Somewhat OT - Oil/Gas mix "disposal"?

Re: Somewhat OT - Oil/Gas mix "disposal"?

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

Check with your township, usually "public works" as they make have a used oil drop-off that will also accept your mix.

Re: Somewhat OT - Oil/Gas mix "disposal"?

Dustmaker Mike

I do this every fall before I store them. I drain the tanks until almost empty. I then start them and let them stall out on there own. That way the old gas is burnt off.

Since you did not, this is how I dispose of the mix. If you are like me the most I have around is a gallon or so. I pick the truck because it has a 36 gallon gas tank in it and wait until I need a fill up. The first thing I do is pour the mix in the tank and then fill with regular gas. I have been doing this for years with no ill effects.

My Explorer has a 15 gallon tank and I would not worry about it in that.

Suspect

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

that might create issues if the engine is fuel injected.

pour in car, lawn mower, etc.

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

The small amount of oil won't matter once diluted

Dilute and drive

Tom dunlap

When I was running my tree care company the only time I wooried about old fuel was winter. If the mixed gas in the jug was around for more than a month it got dumped into one of the vehicles then the tank was filled.

Now I mix fuel by the pint or quart using a giant syringe with cc/oz markings

Again, one month shelf life

Then dump it in a tank, fillup and drive

This is the advice from chainsaw techs from the major brands. I've talked with car mechanics too. No worries about hurting anything with the dilution that takes place

Yes, this is the way...

John in NM

If worried about it, do it at the gas station and top up the tank for maximum dilution.

The other thing I do is use a steel gas can for these low use fuels. I have some surplus 10L cans that I put 2 gallons in with the appropriate oil for my use. Steel cans don't breath as much as plastic so the gas keeps a bit longer (or maybe its that there is so much less oxygen at 9000 feet where I live these days!).

Why?

John in NM

The oil dissolves in the gas beautifully. The mix ratio is so thin that there will be no appreciable increase in viscosity once diluted in a full tank.

What kills injectors is anything that causes goo to come out of the gasoline, either water in it or a tank full of excessively old gas (like if a car is parked for several years). A bit of older 2 cycle mix in a full tank won't do this, and if one is really worried, they can filter it (coffee filter in a funnel) to remove any existing varnish in the 2 cycle gas.

Re: pour in car, lawn mower, etc.

Mark Nowicki

That is what I do.

End of season leftover lawnmower gas and mix go in the car tank.

Also, at end of season all mix engines run until dry, (Stihl blower and trimmer).

sound advice`

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

In a full glass or metal can gas will last forever. Light and oxygen are what changes it. Most plastic is porous to oxygen. Were it not the case beer and wine would be in plastic bottles, with no barrier layer added.

Re: Somewhat OT - Oil/Gas mix "disposal"?

GolfSteve in Calgary

I would take the carburetors apart and clean them well. You'll probably find hard deposits. Once you've cleaned the carburetors, fill with new fuel (or if the fuel isn't that old, just use the old fuel). Also clean and/or replace the spark plugs. My 4-stroke lawn mower engine needs this treatment once every 10 years, and I leave it sitting full of gasoline for 8 months every year during our annual non-lawn mowing season.

If you decide to dispose the old gas/oil mix, I would never pour that into a modern engine (although the "Internet" says its okay). I have a relatively new car and the oxygen sensors, catalytic converters, etc. are all too expensive for me to risk it.

Our local fire departments and landfills accept household hazardous wastes at no charge. That's where I would dispose of this material.

keep in mind

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

This oil is designed to be burned in a high performance engine. Doesn't mater if it is gasoline or oil it is all the same basic chemical composition and it all burns to CO2 and water.

Cars burn a small amount of motor oil anyway, certainly more than an ounce or two a year than might be added from burning left over chain saw gas. I have followed cars that burn in excess of 2 oz of oil a year.

Well

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

I called the head Mech at the dealer where I bought my Jeep and posed the question of burning aging 2-cycle gas mix as suggested here. Answer was: Absolutely NOT in any CEFI engine after 2010. In fact, he warned that if such use was discovered on a repair it would void the engine warranty. Said the computer-controlled fuel injection systems are very finicky, and anything added would be likely to mess up things.

Y'all are free to do as you please, but I'll continue to recycle my "old" gas.

YMMV

That is reasonable...

John in NM

Though I still doubt there would be a problem.

Of course my newest car is an 02 and shows every inch of its 200000 miles Still runs great though (so my mileage does vary )

final ratios

Tom dunlap

Start with a gallon of 50:1 fuel. That's 2.6oz of oil...that's meant to be burned in a high temperature combustion chamber.

Dump that gallon into a 20 gallon fuel tank yielding a 21 gallon fuel mix

Work the math and end up with less than 0.13 oz or 0.78 tsp per gallon oil in the gas tank

The mechanic at the dealer is expected to give the CYA/factory response

I ask the chainsaw techs from Husqvarna and Stihl

Mixed gas can be used to get your bonfire going too...with all of the associated CYA considerations. Lol!

CYA

Mark Mandell - Gone Round In New Jersey

Actually they said they'd never even heard of someone doing so; not, therefore, a "factory response".

As most vehicles are reduced compression to run on 87 octane rather than the high compression of 2-cycle engines like chain saws, I'd have to question such a recommendation coming from Husky or Stihl guys. Haven't seen how well their cars and trucks hold up.

I remember the days when racers added "top oil" to their fuel. Haven't heard of that in a lot of years.

As I said, Tom, "your choice", but I hope your mileage may {not} vary.

Re: CYA

Mark Nowicki

At the risk of digging this rabbit hole deeper, most modern engines are higher compression and happy to run on 87 octane gasoline.

Chrysler's Pentastar V6 engines, used in most of their vehicles since 2011 have a compression ratio of 10.2:1.

Mazda's SkyActive engines, in most of their products since 2013, are 14:1 with some at 15:1.

There are rumors that Mazda will make them 18:1 in the future, putting them in Diesel territory.

You might be surprised to hear that turbo charged engines have lower compression than regularly aspired ones.

Re: CYA

ken combs

Late to the party, again, but I'm surprised that the techs had never heard of that. It's a common practice and question on most automotive and OPE forums. A lot of oil in the exhaust may create a problem with the O2 sensors or cats, but in these tiny amounts I'd expect no issues at all.

As to compression ratios, my 2013 Tundra is 10.2 to 1. Not low by any stretch. Flex fuel engine that's OK with 87 octane or above. They adjust the spark and cam timing to match speed, load and octane (really knock sense, so indirectly octane).

Turbos are typically lower static ratio, but in use have much higher actual chamber pressure.