Does really old gas........

[panel]

Does really old gas burn blue greyish kinda smokey like?

[Sneaks]

My experience really old gas doesn't like to burn at all. Usually blue\grey smoke is oil.

[Dale M.]

Never had a "old gas" problem except when eating beans.... Some old gas in my power equipment has sat for 6 months or more (all through winter) and fired up just fine in spring time.... As for really old 2-3 years, yes there may be a problem...

Dale

[Chris V]

When I started driving my BayWindow it had been side-lined for years with a half tank of gas and a 1500SP w/loose heads - even in our climate it fired right up...I was more surprised the points were still doing their job.

Gasolines without alcohol will store quite well (perhaps years), those with it are doomed to absorb water and are considered a poor fuel choice after just three months. By then the amount of water in the fuel is considered to be causing the gasoline to have too low of an octane-rating to be worth risking in an engine of value, not to mention it'll start to 'separate' when it hits the right ration (tablespoon per gallon).

I've read that the older gas is the less voltaile it is because it's losing butane and other components to the atmosphere - and these things that evaporate differ in quantity from season-to-season and location to location. So one persons 'old gas' is exceptionally unlikely to be like that of another persons - so experience may vary.

[panel]

I haven't ran this bus since Oct 2010 so the gas is from then . I did add some stabilizer to it awhile ago. It's just not insured yet so I've only been around the block a couple of times and idled in the driveway and that's when I noticed the greyish smoke after it's been warmed up.

I probably have to tune up the Megasquirt and add a new tank of fuel in there

[MinamiKotaro]

Recently ran some 12 year old gas through our '76 Dodge Van. Ran fine, no smoke or anything.

[luftvagon]

aybe a 2stroke premix?

[Piledriver]

You might be "seeing" the stabilizer burning off.

[Ol'fogasaurus]

It has been my experience that really old gas has a very potent/bad odor to it. As already been said, old gas can start to break down with the additives, which there are a lot of, can start to separate out of the gas; I’ve seen old gas evaporate over time and leave a sludge in the bottom of the tank.

Moisture in the air, especially if the tank is not full can condense into the gas then the drops of water that must be made to go through the system which is what alcohol based products do or you have the tank drained and the filter replaced. I am not sure just how long Stable will protect your old gas but a year is probably a long time for it to stay working. Adding as much fresh fuel as you can to it is probably going to help a lot.

I am not sure what the effect of 10 to 15 percent of Ethanol in the gas has on old gas but in small engines the Ethanol sitting can do a lot of damage to carburation... you have injection so I don't know just what effect if any it can have on those components. Stable and others have a additive for e-85 so again, I am not sure what the long time effect of that is either.

Change the oil as its components can separate also and don’t forget the Zinc additive.

Lee