I keep a 5-gallon diesel container in the trunk in case of emergency (mine or someone else's) and have some general questions about storing diesel. I'm mostly inquiring because at one point the small cap apparently became loose and it leaked over a gallon of diesel into the trunk, had to clean it out and replace the mat so the fumes didn't choke me when I opened the windows. It's been sitting outside for a few months and I recently noticed that the fuel has changed color, but I'm not sure if it's due to oxidization/contamination or mixture with a very small amount of biodiesel. I added 2 gallons of petroleum diesel to...whatever I unable to pour into my tank when things got desperate and I only had a paper slushie cone for a funnel! It smells a bit like fresh varnished pine...

So basically I'm wondering if this fuel is still good after recent events, and would like to know how long diesel can be stored without spoiling in some way and if I need to use any sort of additives to preserve it.

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1985 190D 2.2L 717.411 5-speed
1983 300D Euro OM617.950