[DerbyDad03]

I have about 5 gallons of Sta-bil-ized gas in my generator. The tank gets topped off every year with probably about a gallon of fresh gas, so let's say I have a mixture of 1 gallon of 5 year old gas, 1 gallon of four year old, etc. The generator starts and runs every time, regardless of the weather, warm or cold.

I want to start out this winter with a fresh 5 gallons in the generator, so I'm thinking about siphoning out the existing 5 and using it to top off the Ody's tank with a gallon or so every now and then until it's gone. Filtering the generator's gas to remove any possible debris would not be a problem.

Please, no panicky "OMG! What a stupid idea" responses. Serious, thoughtful answers requested.

Lots of stuff on the web claiming that gas goes bad, lots that say it never does. In this situation, where the gas in the always-able-to-start generator has been topped off every year and I'd only be adding a gallon or so to 18-19 gallons in the Ody, can that cause any long term (or even short term) issues?

Thanks!

 

[MrRangerZr1]

I think 5 gallons wouldn't hurt anything on the van. When the van needs refueling, I would put in all the 5 gallons of gas first and then top it off with fresh gas at the pump.

 

[mike.burns901]

Try it in the neighbors car first. ?

 

[DerbyDad03]

Maybe 2.5 in mine and 2.5 in the neighbor's.

That'll be a true test. ?

 

[thscott]

You should be fine. Don’t overthink this.

 

[marvinstockman]

I'd put it in before you make a trip, so it doesn't hang around in your tank.

 

[DerbyDad03]

I'd put it in before you make a trip, so it doesn't hang around in your tank.

If I were to overthink this and assume it might cause a problem, I'd rather the problem happen near home instead of half a tank down the highway on the first day of my vacation.

 

[CroMath]

If you're going to do it a gallon at a time, you'll be perfectly fine. Doing it all at once would be iffy, but you've already said you don't plan on doing that.

 

[Hawk Wala]

If you're going to do it a gallon at a time, you'll be perfectly fine. Doing it all at once would be iffy, but you've already said you don't plan on doing that.

I have poured 5 gals of 2-year-old gas in little more than 1/2 tank full of the fresh gas with no bad effects.

 

[lozawa]

If it were me. For the $ involved & potential risk, I would find a local, "gardener", or neighbor, and say. "Free" gas for your lawn mover.

 

[DerbyDad03]

If it were me. For the $ involved & potential risk, I would find a local, "gardener", or neighbor, and say. "Free" gas for your lawn mover.

Risky for a car but OK for the neighbor's lawnmower?

Why not just keep it for your own lawnmower?

 

[lozawa]

Risky for a car but OK for the neighbor's lawnmower?

Why not just keep it for your own lawnmower?

OP, said gas was for his generator. OP, never mentioned owning a lawnmower.
2 cycle lawnmower, not very "picky", as far a gasoline is concerned.
Modern engines, with direct/injection, sensors,catalytic converters,etc. Why risk it. IMHO

 

[0dyfamily]

Risky for a car but OK for the neighbor's lawnmower?

Why not just keep it for your own lawnmower?

That's what I've done. Run it through my riding mower.

OF

 

[DerbyDad03]

That's what I've done. Run it through my riding mower.

OF

I have a push mower, a snow blower, a blower and a weed wacker.

Over the years I've had the occasional (apparently) gas related problem with everything except the snow blower. Clean a carb, change a carb, swap out the gas, etc. has always been the solution. Maybe it was gas, maybe it wasn't, but...

IMHO I'm more apt to run into a problem by using the old-ish gas full strength in a small engine vs. diluted 18 or 19 to 1 in my Ody. Over 4 or 5 tank fulls it'll be gone. It would take me months to use it up in my small engine equipment, even at full strength. Heck, it's winter, so the only equipment I'm using is my Ody and my snow blower. As strange as this may sound, I'd rather have my Ody complain about bad gas than have my snow blower not start on a frigid winter morning after the plow has left 2' of packed snow in front of my driveway. Not only would I be plowed in, so would the widow down the block and the single mother next door. (Man, does that widow make mean apple pie! ?)

Into the Ody it's going, a little at a time - assuming I actually get around to siphoning it out of the generator. ?

 

[cahaak]

It is not a problem, add it to a half tank of fuel and then top it off with more at the pump. If it has any amount of Stabil in it, it will be just fine as the anti oxidants in there keep the fuel in pretty good shape.

 

[0dyfamily]

IMHO I'm more apt to run into a problem by using the old-ish gas full strength in a small engine vs. diluted 18 or 19 to 1 in my Ody.

I agree with that, for sure. I've taken some positively putrid, varnish-y-smelling fuel and run it through my Odyssey by using that exact same mantra rather than run it full strength through any of my smaller pieces of power equipment (chainsaw, hedge clipper, weed eaters, etc.).

Never had a problem with burning that old gas in the Odyssey like that. I kind of follow the same routine with the riding mower, with one part old fuel to several parts fresh whenever I had to fill it up, if I had old fuel that I had to be rid of.

Ever since I started using PRI-G stabilizer, I haven't had to deal with stale fuel. I've used both Sta-Bil (regular and marine formulas) and PRI-G, and the PRI-G is a much better fuel stabilizer, hands down.

OF

 

[DerbyDad03]

Ever since I started using PRI-G stabilizer, I haven't had to deal with stale fuel. I've used both Sta-Bil (regular and marine formulas) and PRI-G, and the PRI-G is a much better fuel stabilizer, hands down.

OF

How does one know if a given stabilizer is better than another, lab rats excluded?

 

[BMPeter]

I've been doing this for over 30 years with every vehicle I've owned with end-of-season gas from lawnmowers/boats/snowblowers.

It's not an issue at all with gas that's 6 months old, particularly if you put stabilizer in it when you first bought it.

 

[0dyfamily]

How does one know if a given stabilizer is better than another, lab rats excluded?

I have a bunch of 5-gallon jugs. I've accidentally left fuel with Sta-Bil in a jug (like a half gallon), forgot about it...and after a couple years, it really didn't smell like fuel.

Have done the same with PRI-G. Still smelled like gas.

That's about it. I've added Sta-Bil to degraded fuel, just to see if it would help. It didn't. Once did the same with PRI-G, and it actually removed the foul smell, and made the old fuel almost....almost smell like pump fuel.

I don't know what causes PRI-G to make fuel last somewhat longer than an equivalent amount of Sta-Bil on my 100%-not-scientific-one-person-sample.

OF

 

[parmm]

How does one know if a given stabilizer is better than another, lab rats excluded?

In my over 20 years of hanging around petroleum refineries I been in several refinery labs, and learned just enough to be dangerous. So I use google to my advantage. https://www.boatingmag.com/gear/boatinglab-tests-fuel-stabilizers/