what is the shelf life of gasoline?

Answer 1

The shelf life of gasoline depends on the type of gas and the storage conditions and can range from a couple months to a couple years. One wild card is that gas you buy at the pump may already have been in storage for anywhere from days to months.

Usually the first thing that happens is the lighter chemicals in it evaporate, leaving behind a heavier, less peppy product. Gasoline is an ideal motor vehicle fuel partly because it vaporizes readily to form a combustible mix with air. If it sits unused, however, its more volatile components waft away, leading to poorer engine performance. It's hard to tell how much punch your gas has lost without scientific testing.

The second cause of bad gas is oxidation–some of the hydrocarbons in the fuel react with oxygen to produce new compounds, almost all of them worse than what you started with. When oxidation becomes a problem, you'll know it without lab tests--the gasoline gives off a sour odor. If you pour some into a glass container, you'll see it's turned dark, and you might find small, solid particles of gum. Using oxidized gasoline is a bad idea, since the gum can clog your fuel filter, create deposits in your fuel system (especially the injectors), and generally hurt performance

Answer 2

Gasoline Shelf Life

Answer 3

"When gasoline is left for a certain period of time, gums and varnishes may build up and precipitate in the gasoline, causing "stale fuel." This will cause gums to build up in the cylinders and also the fuel lines, making it harder to start the engine. Gums and varnishes should be removed by a professional to extend engine life. Motor gasoline may be stored up to 60 days in an approved container. If it is to be stored for a longer period of time, a fuel stabilizer may be used. This will extend the life of the fuel to about 1-2 years, and keep it fresh for the next uses. Fuel stabilizer is commonly used for small engines such as lawnmower and tractor engines to promote quicker and more reliable starting."

That is pretty much describes my experience with storing gasoline--so if you store small amounts of gasoline, get some
chemical such as "Sta-Bil" to prevent the gasoline from degenerating.

Answer 4

usually about 4-6 months,but if you add a treatment to it like Sta-Bil,it will last a lot longer then that sometimes over a year or more,depends on the environment its in,i have seen it last in cars ,and still run them up to 3 years,it all depends ,good luck,i hope this help,s.

Answer 5

I think it only a few months, this is due to avaporation, and it leavves water in the tank. If you keep you tank full it will last alot longer, as it is not giving any room for the avaporation to accour

Answer 6

not very long...put "stablize" in it and it will last a year or more...get it at any auto part store

Answer 7

lasts forever