Classic Hifi Care

I had about 1-1/2 gals. of old gas, uncertain vintage. I poured it into another container to check for moisture, etc. and saw none. But the gas was orange. Two choices: (1) let it evaporate, or (2) use it up. Choice (1) is not environmentally responsible (says the guy who drives a '61 Chevy with a road draft tube for crankcase vent). As for (2), I had just filled the Ranger's tank so it had at least 15 gals in it. I dosed the old gas with Seafoam and Sta-Bil (belt and suspenders) and poured it in the Ranger through a coffee filter. I hope this wasn't wildly stupid. As an old guy, I have mostly avoided the kinds of wild stupidity that affected me as a young person. My theory that the old gas will be diluted enough to burn happily in the engine.

Chris Campbell

The emissions and poor combustion is probably worse than recycling it with your used oil.

Varnish will be the killer, particularly with fuel injection. I would have let it evaporate then put kitty litter in it and tossed it into the trash. You can't "add sauce" and get rid of varnish.

Old gas, ATF, used motor and hydraulic oil all get filtered and then run 5:1 with new fuel in my older Diesel vehicles.

2 90's Ford trucks, 2 80's Benz.

The IDI cycle just loves it. Modern Diesels would just die with that, so...

That "varnish" threat got me worried enough that I went out and dumped the rest of the can of Seafoam into the full tank with the little bit of old gas added. OK, maybe chemicals aren't always a solution, but Seafoam can't hurt when added in proper proportions.

Chris Campbell

Varnish can be bad stuff if you get enough of it in the wrong place....

Dad used to run gas in the diesel in a tractor he had so it would start better in the winter. It was an Oliver 880 and the only way to dependably start it in winter was to pull it with a gas tractor. Diesels are pretty forgiving about varnish. The fuel they burn is such that a little gas with varnish wouldn't harm them much.

The sweet red truck is still running happily. I drove today because I had a PT appointment, plus it was raining, plus my new exhaust system had arrived. Stainless. $$$$. But the red Ranger is quiet again and I have deferred the day when I will have to settle for multi-doors, a tiny bed, touch screen, and automatic transmission. Spare me. Aiming for another 100K miles.

Chris Campbell

The running gear may outlive you. Rust will be the Achilles' Heel on your Ranger. Body integrity was not a known strength for those vehicles. The mechanicals are ultra-tough. The hardest thing to work on dealing with a standard transmission Ranger was that goofy hydraulic clutch setup they used. You had to use a vacuum bleeder to get all the air out. That little 2.3 liter engine gets its heritage from the Pinto. Ford built that engine for almost 50 years. The stainless exhaust is a good investment for your part of the country since you plan to drive that truck until there is nothing left to fix....... I do exactly the same thing.