Ok to use old fuel?

[davelew]

I have a 2000 Saturn V6 that has been garaged for 2 years. Is it ok to try to start her up or should I replace the fuel first? Will I be looking at clogging the injectors up if I don't replace the fuel, which I don't really look forward to do? Thanks

[Wayne Mitchell]

I would drain it and use it in a lawn mower or something. The gas itself is probably OK but you have no way of knowing how clean it is. While properly stored gas last longer than many think, you really don't know what else is in the tank besides the gas.

[Concretemasonry]

How much fuel is in the car now?

If not too much, just top it off with fresh fuel and possibly with some Stabil. Let it sit for a day or so and drive it and replace the used fuel as soon as possible. Two years is really not that long if it is diluted with fresh fuel before running (if it starts). A little Seafoam will help as you start to empty the tank.

Dropping a tank and draining it completely is not easy and your climate is not that bad in a garage.

Dick

[ukrbyk]

Stabil and can (not a little) of Seafoam. have at it.

[Kestas]

You should be okay. The old gas won't ruin anything in your car.

The oldest I've let gas go is 18 months in a carburated car. It ran okay on the old gas, but it ran better with new gas.

You could siphon out the old gas and mix it, one gallon per fillup, in your daily driver. This would leave more room for fresh gas in your Saturn.

[cannonwillow]

Not with todays fuel. It goes bad fast. I have a 76 firebird with gas in the tank that is close to 20 years old. Decatalized emmisions of course. I start it maybe 4 times a year and drive it just a couple miles each time to loosen it up. But FS fuel was still Tetraethyllead back then, little longer than the public. Its unlicensed (vehicle) and highly fined on public roads (fuel) so I just drive back and forth on my parents property. But with todays fuel, the alcohol (ethanol) used to increase octane absorbs moisture from the air, greatly reducing its storage quality. 1 year maybe if completely full tank, much less as the fuel to air ratio decreases in a common chamber. Very little fuel in tank can just be topped off with fresh gas, corrosion in the fuel system may have already happened if this is the case though.

It depends on how well/much you think the fuel system was sealed from air moisture content during storage. By fuel system I mean from filler cap all the way to the end of the exhaust tip (during storage).