How old is "old" gas?

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Hi guys. I know the topic of old gas has been discussed over and over, but in my searching I couldn't really find anything that answers my basic question... how old is "old"?

I recently moved some stuff out of the house that my ex kept when we got divorced. In the garage there was a sealed, 1/2 full, 2.5 gallon container of regular 87 octane gas that I used to use in the lawnmower. It's been sitting for 2 years at most. I'm guessing it's still good enough to pour into the tank of a car and use it up that way. Am I wrong?

The other is a 1/4 full, 2.5 gallon gallon container of mixed-with-oil gas that I used to us in the snowblower. It was mixed almost 2 years ago and somewhere along the way, my ex used it and never sealed the container. Could I top that off with some fresh gas mixed with the appropriate amount of oil and use it in something with a two-cycle engine? Or do I need to figure out a way to dispose of it properly?
 
We got some 10 or 11 year old gas out of the old Escort we've got rotting in the woods. We used it to fill up the old van and it ran great!
 
I have a similar problem - my local garage with a waste oil heater will take gas and oil in small quantities.

I would not use it in the car, though, I might use it in lawn equipment during the warm months.
 
For your 1/2 full 2.5 gal regular 87 octane gas (sealed): add that into your car's almost empty tank and then fill the rest with high octane, top-tier fuel and then use it up.

for your 1/4 full 2T oil mix, dump it.

Q.
 
Use it to lihgt a fire, like a bbc, or as a solvent cleaner. If of no use, recycle. 2 years below half and bad capped, not for engines.
 
I've run old gas as well as premix in the 1-2 gallon range through cars with a full tank. Even if the gas is getting old the dilution will negate any problems.
 
My son got a Nissan which had been in a garage for 8 years without operating going on the gas which was in it. The car itself is an '89. When the gas starts to smell like turpentine it ought to be disposed of.
 
I used some brown gas from the Harley that was 6-7 years old. The Beretta hated life until I refilled. Starting/idling was ugly, but economy was the same (non existent) at 17 mpg. I'm guessing the diluted rust didn't help lol.
 
Originally Posted By: Pontual
Use it to lihgt a fire, like a bbc, or as a solvent cleaner. If of no use, recycle. 2 years below half and bad capped, not for engines.

Boom!
 
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