run it down to a couple of gallons, then fill it up, I think you'll have it licked.

Good luck,

I've used stale gasoline to kill weeds. It works! Environmentally incorrect, but how often will you really dump gasoline on weeds?

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Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

Town Line Auto's suggestion is highly possible - sugared fuel. I drained the fuel and did not see anything unusual except the color which was a little darker than normal (leaded gasoline always had some red/brownish color). I took a sample of the fuel to be air-dried. It left a sticky film in the container. Sugared or not, I am afraid of old gasoline now. Better yet, most of my cars run on diesels and all fuel caps are locked.

David

The sticky substance is probably varnish. Did it smell like turpentine? Did you try B12 in it?

Good luck,

Larry

It was 10 to 15 years ago. I do not remember much except the memory of smelling old gasoline. Do you know why old gasoline change smell? What is B12? Is it some thing similar to Gumout?

David

I don't know exactly why it changes smell, but I think that some elements evaporate, leaving the turpentine which does not evaporate as easily.

I expect that Gumout makes a product that is the same as B12. You should be able to get B12 at any auto parts store. It is mostly benzine.

If the gas has been in there 10 to 15 years, you may have to clean the tank once the gas is burned or drained out.

Best of luck,