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I have ~2 liters gasoline leftover I bought for my snow blower. I bought the gasoline and kept in a certified container back in November (8 months ago). I did not apply fuel stabilizer to the container.

The closest certified disposal facility is far from me and the business hours are such that I have to take a day off from work just to dispose of this 2-litter stale gasoline. What a pain! ☹

Now, I am looking for ideas what to do with the stale gasoline.

Is it too late to apply fuel stabilizer and add it to my car’s gas tank?

Update 1:

I must thank everyone for sharing your information and experiences.

I am going to add the stale fuel to my car gas tank 1 liter to an almost full tank, two times in total. I will share the result in two weeks.

Lesson learned:

Going forward, I am going to add the leftover gas immediately to my car gas tank and always buy fresh gas at little as possible for snow blower multiple times in winter. Do not stock the gasoline.

Buying gasoline is easy, but safely disposing or handling it is such a pain.

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  • If it were mine, I would leave it until next winter and use it in the snow blower as originally planned. The blower's engine will probably be less picky about bad fuel than the car's, though the car does have a fuel filter.
    – ALAN WARD
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 17:11
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    @ALANWARD You have it completely backwards. The car has a much bigger tank. Wait until the tank is about half full and then add the stale gas. Putting stale gas into a snow blower is the perfect way to keep it from starting. A car will tolerate stale gas much better to to fuel injection and powerful ignition.
    – vini_i
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 18:00
  • @vini_i, should I add fuel stabilizer before adding the stale fuel to the gas tank?
    – Allan Xu
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 23:25
  • No problem just add it, the fuel is still good after 8 months and your engine will know no difference.
    – Moab
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 0:22
  • @vini_i The guys designing snow blowers expect they will get old gas -at least once a year, at the beginning of the winter period- and design around it. Not every user is as careful as the OP. When engineering a car, on the other hand, the assumption is that it will see fairly regular use.
    – ALAN WARD
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 7:56

2 Answers 2

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According to Briggs & Stratton, stale gas is only a problem if it was stored in the equipment. Air-tight containers let you use the gas indefinitely. This matches my experience. I've never had an issue with my lawnmower running the next year.

http://blog.briggsandstratton.com/stale-gasoline-can-avoid-treat-bad-fuel/

As far as your question goes, I doubt your car would notice a difference if you added 2 liters of stale gasoline to a 40+ L tank.

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  • Indefinitely might be a tad optimistic. But a year or two has not been a problem for me (Experience source: regular but leader euro 95 in an old bike which I had since I was 18 (now 45))
    – Hennes
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 21:10
  • Thank you for help. Should I add fuel stabilizer before adding the stale gas to the gas tank?
    – Allan Xu
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 23:24
  • @AllanXu I would avoid stirring the old gas in any way before adding it. Water and gums, if present, will tend to collect in the bottom of the can. Also true for rust, if the can is not in good condition. Probably be best to just tip the fuel slowly into the car, leaving the last few drops in the can just to make sure.
    – ALAN WARD
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 8:05
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Winter gas is a little more volatile than summer gas. However, being around lots of equipment and dealing with "stale gasoline" given what you said, I would simple add the winter snowblower gas to the car. It is a practical way to get rid of the waste. I am assuming that you are adding 2L to 20L or more of gasoline.

FWIW, Cat and other equipment manufacturers are now endorsing burning old engine oil in the diesel fuel, as a practical means of disposal. There are TSBs describing the guidelines.

The problem with old gas in carburetors, sitting for a long time, is that the gasoline can turn into a jelly like substance and clog small orifices.

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