What is the shelf life of gasoline?
2 Answers
Gasoline has a shelf life of about three months, after which its quality may deteriorate. To assess gasoline quality: car owners can check the color, smell, and texture. Good gasoline should be transparent or semi-transparent light yellow; darker colors indicate higher sulfur content and other impurities. Strong gasoline odors, especially pungent smells when opening the bottle, indicate poor quality and excessive sulfur. Health hazards of gasoline: Exposure routes include inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption. Acute poisoning: It has a narcotic effect on the central nervous system. Mild symptoms include dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, unsteady gait, and ataxia. High-concentration inhalation can lead to toxic encephalopathy. Extremely high concentrations can cause sudden loss of consciousness and reflexive respiratory arrest, possibly accompanied by toxic peripheral neuropathy and chemical pneumonia.
The shelf life of gasoline is generally about three to six months. From my personal driving experience, it becomes harder to start the engine or the idle becomes unstable if it's stored for too long. The main reason is that the ethanol component absorbs moisture, causing the gasoline to separate, oxidize, and degrade in quality. Especially in places with high summer temperatures or heavy humidity, the shelf life is even shorter and may not last three months. If the fuel tank is well-sealed, it might stretch to six months, but it's best not to take the risk. I've tried adding fuel stabilizer, which can extend the shelf life to a year, saving the worry. Regularly using the car and changing the oil helps avoid long-term storage. Expired fuel can clog fuel injectors or damage the engine, and repairs can be expensive. Folks, check your fuel when seasons change, and even for short trips, make it a habit to refuel often—it saves money and gives peace of mind.
