Information is helpful in our daily lives especially when it is related to the things we use in our daily lives. There are many instances in our lives when we take a small piece of information for granted which we then regret at a later stage.
We are surrounded by different machines and technologies that make our lives easy, but all of these amenities come at a cost and they need proper maintenance & care so that they can function properly for a long time. The same is true for vehicles, they have hundreds of parts that need proper care for the car to run perfectly over time.
This is exactly the reason why people make sure that their vehicle gets its periodic maintenance in time. Apart from hundreds of small components that make up a whole car, there are a number of fluids as well.
The engine oil is the most common fluid of all, and it reduces friction in moving parts of an engine so that there are less wear and tear.
Other fluids in a car include coolant brake, transmission, and power steering fluids and you’ve to change them according to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Each fluid in a car has its own purpose and lifespan after which they become less efficient and can cause damage to important parts of a car.
The life span of every fluid is different from others and manufacturers recommend some of them to be changed earlier. For instance, engine oil is the lifeline of an engine and it is recommended that it should be changed at every 3000 or 5000 miles depending upon the vehicle.
On the other hand, transmission and power steering fluids are good for approximately 75000 miles. Brake oil/ fluid is recommended to be changed every 2 years or so since it has an excellent tendency of absorbing moisture from the environment which can compromise its functionality.
Mixing old Gas with New
You might think that I have mentioned all the fluids in a car by now, but there is another one that technically is not a fluid but here we will call it that just for the sake of simplicity. The gasoline or the diesel you fill in a car is the most essential fluid/ oil that your vehicle needs.
Your car is useless without gas and it is essential that you must fill gas into your car before the gas gets too low. A very low level of gasoline can damage a fuel pump.
Generally, we don’t require much information regarding the gas we fill into our cars, apart from its RON number which is different for some cars.
But some knowledge regarding petrol/gasoline can come in handy in many situations and it does not have to be so in-depth that it becomes difficult for you to remember after some time.
Gasoline has a limited shelf life after which it decomposes and becomes unfit for use in any machine. However, nowadays numerous additives are added to it that enhance its shelf life and enrich it with engine cleaning properties.
Therefore, it can last for quite sometime before going bad if it is stored properly in a sealed container. It is important to mention here that not every gasoline is created the same, some companies have higher quality standards than others which makes their gasoline superior to others available in the market.
The generally accepted lifespan of gasoline is two to six months (without the addition of any fuel stabilizer). Over time, it starts decomposing and oxidizing, eventually, there comes a stage where it becomes completely useless. Since the quality and composition of gasoline varies from country to country, therefore, the shelf life may vary.
In the United States, gasoline is generally mixed with ethanol that shortens its lifespan by approximately 2 months, but at the same time, ethanol-blended gas provides more performance as well.
The shelf life gets shorter as you add more ethanol, thus, there is a certain limit to which manufacturers add ethanol. That said, pure gasoline can last for more than six months and the oxidation/ decomposition process in it is much slower compared to a blended gas.
What will old gas do to an engine?
You might be wondering whether you can start or drive your car that has been sitting for several months without flushing or changing its fuel.
There can be many reasons why someone would leave their car sitting for a long period of time, usually, it is because the owner is out of the country or the vehicle can only be driven in specific weather or terrain.
For instance, most motorcycles remain in their garages throughout the winter season, because it is near impossible to drive them in a winter chill without getting sick. There is a shortcut that you can adopt to make the gas in your vehicle’s tank use worthy again.
Old gas can be mixed/diluted with new gas in case the old gas has gone bad. Diluting new gas with an older patch increases the concentration of various compounds in it that were oxidized. However, it is important to remember that the concentration of new gas should be much more than the older one so that the diluted gas can burn effectively in the engine.
Nonetheless, you should always try to do your best to avoid any gas being left unused for a long time. Gasoline goes through a process of gumming where it can cause clogs within the fuel injectors or the carburetor and then you will have to replace these parts or repair them, which will cost you a good amount of money.
Fuel stabilizers are an excellent option if you don’t have a fuel pump to extract the gas out of the fuel tank and lines. These stabilizers are designed to enhance the shelf life of gasoline and are used by many people around the world. Fuel stabilizers can add nearly 2-2.5 years to a gas’s life which is enough since not many people leave gas unused for more than a year.
Conclusion on Can You Mix Old Gas with New Gas
It is a good idea to flush out all the old gas in a car in case you had forgotten to add a fuel stabilizer to the fuel tank. Forcing your engine to run on old gas will eventually cost you a lot of money.
Modern engines require an appropriate number of ROMs in the fuel so that they can run efficiently and provide the performance for which they were made.
Gas can create rust in metallic tanks if it is left in them for a long period of time, hence, it is better to exercise precaution than to shell out a large amount of money for repair bills.
Robert Anderson is a world class motorhead who rebuilt his first carb at age 10, his first engine at age 15, and completed his first full hotrod build when he was just 18! Previously, he has ran a part warehouse, delivered pizzas, and managed the service department for a $20 million/year revenue dealership. Robert knows cars like few others and he is passionate about sharing his knowledge.