E-10 vs Gasoline

My dad buys premium gasoline without ethanol for his farm. (The stuff costs more than diesel even after getting the tax back!) This spring I was doing some work for him, and I filled both my '44 A and my '47 D with his gas. Not long after that, my A began missing and acting up, especially under load. It smoked too, which it never had before. I tried adjusting the carburetor, but nothing fixed it. I pulled the spark plugs, and they were oily and fouled, so I changed them. It still missed and sputtered. It was so bad I hardly made it up the hill on our road going to the field. I actually stopped and pulled over to let it catch its breath. Never had that happen before. So the next day I took the mag cover off and cleaned the points. No change. By then I was down to about 1/3 of a tank, so I filled it with E-10 from the gas station (which is what I had been using). It continued to run poorly under load for about twenty minutes, and then it began to get better. It made it up the hill fine, without a miss. Then I chopped a field of weeds, which took quite a bit of power, and it missed only a few times, though in the past it never would have missed a beat doing that kind of work. I haven't filled it on up with E-10 to see if that cures it, but you can be sure I will next fill up.

I also filled my D with that expensive gasoline. It's been missing more that usual too, but it's not as bad. It has a battery and coil ignition, so maybe it's not as sensitive. Still, it's been missing more than usual, and while I was working it under load, discing, it missed a few times, which surprised me.

I also have a stationary engine that runs a line shaft in my shop. It was made in 1898, has an 8" bore and 14" stroke, 2-cycle. When I was setting it up 18 years ago I tried different fuels and mixtures. I found it ran better with the ethanol than with straight gas too. Its happy mixture is 3/5ths E-10 and 2/5ths kerosene. That's an odd duck though. It even likes water in its gas, so maybe it's not a good example of what an engine should burn.

Anyone else have experiences similar to mine, where old engines run better on E-10?
 
How do your dad's gas tractors run on the fuel? Could the tank wagon have accidentally topped off your dad's fuel tank with diesel fuel instead of gasoline? That happens more often than you would believe.
 
Well I have tried non ethanol and even racing gas in more than a few engines and I can't tell any difference either way ? so I just keep using the cheap stuff and add some stabil if it is going to sit over winter.
 
Unless it is non ethanol gas, it has ethanol in it.
"Premium" does not equal non ethanol.

So if your dad is buying premium, you may have got a good amount of water out of the bottom of the bulk tank.
 
He says his loader tractor (a 1530) runs better on it, and so does his pickup, but I haven't asked lately.

He has two old underground tanks from about 1970. Years back I found bits of gravel or rust in his fuel when I put it through a funnel with a screen. I told him, and he didn't believe me. Maybe it's gotten worse. Maybe that's my problem, but it doesn't explain the tractor running better after getting E-10. Your mixture idea does. I'll ask him if his truck has been missing or sputtering.

joel
 
No, he buys it from the only place in the county that sells gasoline with no ethanol. That's the stuff he gets. High dollar stuff it is--$2.47 a gallon at the last fill up, which was when
station gas was at a dollar!
 
And the odd thing to me is that both these tractors are all-fuel tractors. Seems like they'd burn anything. Heck, I've even burned reclaimed gasoline from a junk yard in my A, and that stuff smells like varnish and is the color of cola!
 
I think it's a waste of money to buy ethanol-free premium for old tractors! In the first place you don't need high octane for a engine with a 6-1 compression ratio. The ethanol will keep the system clean and keep the water in suspension so it doesn't cause any problems. And using ethanol helps the corn farmers, they need all the help they can get.
 
But E-10's what seems to be running the best for me. Maybe because my tractors don't fly?

WOW! I want an airplane with a D's engine in it! Please?
 
There has never been an all purpose fuel that burns best in every engine known to man. I suspect ethanol not being recommended for planes has to do with altitude and thin air. I doubt if my old gas tractors Here in Iowa will ever take off and fly or float on a lake or ocean so I will stick with e10.
 
Actually ethanol is used in some aircrafts. It is not the E10 stuff you get from a local gas pump. The Vanguard flying squadron has been burning it for years. The Air Force used it in the A-10's
also and airlines are using it in a blend for their fleets.
 
I'm not sure what you mean. Are you talking about the old stationary engine I have that burns a mixture of fuels? If so, it burns Kerosene and E-10, 1:1 in the winter and 2:3 in the
summer. The second best mix for it is diesel and E-10 mixed 2:3, if I remember right; but I haven't run on that in several years. It's not as flexible under varying loads.

The question was whether anyone else has found E-10 to run better in their Deeres than gasoline without ethanol.
 

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