# 2003 Nissan Altima - Bad gas

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** nissan\
**Created:** [December 13, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014 "2023-12-13T22:59:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 17\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Moonlight\_420](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ad7895/32.png) [@Moonlight\_420](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Moonlight_420)\
**Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/1 "2023-12-13T22:59:02Z")

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What would cause the gas in my car to be green? It’s sat for 5years but it smells like diesel idk what to do or think bout it.

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**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 3:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/2 "2023-12-14T03:05:55Z")

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I would pull and drain the tank, flush the tank as well as the fuel system…  
Green sounds like oil mixed in the gas, like 2 cycle or something… But most likely just the blend of gas that was left in it just breaking down overtime or a stabilizer put in it…  
Either way drain and flush the old gas…

Gas on the left is about 10 year old varnished 93 octane gas and the right is new 93 octane…

 ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/3/d/3dd5ad57e80c4578763477421c6e706157b9109a.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/3 "2023-12-14T20:34:40Z")

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> [@Moonlight\_420](#):
>
> What would cause the gas in my car to be green? It’s sat for 5years

Possibly some type of copper compound. Google “Copper Carbonate” for example. In any event, after 5 years of sitting, the gas tank should be drained/flushed of all the old stuff as DMP suggests above.

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**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/4 "2023-12-18T14:14:07Z")

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> [@Moonlight\_420](#):
>
> It’s sat for 5years

Gas goes bad in as little as a year. This sat for 5. Have it towed to a shop that can drain the old gas and add fresh fuel.

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**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/5 "2023-12-18T15:12:11Z")

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How is bad gas properly disposed of? Haul it in gas cans to… where? Where they do what with it?

I suppose a little could be mixed into fresh gas - say a gallon to every 10 gallons - and it would be burned up and cause no problem. Maybe the repair shop’s employees can use it up.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/6 "2023-12-18T15:26:52Z")

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> [@shanonia](#):
>
> Haul it in gas cans to… where?

We have the Recycling Zone where hazardous waste can be disposed.

[https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Environment/RecyclingZone](https://www.co.dakota.mn.us/Environment/RecyclingZone)

Tester

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**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 3:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/7 "2023-12-18T15:41:19Z")

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> [@shanonia](#):
>
> I suppose a little could be mixed into fresh gas - say a gallon to every 10 gallons - and it would be burned up and cause no problem. Maybe the repair shop’s employees can use it up.

I would never do that. It’s bad gas, keep it out of your expensive engine.

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**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/8 "2023-12-18T15:50:11Z")

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> [@shanonia](#):
>
> How is bad gas properly disposed of? Haul it in gas cans to… where? Where they do what with it?

At the shop it goes into the waste oil tank to be recycled/re-refined/downcycled or whatever the waste oil company does with it. Unless there’s a guy who wants to take it home to mix into gas for a farm implement or something like that.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 3:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/9 "2023-12-18T15:52:50Z")

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I don’t know an intelligent person who would add bad gasoline to anything.

Tester

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![asemaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@asemaster](https://community.cartalk.com/u/asemaster)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 3:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/10 "2023-12-18T15:58:51Z")

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> [@Tester](#):
>
> I don’t know an intelligent person who would add bad gasoline to anything.

Depends what it is. If you have a 550 gallon tank of non-oxy gas at home I doubt adding a few gallons of 5 year old gas is going to ruin anything.

Same guy would take home trans fluid from the flush machine to use in his diesel equipment.

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**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 5:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/11 "2023-12-18T17:41:31Z")

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> [@asemaster](#):
>
> At the shop it goes into the waste oil tank to be recycled/re-refined/downcycled or whatever the waste oil company does with it.

We sold re-refined oil at a gas station where I worked summer of 1970. It was in 1 qt. glass bottles with metal screw-on spouts. Looked like Ball jars. They were in metal caddies kinda like bottles of milk used to be transported in. The oil sold for, IIRC, 15 cents or 35 cents a quart.

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**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/12 "2023-12-18T20:57:44Z")

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I had a guy 20+ years ago that would take any old gas I could find and run it in his early 60’s Chevy truck, said it would run on about any old gas… Never did see it broken down or him messing with the carburetor… His truck would run on gas that his lawn mower would not run on… lol

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**Author:** ![JoeMario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@JoeMario](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoeMario)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/13 "2023-12-18T21:04:52Z")

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I’ve been using bad gas in my lawnmowers and snowblowers for decades without a problem. I’ll always dilute it, depending on how “bad” the bad gas is.

I won’t do that for any bad gas that’s turned into a varnish-like substance. In those cases, I try to burn it out back.

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**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 1:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/14 "2023-12-19T01:51:58Z")

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Just as an aside, farm implements are not your grandfathers anymore. Prices are a couple hundred thousand and upward. The engines are way more expensive than car engines. So you just balance throwing away $100 worth of gas versus a $20,000 engine.

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**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 2:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/15 "2023-12-19T02:27:14Z")

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> [@bing](#):
>
> farm implements

Equipment??

I think autocorrect really messed with you or I am missing something here… lol

NVM I think I just read it wrong… 🤦‍♂️

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 3:33am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/16 "2023-12-19T03:33:10Z")

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Yeah tractors, combines, semi trucks, etc.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\
**Post date:** [December 19, 2023, 5:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2003-nissan-altima-bad-gas/194014/17 "2023-12-19T05:12:29Z")

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To summarize: Don’t burn old gasoline in diesel equipment.
