How long will diesel keep???

[John White]

How long can you keep diesel in a vehicle before it goes bad? A few years ago I bought a truck that was not running. Don't know long it sat. I finally put a camshaft in it (that's why it wouldn't run) got it running but smoked like crazy Not knowing better called a diesel garage and they said on that particular engine the injectors could be bad or valves need adjusting. So I took it to them and after $500. worth of work told me it had bad diesel in it. Changed it and was ok. Recently bought a Kubota diesel generator at a auction, started but smoked like crazy and temp would start to climb. I bid on it and got it because every one else was afraid. Got it home, that was the first thing I did was drain the fuel out. Put a new fuel filter on it and it runs great. I use only when power is out. I start it every 30 days and let it run for awhile. How long can I leave the fuel in it before it goes bad. I can drain it and use it in my truck and put fresh fuel back in it.

 

[CobyRupert]

Don't know about the diesel, but know my furnace fuel oil tank was last filled in 1997. The furnace runs about 5 times a year, no problems. Hate to hear that thing start knowing the current price to replace that 87 cents/gal fuel being burnt.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

It will store for a year if tightly sealed and treated with diesel Sta-Bil. Diesel will sludge in the presence of water, so if there is any water in the tank you have a problem. Condensation will ruin diesel. You can rescue old diesel by running it through a good filter.

 

[Pete Judd]

I am running my tractor on fuel out of a diesel RV that was parked in 1990. I just filter, and it seems good to go. Wow 23 years old.

 

[TnAndy]

It will store for a year if tightly sealed and treated with diesel Sta-Bil. Diesel will sludge in the presence of water, so if there is any water in the tank you have a problem. Condensation will ruin diesel. You can rescue old diesel by running it through a good filter.

I personally store 6-8 55gal drums of diesel (and about the same of gasoline) and rotate thru them as long as 5 years old with no problems. I use PRI products (gas & diesel) which beat Stabil hands down, IMHO. PRI claims it will rejuvenate fuel that is 20 years old, and based on my experience with it, I can believe it.

Buddy of mine in Alaska reports using drums of diesel from WW2 that was 50 years old at the time.

 

[dmccarty]

I just used five gallons of fuel I bought last year. It has been sitting in a five gallon jug outside on the north side of what we call the barn. I can't remember if I put fuel conditioner in the fuel but I think I did. The five gallons was just fine when I was mowing some trails last week.

Later,
Dan

 

[Coyote machine]

Totally depends on condition of storage, so forever or slightly less.:confused3:

 

[Industrial Toys]

I have about 500 litres of Diesel (Regular Sulphur) left over from my Y2K doomsday stash. It just never got rotated after that. It probably has conditioner in it. It's nasty and black and doesn't even burn well when put on a brush pile! Maybe I was sucking water off the bottom with my siphon hose. I'd love to use it up especially since it has sulphur, but I have been having so much diesel related trouble that I not dare put any in a machine.

 

[kubota23]

I have a175kw diesel generator at the shop that suits on a 500 gal steel fuel tank. The whole unit suits inside a non heated building and the fuel had been in it for at least 12yrs. I was worried about it since the generator had to be able to run when needed so I pumped 300 gals out and had 300 gals fresh put back in. The driver of the fuel truck tested the old and said it was perfect and recommended I pump the old back in and use it. I'm using it in my Kubota at home with no issues.

 

[paulwestski]

I second the PRI fuel conditioner products.
I stored 300 gallons of diesel for five years in 55 gallon drums outside. The fuel burned just fine in my equipment and trucks.

 

[techman]

Diesel will last years without degradation. The biggest issue is not moisture, but water in the diesel will allow algae to form in the diesel. This can clog filters, etc. Most common path of moisture is temperature changes which between expansion/contraction of the diesel and condensing of airborne moisture (dew) in the fluid. Using an additive can absorb the moisture and inhibit algae growth. I buy a product from the local HVAC supplier, made for heating oil tanks. A few ounces will treat my 50 gallon plastic barrels. I had steel barrels in the past, but then I saw the amount of rust that accumulated at the air interface and switched to plastic. You should not seal the barrels since there is thermal expansion/contraction of diesel and you need to have room for that to prevent overpressure. The best solution is to use a desiccant breather on the tank, but that is expensive and needs routine service on the desiccant (replacement or heating to remove moisture). I have a small oiled breather (like an oil air cleaner) on my tanks to reduce moisture ingress.

paul

 

[Industrial Toys]

If the tank is vented in any way, the tank will breath in and out with temperature changes and hence suck in moist air that under the right conditions will condensate.

I only ever had a problem with algie on my JD 770 and I suspect that such an occurance has much to do with the temperature of the fuel. Every **** part of the fuel system was filled with a nasty gell like substance. This, in the middle of summer.

I am very suspicious of any additives, because there is rarely a real test to see if it works as advertised. I'm sure it's a huge money maker. I am most suspicious, just as with Snake Oil that can cure just about anything, products that don't deferentiate between diesel and gasoline. You would think that the two would have entirely different requirments. I bought some seafoam on the weekend, and was dismayed that it doesn't even give the exact mixture saying it will treat between such and such an amount. What the ****? When I spoke with Lucas, I could get nothing close to REAL information about their products either! Just more PR BS!

One thing is for sure. Today's diesel is not anything like that of yesterday and seems to have a host of issues.

Just as a side note. Got a nice Makita 4 stroke leaf blower for X-MAs. Says in the manual that gasoline may spoil in a single day! What kind of crap are us consumers being sold these days??

 

[Dan Hunter]

My only experience with stored diesel was in the early 90s when I parked my truck in my folks garage before a three year assignment to Okinawa Japan. It ran fine although the fuel consumption rate seemed a little high until I burned the tank away.

 

[TnAndy]

I am very suspicious of any additives, because there is rarely a real test to see if it works as advertised. I'm sure it's a huge money maker.

I do understand that sentiment.

My own experience with Stabil in gasoline is after a year, it has the smell of old gas.....that varnish smell. PRI-G doesn't, even after 4-5 years. Both cases, sealed 55gal drums stored together in the same conditions ( which is to say in a cool, insulated shed )

Going by that smell alone, and no testing, I concluded PRI was the better product for gasoline.......and by extension, I assume the better product for diesel ( PRI-D )

PRI does web publish findings of some of their ASTM testing. I can't find anything for Stabil. Seafoam offers only customer testimonials.

PRI Advanced Fuel Treatments


I have no financial interest in any of the above companies or their products.

 

[Industrial Toys]

How do 55 gallon drums allow for expansion of fuel, which always seems substantial? It's amazing how much plastic jerry cans can swell?

 

[TnAndy]

I keep them in a fairly even temperature area.

 

[turnkey4099]

Don't know about the diesel, but know my furnace fuel oil tank was last filled in 1997. The furnace runs about 5 times a year, no problems. Hate to hear that thing start knowing the current price to replace that 87 cents/gal fuel being burnt.

Same here but the last time I filled, I added some gunk that is supposed to keep it from going bad. NAPA desk warned me that it was rather spendy (not bad, around $20). My comment was "as opposed to losing 300 gal of diesel?"

Dunno when my last fill was but it during the last jump in prices - I recall it was well over $4/gal.

Harry K