Bit of an update on this as it got mentioned in another thread last night.
Got the old fuel out and put in the tonka toy last week. Subsequently the engine would not start AT ALL.
Bit of a tricky diagnosis to get over, for several reasons. Rarely the engine will fail to start, bit let me explain, I put the new in and i'm pretty sure that when it refused to start the pipes and injectors were still filled with known good to start the engine fuel - so momentarily it should have started - unless of course because it was pressurised it instantly mixed the old with the good on the high pressure return to the fuel tank.
At this point i was happy to accept it was just a coincidence and one of the usual suspects was to blame - damp relay here or there, loose wire etc.
Anyway after a week of messing abut with it everyday (even had the ecu out for testing) had to go back to the beginning and pin the blame firmly on the fuel, or at least eliminate it as the cause.
So off with the cold injector supply feed (nice and easy to get at on the side of the plenum chamber) quick bodge onto a length of suitable pipe and proceeded to pump it out into cans.
8 gallons before it ran dry surprisingly.
Off to the shop and got a gallon of new. Put it in, double checked all the connections i'd been fiddling with, out with the plugs for a quick clean (they had got very oily with all the failed stating attempts)
1st turn of the key and VROOM it ran just fine !
So the fact that it runs on new pretty much makes it the cause - but thats not to say something else 'might have' had a part to play in the whole annoying episode.
Did a little experiment before putting the new in - 2 jam jars, new fuel in one, old (suspect) fuel in the other on the bench.
The new fuel gave off visible vapours, the old did not. A test I'll use again next time mucking about with a non starting car thats been stood for a long time.
Only question now is how to make use of the 8 gallons of old petrol? As BMC pointed out in the other thread this got mentioned in it should be OK 50/50 mix but safer when the weather is warmer.
Alas i cant sit on the stuff that long, so anyone got any ideas?
I might try a bottle of octane boost from factors later, other thoughts are get some ethanol from the chemist, and maybe a bottle of acetone - imagine that might give it enough pep?
Expect it would be OK if i mixed 2 gallons new to one of old but not about to go and buy 16 gallons of petrol just for the field mobile. Apart from times being a little hard its actually against the priciple rule of stinginess
So any bright ideas ?
Cant beat that for a bit of recycling 
