Gas is good. But “oldly” gas is bad (yes, I know I am in jeopardy of losing my literary license). Just like with milk, gasoline can eventually go bad. Typically we drink our milk before it has a chance to rebel; and we likewise use up the gas in our car’s tank frequently enough that it never goes bad. However, when gas is permitted to sit in a tank for too long, we live to regret it. It might manifest itself in the form of extremely poor performance, or with the vehicle not being able to run at all. In some cases it can cause expensive damage. In fact, having owned about 5 dozen of various types of vehicles, I have had more such experiences than I care to have had.

Recently I bought a vehicle that had been in storage for 2 years. The man had told me how it started right up, and he showed me as well. But when I got it home it was a different story…

It ran, but sporadically and very poorly.

A simple cleaning of the carburetor with a little bit of carburetor cleaner helped immediately – for about 30 seconds. Then it would neither start nor run. The fuel did not really smell all that bad, but in fact it was. Upon draining the tank, I became quickly aware of how yellow the old gas was; deeply golden, whereas fresh gasoline has only a slight tint of color.

Upon filling the tank with fresh gas, the engine fired right up!

On another occasion, my ‘80 Totota 4×4 had sat for about 4 years after having been sunk in my pond. Changing the oil was easy. And I also checked make sure there was no water in the tranny, transfer case, or rear end that might have come in through the top of the vent snorkels.

Having ensured the lubrication of the drive train was essential. But, the truck still would not run. Cleaning the carburetor was not enough. It needed to be rebuilt. And rebuilding it was not enough. There were blocked air passages – VARNISH! Just like the golden-tinted petroleum-based lacquer coating that is applied over the surface of wooden furniture, the residue of old and dried gasoline is hard and solid.

It took quite a few squirts of Berryman’s B12 Chemtool followed up with blasts from the air compressor hose to clear it out. But, finally it did clear.

One of my motorcycles had a similar problem with the fuel petcock after not being run for over a year. This turned out to be simple and inexpensive to fix. But if your ride’s fuel injectors get gummed up, that is a different story.

However, one other scenario where I let an engine sit for 2 years without so much as cranking it turned out a lot differently. It was actually a weedeater. So?, you ask. Well , the interesting factor in this case is the fact that the gasoline was mixed with 2-stroke oil. The oil served to stabilize the gas so that it would not turn to varnish.

This is not to suggest that you put oil in your gas – your spark plugs would not like that, though I knew someone who would add transmission fluid to his tank and claimed it cleaned his valves. However, there are over-the-counter fuel stabilizers you can buy at your local auto parts store or super retailer. If you need to winterize your car, boat, motorcycle, or lawn mower, or if you think you might not drive it for a long time, then it would be well worth spending a few dollars on such a product.

When you add a fuel stabilizer to your tank, don’t just go back and sit down in front of the TV because you are not yet done. Be sure to take a brief drive to slosh the gas around in the tank and mix up the stabilizer; and run the engine long enough to empty the fuel line of the plain gas and replace it with the stabilized mixture. Just a little caution and preparation can save you hours of headaches and potentially hundreds of dollars.

There are a lot of times when I add something like GumOut to my tank just to keep my injectors clean, as well as fight against varnish in the tank, lines, and filter.

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