old gasoline Ethical question

DogBunny · #1 25th August 2009

So I've got this old XS650 barn find that I drained a gallon of 5-year old gas from.
The gas is (was) probably premium, and is wild-cherry red with no particulates or haziness.
I figure on running it through a coffee filter, and adding a quart at a time to my car each time I fill up the 20-gallon tank.

What do you think? What the heck else am I supposed to do with it?

junk runner jr · #2 25th August 2009

if its red it has Sta-Bil in it. it should be fine to run in your car. I say put it all in.

cantolina · #3 25th August 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by DogBunny

So I've got this old XS650 barn find that I drained a gallon of 5-year old gas from.
The gas is (was) probably premium, and is wild-cherry red with no particulates or haziness.
I figure on running it through a coffee filter, and adding a quart at a time to my car each time I fill up the 20-gallon tank.

What do you think? What the heck else am I supposed to do with it?

Pour it into your used oil container, and dispose of it...after 5 years, I'd say its junk...

justiz187 · #4 25th August 2009

Gasoline makes an excellent weed killer. Much cheaper than the stuff sold to kill weeds...

biknut · #5 25th August 2009

Use it to kill the weeds.
Pour it in your mother in laws gas tank.
Wash off the drive way.

The last thing I'd do is put it in my car.

bigjnsa · #6 25th August 2009

Dog, I drained about 5 gallons from my Goldwing and I use it in the lawn mower. Smokes a little bit and runs rough, but the mower is an old POS I don't care about

gusotto · #7 25th August 2009

The problems old gas can cause will cost more than the "savings" you'd get.

I got bad gas from a station.
Took me twice as long to get home and I needed another filter.

Old gas isn't worth the chance.
Save money doing something else.

DogBunny · #8 25th August 2009

It's not about saving money, it's an ethics question. I'm not going to pour it down the sink, or down the storm drain, or on my weeds.
I do like the lawnmower idea, I too have a POS lawnmower.

I guess the Sta-Bil explains why the inside of the tank is rust-free, while the outside is covered with rust.

Bone · #9 25th August 2009

I second the lawnmower.

I don't know otherwise what the "ethical" method of disposal is, but I doubt pouring it on your weeds will do much more harm to the environment than burning it in a lawnmower. It's not like the stuff is leaded or should contain trace heavy metals like used motor oil.

bdbecker · #10 25th August 2009

Ahh, another '79 XS650 owner... there's just something about 2 air cooled cylinders that's hard not to love.

As far as your old gas problem, you could run it in the mower, use it to start a campfire, or just take it in for disposal (http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/sws/hhw.htm). I wouldn't put it in my car or bike - those things just cost too much to risk running crappy fuel. Coming from an agricultural background growing up, I've seen the damage that chemicals in the ground water and run-off from fields can produce, it's not pretty. Basically what I'm saying is don't pour it on weeds.