j0e331

if you have a bottle of nitro and you keep the plug in the top of the bottle, only opening it to pour some fuel into your filler bottle, how long will that fuel last?

sorry if this is a dumb question, just something im curious about. i have a gallon of traxxas 20% nitro that i used maybe 1/4 gallon out of and its just been sitting in my basement for about a year. just wondering if its good or should i just buy new fuel

SyCo_VeNoM

I've read people use nitro fuel after 10 years, and it still works.
As long as water didn't get in it the fuel should be fine
I've used it after a year an a half with no issue

j0e331

okay cool.

i left some fuel in my filler bottle for the same amount of time the gallon jug sat, you could easily see the color difference of the fuel and it didnt smell nearly as "strong" as the sealed gallon jug did. i was just making sure before i go out and tune my car. i didnt want it to affect anything

celica49

Thats part of the reason I just buy quarts of fuel, as opposed to gallons at a time. You dont have to worry about it going bad as quickly. Also, the type of container they are in can change things a bit too. the VP Powermaster fuel is in a lined canister that supposedly keeps the fuel "fresh" longer. Not sure about that theory though.</p>

eddieC

My Feedback: (2)

+1  Guilty. 

My buds recognized my fuel was from a vendor we hadn't used in 8 years.  I add 2 oz. of Klotz 200 to every bottle when I open it, and this jug had gone from light blue to deep purple over the 4 years since being first opened.  [X(] Color had no effect, it still ran great after 8 years.

The_Shark

if the seal is poor on the cap, it doesn't last long, the nitro/methanol evaporates and absorbs moisture, making the mixture off and weak. however if its stored right with a tight cap, it can last a LONG time.

Foxy

Indeed, I've never had one last more than a year or so, but we get extreme temperature changes which causes the seals on the bottles to degrade fast. As said, if you can keep it perfectly sealed, it should theoretically last forever.

UncleWaldo

I just did a break in run of a Saito FA72 which I bought around the same time I bought my fuel.( About 12 years ago.) The one gallon jug has been mounted to my flight box all these years with the pump cap in place. The engine started and ran fine on this old fuel but I had to keep it very rich. Oil was dripping out of the crankcase vent the entire run. Although the engine ran fine I do not think I would want to try flying a plane with this fuel. I am sure the nitro content and the methanol had evaporated to an unacceptable ratio to risk flying! Worked great for break in run though!

1QwkSport2.5r

Fuel lasts for years and years of kept in a sealed jug. If the jug wasn't sealed, it's anyone's guess if it will work. Most likely it absorbed an inch of moisture and probably won't idle for beans. On the flipside, if it will idle and run good on top on the fuel, try flying it. If it won't idle or transition well on the old opened just but runs fine on new fuel, you'll have your answer.