Recycling old gas...bad idea!

[JonS]

Well, I read all over the place on the net that one could get rid of old gas by gradually adding it to a car's gas tank, diluting it with the fresh gas. So, I had stabilized gas that had been in my motorcycle for about 1 1/2 yrs. (I know, way past what Sta-bil is supposed to last). Anyway, I put about a gallon of this old crap into the tank of my '09 Yaris and about 30 min later the check engine light comes on. Not only that, but the engine light flashed and the car went into limp mode as I had to accelerate up a hill to get home. Got the P0301 and P0304 errors with a P0300 thrown in for good measure.

I added a can of Seafoam to the tank, changed the iridium plugs, added fresh gas and that seems to have helped, though I don't think the old gas is out yet. Then I took it for a test run with the code reader hooked up and got a P0301 once as I accelerated onto the freeway from a light. It didn't set off the check engine light, though. Otherwise, the reader showed everything else okay (Evap and O2 sensor were incomplete from the short drive).

Is there anything else I can do to lessen the chance of permanent damage?:eek:

Thanks much,
Jon

[CTScott]

That is wild that it gave you so much trouble. I have had the same gas in Crashy, since I got her in 2009, and she still starts and runs perfectly.

I wonder if the additive is more the issue than the age of the gas. If you are really worried, you could drain the tank.

[JonS]

Thanks much for the reply. Yeah, I think you might be right about the Sta-bil. If I hold off draining the tank a couple of days so I can drive it enough to put a gallon or so more of fresh gas in, do you think I'm risking doing some harm?

[CTScott]

Thanks much for the reply. Yeah, I think you might be right about the Sta-bil. If I hold off draining the tank a couple of days so I can drive it enough to put a gallon or so more of fresh gas in, do you think I'm risking doing some harm?

I don't believe so. Did you by any chance read the code when the CEL came on?

[JonS]

Yeah, It was mostly P03001 and I think P03004 once or twice before I changed the plugs. I did also get P0300 after the CEL flashed going up the hill. Since I changed plugs and added the Seafoam, I've gotten one P03001 with acceleration onto the freeway. No codes when I'm driving along the city streets with easy acceleration.

[JonS]

I guess I should have said that the P0300 code came along with P0301 while going up the hill.

[mazilla]

You could try some fresh premium and an octane booster...I do that with my 70 Cougar when it sits for an extended period, which is always...so I do that, always.

[JonS]

Thanks on that, mazilla...I think that's what I'll try.

[mazilla]

Thanks on that, mazilla...I think that's what I'll try.

No problem, you might want to siphon as much of the contaminated fuel as you can before adding to it. My old carbureted engine is a little more forgiving not being full of sensors and whatnot, I think you would be better off with as little bad fuel to burn through as possible.



Next time put your old gas in your lawnmower, not your car. ;)

[JonS]

I just picked up two 5 Gal. gas cans to empty the tank but can't seem to get the small diameter hose to reach the gas in the tank. Is there a trick to getting the hose to the gas? Also, I looked at a bit of gas that I didn't end up putting in the car and it is scary....lots of water and little crystals of what I guess to be spoiled Sta-bil. I'll get a pic of it and hope that it doesn't mean a clogged fuel filter or worse.

[grasshopper-monk]

Definitely change the fuel filter!

[JonS]

Yeah, grasshopper, that will probably be happening in the not-to-distant future.

CT, when you pull the fuel sending unit, do you run the car out of gas, then pull the unit while the tank is still in the car, or pull the whole tank. Also, I see a lot of generic spanner tools online, but they're metal. Is that a big risk for explosion when breaking the tank cap free? I thought once the initial stubborn break was made, a piece of wood and mallet could be used like you did.

Cheers,
Jon

[CTScott]

Yeah, grasshopper, that will probably be happening in the not-to-distant future.

CT, when you pull the fuel sending unit, do you run the car out of gas, then pull the unit while the tank is still in the car, or pull the whole tank. Also, I see a lot of generic spanner tools online, but they're metal. Is that a big risk for explosion when breaking the tank cap free? I thought once the initial stubborn break was made, a piece of wood and mallet could be used like you did.

Cheers,
Jon

You can pull the sender with the tank in the car (empty or full), but you will want to have a pan on hand to set it in before moving it to prevent dripping gas on the floor.

The spanner tools are OK being metal, as they are being used to rotate a plastic cover. I used a piece of wood and a hammer when I removed mine, but a proper spanner tool would make the job much less painful.

[JonS]

Thanks again, CT!