Hi all,
Any one know how long petrol will last in jerry cans? as I have a couple of cans, thats about 8 months old, I know it goes stale, but do you think it will it be OK to use in the next few days? How could I tell if it's gone stale?
A lot depends on how well the cans are sealed - if you open them and there is just a slight hiss then no problem at all. Think of it like a bottle of pop!!!
Having said that my petrol genny is about 3 years old - have hardly used it but still starts first time and runs perfectly on it's original dose of fuel.
If you are really worried just use it a bit at a time - say 1 jerry can to 3 fresh.
They say top your tanks up over the six month winter lay-up to stop condensation forming on the inside of the tank, but also say petrol goes off after six months - you can't win.
Look for a product called stabil, it will greatly improve the shelf life of stored fuel, and I have even got it to bring bad gas back to life in a snowmachine. Alaskans swear by it, well, that and duct tape. However, check the fuel color, if it is yellowish I wouldn't put it through an outboard, best be mowing the lawn with it.
Have just got rid of a can of old petrol ( put it in the transit along with a diesel fill up ) Smell the fuel compared to new fuel it will smell different if its going off , hard to describe the smell but not as fresh and less potent if that makes sense .
I would mix it in with fresh and burn it in the car , even in a diesel a gallon in a tank full is ok
- not so bad if the car packs up on you 
