Old Fuel -- Usable?

I have some old fuel, actually some Cox "super power fuel" that is in an old cox 400 starting kit. So it may be several years old. Is it still good?

As a general question, how long will fuel last if it is not opened? And how long if the can has been opened?
I did do a search and didn't find anything on this issue.
Thanks,
Nick Vanmatre

Depends on the way it is stored and your local atmospheric conditions. Could be still good or just weedkiller now.
The nitro leaves long before anything else does- if you open it and a sample ain't green, it MIGHT be ok. If you are using it in a 1/2A- try a tank and see what happens.

>and a sample ain't green, it MIGHT be ok. >
>J

Huh? It turns green? How come? (Never seen this.)

The castor oil and alcohol are organics. If if it gets water into it in the bargain, algae just loves the stuff.

It probably will be Ok if it hasn't been opened. However,It might have some small whitish looking flakes floating around in it. (some fuels stored in metal containers got them) and if so, I would filter it through a set of old panty hose before I would try it. It's not a bad idea to filter ANY fuel before using it. Especially in a 1/2A.
If it has been opened previously, Filter it and give it a try. My experience is that it won't kill weeds nor grass, but WILL kill the wife's favorite plants no mater whether they are grasses OR broad leaf types.
Bigiron (it won't kill ants either)

It darn sure will if you set it on fire...

Marvin, you forgot the disclaimer: Have your wife (girlfriend) remove the panthose before straining the fuel

OOPS!!!!

Jake, I stand by my statement!!! It doesn't kill ants!! If you ligkt it, it is the fire that kills them, not the fuel. A broom set on fire and thrust into the ants will kill them just as quick and is a lot more fun.

I would filter it through a set of old panty hose before I would try it. It's not a bad idea to filter ANY fuel before using it.
>
Could create a nasty itch in the wife if you don't discard the panty hose after filtering fuel!
Seriously, old fuel can't physically harm the engine, so you could try it. However, if opened, or improperly stored it is unlikely to be of use.
Best idea would be to throw it away. We're not talking about a lot of money here.
regards

Last weekend I used some K&B 100 that was twenty years old. It was a full can I thought it was better than the Green Omega 10% that I had been using.

Thanks to all for the advice. I am going to try it. It sounds like I can't do any harm with it. Whoever said it is right, it isn't like it is a bunch of money. It's more like its the only 25% nitro that I have. At least I think it is 25%...
Nick Vanmatre

I had a gallon of K&B 1000 that had been around for 15 years!! When I opened the lid, the contents smelled like old fashioned spar varnish and that's what is looked like! So I poured it into a bucket and set it on fire. It did burn, but not for long. Left lots of oil residue. I would have used old panty hose, but Mary refused to let me have any of hers. Darned if I was going to Dillards to buy some new ones. Besides, I don't even know what size to ask for when filtering fuel.

Sounds like it's too late, but I'm with David Owen on this: **Throw it away!!**

It came in a starter kit? Can't be very much fuel.

But why take the chance of boogering up your motor with an unknown? Those 1/2A engines are all sensitive to fuel and crud. So don't introduce potential problems.

>Sounds like it's too late, but I'm with David Owen on this:
>**Throw it away!!**
>
>It came in a starter kit? Can't be very much fuel.
>
>But why take the chance of boogering up your motor with an
>unknown? Those 1/2A engines are all sensitive to fuel and
>crud. So don't introduce potential problems.
>
>Dan

I ran into a nutball recently that had some old DuPont label blackpowder that had moisture contamination- he was wanting to know the best way to dry it out and what size screens to shake it thru to get the grain size sorta right again...
I told him replacement hands, fingers, and eyes are real tough to come by- hard to regrow too.

Nick,

I'm sure the answer will be different depending on many variables (i.e. how old the fuel is, what formulation, which manufacturer, how stored, still sealed or opened, engine you will use it with, etc.).

All I can comment on is my own experience. Last year I was short of fuel for my iron/steel FOX engines. They need 25%+ all castor oil fuel. This type fuel is impossible to get from my local hobby shop. The club putting on the Rockford, Illinois stunt contest was selling items for the widow of a club member who had passed away. I bought one gallon of REDMAX 5% nitro 29% castor fuel that had been opened. I also got 2 gallons of REDMAX 10% nitro 25% castor that still had the aluminum seals intact. After I got home I noticed the carton box they were in had a shipment label from REDMAX dated 1973!!!! This fuel was 30 years old!

I tried the fuel in several of my FOX .35 engines with these results.
(1) The opened gallon of 5% nitro 29% castor seemed to run a bit erratic. I assumed that was because some or all of the nitro had gone and it was only 5% to begin with. So I mixed 80% of the old REDMAX with 20% new fuel that had a 10% nitro content. This fuel mix then ran fine. This gallon was used up last fall.
(2) The unopened 10% nitro 25% castor fuel was opened this spring and used straight without any blending with newer fuel. It runs great!!! It is now 31 years old! Unlike the 5/29 fuel it wasn't necessary to fool with it probably because it was sealed and a higher nitro content to begin with.

Of course this is just my own personal experience. Other people's experience with other fuel, stored and used differently, could be very different.
DennisV

P.S. Forgot to add that this fuel was in plastic gallon containers.

Again, I thank everyone for their advice and experience. Certainly, I have learned that I need to be careful about filtering, particularly and old fuel that has been opened. Also, I take some risk using old open fuel. It seems that the prevalence of experience is that--be careful, but if it is clean, filtered, you probably are not going to hurt anything. But caveat emptor...
After this advice, I will probably try it out. If for no other reason, just to see if it still works.
Nick Vanmatre