A Story About Old Gas/Fuel

[OK Corgi Rancher]

In 2008 I went with a friend to pick up a lawn tractor he'd bought from a Sears store in Colorado. While there I noticed they had this 50:1 pre-mixed PowerCare fuel on sale for a ridiculously cheap price. I don't recall how much it was but it was cheap enough that I bought about 20 cans. I cut a LOT of firewood back in those days so I thought I'd go thru the fuel faster than I did.

Fast forward to today...15+ years later. I still have one opened can and 5 unopened cans of this fuel. I needed to use my Stihl weedwacker so I emptied the open can into the fuel tank (there was still some in there...hadn't used the Stihl in a couple of years, at least, since I'd bought a DR Trimmer) and opened another can and filled it up.

A little choke, a couple of pulls on the string, and the Stihl fired up and ran like a scalded cat on 15+ year old fuel.

I called my friend, Mike, and asked if he remembered when he bought that mower. He confirmed it was in 08. He even remembered me buying a metric s**t-ton of the canned fuel.

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

Awesome! I love stories about the longevity and extended shelf life of useful items!

Buy it cheap and stack it deep!

 

[2busy]

If you want to burn the rest of it I have some firewood that needs cutting.

 

[Chief Sapulpa]

See, no ethanol…

 

[Preacherman]

And it says 92 octane. I would never guess that it would keep this long. One of the hardest smells to forget is stale gas.

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

I don't know if the oil helps it stay good or if they add something to it. I somewhat understand the sealed ones still being good. But the open one had been opened probably two or three years ago. I ran the Stihl again today and it was just fine.

 

[Seadog]

I don't know if the oil helps it stay good or if they add something to it. I somewhat understand the sealed ones still being good. But the open one had been opened probably two or three years ago. I ran the Stihl again today and it was just fine.

I know white Gas tends to last forever. Could be white gas with the two stroke oil. Most of our regular gasoline has a ton of additives that gunk up and spoil. Who knows. But that’s pretty cool.

 

[Big House]

Leaded gas.

 

[dennishoddy]

Not gas, but diesel.
I was at a farm auction several years ago when the first 4wd diesel tractor ever sold in Oklahoma went up for auction.
The auctioneer said it had been stored since the 50’s when a newer tractor had been bought.
As they were towing it to the sale, they decided to open the pet cock on the fuel tank and make sure it was not locked up by pulling it. The fuel for lube if it did turn over.
Not only did it turn over it started on fuel from the 50’s. They used another tractors battery’s but did use the electric start to get it running for the auction crowd.
It sold for more than the original purchase price.

 

[Camo]

And it says 92 octane. I would never guess that it would keep this long. One of the hardest smells to forget is stale gas.

Gear oil, Jet fuel, there are a few that really stick out there for me.