testing petrol?

[BruceS]

Does anyone have a quick test to tell if old petrol is 'stuffed' or not?
Someone reckons spill it on concrete & see how quick it disappears ???
I reckon put a teaspoon full in a tin & throw a match in??

[Noggins]

For that you would need 2 tins of equal size shape, thickness and temperature
Then put a carefully measured teaspoon of new petrol, simultaneously put an equal measured teaspoon of old petrol in the second tin and using a carefully controlled igniter set the both off.
Then the audio measuring equipment that you have set up before hand will tell you which one has the loudest bang.

Me
I just use old petrol on the mower as it's a lowly engineered piece of machinery and will still cut the grass ( even if I use high octane fuel it still does the same job .................. cuts grass )


Ron

[supersparky]

I was just going to say the same thing. If the mower starts and runs OK then it is probably alright. What quantity are you concerned about ?

[Dot]

If for "personal" use then no worries

[BruceS]

Probably about 50-60 litres I think. It's been sitting in a 300 litre tank for nearly 5 years & once we get the 'new' motor on we NEED clean petrol.
I think I'll empty as much as I can & then dilute it with a fair bit of 98 octane.
I swam under & there is no drain bung so the outlet will have to do. It's about 1/2" from the bottom.
Too big of a job to flush the tank out.

[Vik351]

Octane booster...??? in the old stuff...

Get a bit of old stuff out, and do your match test, if ys dont have ant eyebrows after that...

I would go the octane booster with new juice top up ...???

vik...

[BruceS]

I'd like to get the old stuff out & flush the tank but I'm not sure we'll have enough time while the boat is on the slip.
You any good at some welding Vik? Overhead, vertical & ..............
(plumbers know how to stick stuff together I've been told?)

[Greynomad]

Bruce,
Simple test is to light a candle, then throw a cupful of the petrol in question over it.
If the candle goes out, the petrol is past it.
If you can’t find either the candle or your eyebrows, it’s OK to use.

[Vik351]

I'd like to get the old stuff out & flush the tank but I'm not sure we'll have enough time while the boat is on the slip.
You any good at some welding Vik? Overhead, vertical & ..............
(plumbers know how to stick stuff together I've been told?)

What sort, fusion or ark...??? been a while , but my mate is a boilermaker , he has all the stuff, and does it for folding stuff mates rates...

vik...

[supersparky]

Bruce, what you might want to consider is the build up of varnish in the tank. Hopefully T1 will weigh in on this and explain in technical terms what happens to old fuel as it evaporates In a tank.