What, is he crazy?
Bear with me:

I had it stored in a hermetically sealed high end jerry Can ( the real NATO spec, Wavian )
So no light fractions could escape.
https://www.roverparts.com/off-road-accessories/jerry-cans/GJC20/

I filled it with ethanol free high octane fuel and topped it off with a double dose of stabilizer, then closed it and did not open it again.

This was anywhere from 5 to 7 years ago.

Call it 6 years.

So today I put that fuel from that jerry Can into my Nissan, (to be able to refill it with fresher fuel and also) I was curious how it had held up as I have 6 more cans just like this one ( albeit with much fresher fuel).

I drove it hard up the interstate ramp and kept it at 75-80mph for about 12 miles until the next exit.
On the return leg absolutely floored it on the on ramp.

The outcome:

- No sour smell when pouring, smelled like normal gasoline
- No check engine lights of any kind, no hestitation.
- Car drove/revved/accelerated normally.

The test limitation:

- This was not on an empty fuel tank. I estimate the 5 gallons mixed with another 5 gallons still in the car, so it was diluted making the test less valid.

On the other hand when using old fuel from a can in an emergency, more often than not, it will also mix with at least some prexisting fuel in the tank..

- This engine, the VQ40DE is rated for 87 Octane, the non-ethanol fuel I had stored was at least midrange. Stored fuel often loses Octane over time and one of the most common problems with old fuels is pinging and/or knock sensor SES lights.

So since the fuel was above the spec to begin with, prior to storage ,it is not a full test on how small the decay the Octane has seen.

That's good to know though. Sounds like you'll have piece of mind knowing you can run it in the future.

Pro tip - put a date on your cans so you know how old it is!!

PapaSmurf2k3 wrote: ↑

Thu Jan 19, 2023 3:10 pm

That's good to know though. Sounds like you'll have piece of mind knowing you can run it in the future.

Pro tip - put a date on your cans so you know how old it is!!

yes, luckily this was the only can I had where I had not done that so it narrowed it down

That's some risk! Good to hear it was still a good fuel.

Interesting for sure. Now for my little anecdote:
Bought a new snowblower 6 years ago. Put fresh high test gas in it the first year. Put it away in the spring without emptying the tank.
That fall, it wouldn't run. Had to take apart the float mechanism, needle valve etc because it had all gummed up.
Since then, every spring, I've drained the tank and carb, put whatever gas I had left over into my car, and bought fresh gas at the start of every winter. Starts first pull every time. FYI, still on the original spark plug too. Carry on.

Buzzman wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 10, 2023 5:49 pm

Interesting for sure. Now for my little anecdote:
Bought a new snowblower 6 years ago. Put fresh high test gas in it the first year. Put it away in the spring without emptying the tank.
That fall, it wouldn't run. Had to take apart the float mechanism, needle valve etc because it had all gummed up.
Since then, every spring, I've drained the tank and carb, put whatever gas I had left over into my car, and bought fresh gas at the start of every winter. Starts first pull every time. FYI, still on the original spark plug too. Carry on.

Yes a year old untreated unsealed ethanol gas will no longer be any good.