2yr old petrol...would you use it ?

[utopia]

I have two gallons of 2yr old petrol.
It came from a clean (plastic) tank which also contained about half a gallon of water.
I was wary of using it, but it does present something of a disposal problem, so I've been mixing it at about a 10 to 1 ratio and using it in my hack Honda Dominator.
I wouldn't use it in the monster, but in a single cyl engine it seemed like any problems would be simpler to sort out.
Up to now I've only used about 3 litres, and it seemed to be fine.
Then the other day, the bike wouldn't start and closer inspection revealed that the carb float was sticking....a few taps on the float bowl with a piece of wood got things flowing again.
The bike has done about 25,000m and has had multiple owners, probably with periods of standing unused as well, but has been fine since I've had it...about7yrs now.

I know that old petrol can cause gumming up of the carb, but my question is....does this happen only when the bike is left standing/unused with stagnant petrol in the system, or is it something which happens with old petrol anyway, even if its used straight away and isn't allowed to sit in the system for long periods....?

The carb is due to come off anyway...I think the pilot mixture needs a tweek but the screw is stuck. But I'm just wondering if I can continue to use my 10% mix of new and old fuel afterwards or not.
Obviously caution would suggest that its not worth the risk, but then I'm left with the aforementioned disposal problem (not to mention the price of fuel these days and my limited budget).
I have to say that my gut feeling is that the gumming might only occur if stagnant fuel sits in the carb for long periods (and I've seen the effects of this on old restoration projects...its quite shocking actually), rather than just by promptly using the old stuff so it never sits stagnating for long.

Any thoughts, anybody....????

[Dookbob]

Your just like my missus she won't throw anything away either. Old stale petrol loses its ability to ignite in an internal combustion engine, Gumming the carbs up is a bit different. As petrol evaporates in the carbs from standing unused for longish periods it leaves behind a residue, it,s this residue that causes the gumming. Take the stale petrol to your local recycling amenity and dump it there, you wouldn't,t even want it in your lawn mower.

[Darkness]

'it does present something of a disposal problem': I'm sure it would come in handy for setting fire to something? I can't suggest what as that might be irresponsible, but make sure it isn't your eyebrows!!

:flamed::flamed:

[urbanfireblade]

You could mix it with some old oil and then take it to the local recycling tip and put the containers in the oil disposal area.

[Darkness]

You could mix it with some old oil and then take it to the local recycling tip and put the containers in the oil disposal area.

Why would you want to set fire to the oil disposal facility at your local amenity centre? That really would be irresponsible!!!

[Nickj]

Sussex Darkness, they can be a bit rustic there, probably still burning witches

HA!!!! you could use the petrol oil mix to great effect

[Dookbob]

You've,e started something here Utopia, half a dozen posts and we are into witchcraft already.

[He11cat]

In a petrol strimmer or lawnmower maybe!
Couldn't you put it in a super soaker pistol and when the local chavs come to mess with your house fire the super soaker and throw a match!
That should deal with them and the petrol problem :)

[Dukedesmo]

You have to be careful with petrol in a super soaker - it can dissolve the plastic... :rolleyes:

[urbanfireblade]

Sell it at a car boot? £2/gallon? :flamed:

[Sirc]

this might as well be in invisible ink but I wouldn't give it a second thought after adding it to a nearly full tank at half a gallon a time.

[gary tompkins]

Ditto .

[Nottsbiker]

I'd use it for lighting the bonfire ;)

Used it for the old BBQ back in the day.......not advised.......;)

[utopia]

Not exactly sure that I follow the invisible ink bit Sirc, but I assume you're saying you'd use it.....?
My thoughts were that the underground tanks at filling stations contain all sorts of crap....condensation, leaking groundwater, and a certain amount of old petrol as the tanks are never fully emptied as far as I know. Therefore the 10% dilution that I've been using would be little worse.

Anyway, the update is that I hauled my carb off and stripped it, to find about half a teaspoon of what looked like ground cinnamon in the bottom of the float bowl. This is obviously ultra-fine rust particles that have managed to get past the strainer in the fuel tap. The slow jet and the needle jet tube were similarly contaminated. The Dommie tank is made of paper thin steel, and already has about five little patches of thin copper sheet which I soldered over rust holes in the base where it had rotted through. This fix has held for a couple of years now, but the long term plan is to replace the tank with an ally item from an xt/tt 500 yam.
I found little or no traces of gumming though (and the pilot screw wasn't seized after all).
So, it seems that I've found the problem, and therefore my intention is to continue to use the diluted old petrol. The bike seems to have been running fine on it, and anyway the Dommie is the sort of utilitarian hack that needs to be able to cope with such treatment. I reckon I'd better fit a suplimentary inline filter though.

As for bonfires and the like, my youngest son is still somewhat traumatised by the sight of the policeman next door running into our house completely aflame and diving into the bath, having poured petrol from a watering can onto his bonfire....!!!!!

[Darkness]

....my youngest son is still somewhat traumatised by the sight of the policeman next door running into our house completely aflame and diving into the bath, having poured petrol from a watering can onto his bonfire....!!!!!

Talk about irresponsible: what sort of example is that for an officer of the law to set to the youth of today?:flamed::flamed:

[revver]

Sussex Darkness, they can be a bit rustic there, probably still burning witches

HA!!!! you could use the petrol oil mix to great effect

Dont say that my wifes a white witch. (I have'nt miss spelt that. LOL)