unleaded petrol in jerry cans. good for how long?

[philv]

Hi,

i have some large jerry cans full of unleaded petrol.
About 15 months old.

I was going to put this in the car tank today.

Is this ok?
Is it still ok to use?

Thanks.

[J4CKO]

I just got an MGF running and its been stood five years with fuel in, runs fine so think 18 months wont be a problem.

If it smells weird, dont use it, but if it smells like petrol, which I imagine it does, will be fine.

[philv]

A bit concerned as the internet says 6 months if seal was broken (we filled it so i guess seal was broken when filling it).

I don't want to risk car problems. Blocked injectors etc.

[Tam_Mullen]

If I was concerned I would shake it and pour a wee bit into a clear container first just to check it wasnt cloudy, which may indicate moisture contamination.

But in reality I'd just chuck it straight into the car, it'll be fine.

[GeniusOfLove]

Maybe add it 1/3rd of a time to a tank and mix it with fresh fuel?

[119]

My mower sits with fuel in it over the winter and runs fine when i use it next time.

[dhutch]

I think, rule of thumb, if its in a car tank or airtight plastic/steel container, I would use it up to a year old in pretty much anything, especially if in something like a lawn mower, or diluted ten to one with fresh fuel.

In my vintage car I try to keep it to half that even over winter, usually more like 2-3months, and used E5 super unleaded.

[rigga]

I had a bike engine blow, sat around for at least two years on the bench before I got round to rebuild it, had a nearly full tank of fuel, and being a finicky two stroke, thought best to get some fresh in there, so transfered the contents to one of my cars, no issues at all with that.

[vikingaero]

A lot of the jerry cab bumpf on the internet seems to be very American nerdy stuff with 6 months for petrol and a bit longer for diesel.

I had a forgotten full 10 litre metal can of petrol stored in a cool dark garage for 6+ years. Poured it into a near empty Shed and it ran absolutely fine. Might not have used it if it had been stored in the plastic Keter shed which has light panels and greater temperature variance.

[C70R]

philv said:

A bit concerned as the internet says 6 months if seal was broken (we filled it so i guess seal was broken when filling it).

I don't want to risk car problems. Blocked injectors etc.

Slightly old fuel isn't going to block your injectors, unless the can was already full of detritus.

As others have mentioned, you'll be fine. Chuck it in and brim at the pump and drive.

[donkmeister]

C70R said:

philv said:

A bit concerned as the internet says 6 months if seal was broken (we filled it so i guess seal was broken when filling it).

I don't want to risk car problems. Blocked injectors etc.

Slightly old fuel isn't going to block your injectors, unless the can was already full of detritus.

As others have mentioned, you'll be fine. Chuck it in and brim at the pump and drive.

I reckon they should invent a sort of filter, for fuel.

[GreenV8S]

The only problems will be that it may have evaporated slightly (so you paid for fuel you don't get to use) and the lighter fractions will be the ones which evaporate fastest, so it might be a little less willing to fire up. But it's no big deal using many-year-old fuel, and any effects are reduced as the stale fuel is diluted with fresh.