Potential problem with stale fuel

[sundancejoel]

I have a 33 Grady White Express that I haven't used much during the past two years. The two fuel tanks hold about 350 gallons of fuel. Just about all of the fuel is about two years old, dating back to 2013. The correct amount of Sta-bil was mixed with the fuel as was fuel stabilizer when the fuel tanks were topped off. The boat currently runs well but I'm very concerned about next season, due to the age of the fuel. I have used about 64 gallons of the 150 gallon tank and the same amount from the 200 gallon tank. Is it necessary to run the boat as much as I can to use as much fuel as I can before decommissioning the boat for the Winter (I'm in New Jersey). I'm wandering if I should leave the fuel tanks, with the older fuel, until next Spring when I can top them off with fresh fuel, or should I top them off now? Also, do I need to add more fuel stabilizer?

The weather is not helping, inasmuch as the marine weather forecast has not been good enough to run my boat offshore for any extended period of time and I've got to decommission it within the next two weeks. What do I do if I can't dump the fuel?

I'd sure appreciate any help I can get!

Sundance

[rodbolt17]

even stabilized(read the package) it is only good for about a year max.
E fuels maybe six months.
dump the fuel,give it away.

if you mix 150 gallons of fresh gas with 150 gallons of bad gas you now have 300 gallons of trash gas.

or run it and pray to the boat gods.

[boscoe99]

I have a number of gallons of spoiled milk in my refrigerator. Can I add a number of gallons of clean fresh milk to the spoiled milk and make it yummy?

[sundancejoel]

I was thinking about adding premium fuel to the existing fuel to raise the octane and adding another dose of stabilizer and winter store.

Sundance

[rodbolt17]

that's like adding kaopectate to the above spoiled milk mix to avoid diarrhea.
but its your rig .

[boscoe99]

We all know why you want to do what you want to do. Tossing hundreds of gallons of gasoline can be painful. Sometimes it costs as much to get rid of it as it does to buy it in the first place.

Once gasoline is bad it is bad. It cannot be brought back to life.

Leave a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator for a week. On top of the refrigerator where it might be a bit warm. Add some fresh milk to it in equal parts good to bad milk. Add anything else you like to it. Drink it down you zulu warrior. Let us know if the milk gets rejuvenated.

[RayBersch]

I was thinking about adding premium fuel to the existing fuel to raise the octane and adding another dose of stabilizer and winter store.Sundance

Joel, I believe you're thinking "octane" when the rest of us are thinking "ethanol" and its harmful effects when the gas/ethanol/water ratio results in phase separation. (google it) May not have happened yet but leave it one more winter, regardless of how much you treat it, and you may find you have pure alcohol at the bottom of your tanks and the only way you will know it is when you run it through your motors. I suspect you have twins on that Grady - think close to two grand apiece to have your local mechanic repair the damage - not a great way to start a season.

How do I know?? I once bought a 3 year old pontoon boat that had passed quickly through two owners and sat one winter in the dealer's yard - the dealer DID treat the fuel. Little did I realize that neither owner used it enough to have gone through the original 20 gallons of fuel - I bought it in November from the second owner, treated the fuel, topped off the 20 gallon tank with 10 gallons of fresh fuel, made a couple of test runs (November in Maine!), winterized it and put it away for the season never realizing the age of the original fuel in the tank.

In May of the next season I paid $1,897 to repair the "pristine" 50hp Suzuki 4 stroke. At lease you KNOW the age of the fuel in your tanks.

Ray

[robert graham]

You could draw a sample of fuel from each tank into a clear glass container, then look at it carefully and check the smell of it....that could help you with your decision to dump it or not....but with the costs of parts and labor for marine engine repairs I'm confident that I'd dump it....Maybe your marina has someone who'll pump all that old gas out for a price?...

[Nautical]

If your stored gas is aged 6 months or less then you can most likely re-use it or recondition it. There are gas additive products available to re-oxygenate old gas and aging / varnish prevention products such as STABIL to add to gas powered engines that you do not use often such as periodic use 4-stroke style lawnmowers and motorcycles.
If the gas in tank is 6 months or less old and is say half full or less then just fill up the remainder of the tank with fresh high octane gas first before using and also add in some carb cleaner additive, OR fuel injector cleaner additive depending on fuel mix / ignition system.
Ideally it is best to recondition old gas with a ratio of 4 or 5 to 1 new to old. (4-5 parts new gas to 1 part old gas) It would not be recommended that you use reconditioned gas in any fuel injected engines but only in carbureted engines. This is due to the octane difference variables of your re-mixed gas and the computerized sensitivity of most all modern fuel injection systems.
To avoid this hassle in the future drain or siphon out gas from any stored vehicle within 3 months and immediately use the gas in another running vehicle.

[99yam40]

If your stored gas is aged 6 months or less then you can most likely re-use it or recondition it.

Why would you post this on a thread that says the fuel is years old?

[scofflaw]

I just burnt 20 gal. of 2 year old ethanol treated fuel in my truck with no issues

[boscoe99]

I just burnt 20 gal. of 2 year old ethanol treated fuel in my truck with no issues

Congratulations for you.

You might also be able to jump off the roof of a two story building and land on concrete without being damaged at all. I have seen it happen on television. But based on your success story, and the success stories of others, would this be something that can be recommended?

In my youth I drove home drunk all the time and upon arriving at my house had no recollection of how I got there. Hey, I did it, you can do it also. Is this something to be recommended to others?

This website is not about telling folks what might be possible. It is about offering suggestions to help folks have less problems along the way in the world of boating.

The OP now has choices. He can choose to do nothing, he can choose to add good milk to his bad milk or he can remove the bad milk and dispose of it. The choice is his.

[scofflaw]

Nice little rant, concrete , drunkenness.

He's got more options than what you mentioned. Like burn it
Using 2 year old treated fuel works for me, regular occurence. Got me a garage of restored muscle cars that see little use. Draining 2 year old fuel and using it , is what happens at my place. Looks good, smells good, is good

When 's the last time you saw 2 year old treated fuel ?

[99yam40]

best way to burn old fuel is start a bonfire

Fuel stored in sealed containers will last longer than if it was vented to an humid atmosphere, but 2 or 3 year old fuel is junk and needs to be gotten rid of and not run through a prized motor that you depend on to get you back to dry land

[scofflaw]

Had a carbed jet ski in my garage for 8 years before I sold it with a full tank of race fuel, 2 stroke oil and no stabil. Fired up and ran great. New owner called a day later to tell me how good the ski ran.