Does petrol go off ?

Snow-Munki

Snow-Munki

Snow-Munki

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Hi,

bought one of the petrol plastic containers to keep in the car just incase I ever run out of petrol !

Just wondering if i keep it in there for months would it go off or anything ?
 
If the container is full and it's airtight it shouldn't do, but I would tip it in every 3 months and fill the can with fresh just to be on the safe side.

The last thing you want when you run out of fuel is to put duff fuel in.
 
I heard the octane lowers after a few months so it may not run as well, My lawnmower definitely didn't like 6 month old petrol.

Probably best if you use it replace it every few months

AD
 
Every now and again, fill the car with the fuel from the container and put fresh stuff in at the pump.

If you keep it rotating it should be fine :)
 
therealnerd2 said:
I was always under the impression having a container of petrol in the car regularly was more risk than it was worth ...... true?
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A friend of mine nearly had his car burnt out because of a petrol can. He had an old Mini which have the battery in the boot, no battery cover and had a metal petrol can. He was driving along and it shorted out on the terminals and caught fire. :eek: The car cut out and he could see flames, enough that it slightly melted the rear speakers. He then opened the boot and managed to get the flaming petrol can out in time! I can't for the life of me remember how he put the can out (this was in about 1992) but I'll ask him tomorrow on MSN. :)
 
therealnerd2 said:
I was always under the impression having a container of petrol in the car regularly was more risk than it was worth ...... true?
Click to expand...

Yes. Keep an empty can so you can walk to the nearest petrol station rather than have to push the car.
You might think that you can just buy a can there, but it's sods law that you'll run out when you don't have cash or your wallet.
Taking your own can makes it far more likely the person at the garage will believe your sob story and let you leave a low value item as a deposit against the 5l of fuel you take.

I've been there...
 
Snow-Munki said:
Hi,

bought one of the petrol plastic containers to keep in the car just incase I ever run out of petrol !

Just wondering if i keep it in there for months would it go off or anything ?
Click to expand...

I believe that the water can separate from the petrol - my dad puts something called "stabilizer" in his bikes if he's not going out on them for a couple of months.
 
I've had a Tetra can split after and it leaked everywhere. Not sure if the petrol degraded the plastic in some way but it didn't half leave a mess.
 
hmm you guys keep petrol in your can all the time ? :confused:
My dad just keeps the can empty always and when he runs out of petrol he walks to a petrol station and walks back with a full can to the car, but never keeps petrol in the can when driving.

Also illegal to run out of petrol in germany? Why, it's not like a person wants to run out of petrol, what happens if you do ?
Carrying petrol in your boot imo is unsafe.
 
Tesla said:
What's the point in keeping a container of fuel in the car? If the fuel gauge broken?
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Not in mine but there's no warning light and I don't know where the absolute bottom of the tank is :p

I can't see how you lot think it's dangerous to have a can of petrol in the boot. You're following plenty of cars with a tank full of about 40 litres of the stuff slung right under the back!
 
I don't think it's dangerous. Just pointless.

It's not as if the car doesn't warn when the fuel is low anyway (ignoring Jonny above).
 
Lol :D

I do agree though - the gf's car has about 40 miles in it when the light comes on, not as if it doesn't give you any warning.
 
Jonny69 said:
I can't see how you lot think it's dangerous to have a can of petrol in the boot. You're following plenty of cars with a tank full of about 40 litres of the stuff slung right under the back!
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I think a proper fuel tank is built a bit bettter for this kind of situation than a plastic can rattling around your boot. :)
 
You'd have to squash the whole boot completely flat to squash open a one gallon plastic petrol container though. Only a third to halfway through a lot of cars and the petrol tank gets it.
 
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