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OT Ethanol

K

Kevin S SC

Member
I have many, many small engines. I have had my share of carburetor problems, although, it seems the quality motors are immune to some or most of these problems. I have a Honda side by side that always starts and a Husqvarna chain saw that sits and sits but always starts the same as if it were yesterday or six months ago since started. I wonder about it when I picked up my quality chain saw and it starts the same as always. Is this the ethanol in the fuel or the inability of some engines to deal with inferior fuel?
 
You're opening a can of worms on this forum. LOL

Personally I think it's today's inferior fuel, whether it has 10% alcohol or not. I sometimes wonder how some small engines run as well as they do on good fuel, let alone the stuff we have available to us today. Jim
 
Yep the newer fuel does causes problem with rubber parts and also the fact that alcohol absorbs water right out of the air then it evaporates the alcohol that is and leaves the water behind so that in turn causes another problem. Also this newer blends of gas will get stall much faster then the gas or the past
 
From what I hear the only good quality gasoline available today is at the airport. A friend of mine who has a bunch of collector vehicles to keep running mixes half av gas and half pmup gas. He claims it stays good longer. I succesfully run ethanol in everything but two cycle engines but I try not to have much fuel in a tractor that doesn't run more than once a year. Jim
 
The price difference here is 10 cents a gallon between the two ( Ethanol enriched versus Ethanol Free). Is there that big of a difference where you are from?

If I used 100 gallons a year of Ethanol Free gas...that would equal a $10.00 difference or if I used 10000 gallons of ethanol enriched fuel versus Ethanol Free fuel, that would equal $100.00.

To me, the Spot market for gasoline has more fluctuation in it than that difference.
 
What I hate the most about fuel around here is you never know what you are buying. One store is ethanol free premium gas, and the same brand owned by the same company two miles away will be mixed. As long a motor runs all of the time I have had no trouble, when the saw,snow blower or weedwhaker sets, then I have trouble.
 
You can search the archives and find alot on this// In the yrs when e-85 is 20 % cheaper than regular gas , i burn e-85 in my CASE Gassers in the summertime successfully ,but I have learned from what the DC, VAC ,sc , and 730 have tried to teach me the hard way ,,. 1st of All ,ethanol will go sour in 30 days . that said ,Around here I use e-85 during the peak season , if i only runa tractor long enuf to use 5 gallon per week , i have no problems , if a gasser is gonna be dormant for the winter ,i, drain the e-85and put a gallon of hi test with seafoam added ,, run the motor a few minutes to get it thru the carb ,i have equal succes with ,,Lucas Fuel stabilizer , Star power ,( BLUE STUFF ),Never use anything but Hi test in the 4 cycl or lawn mower motors ..i have used e-85 in the summer in my jd /kawsaski mower with no problems,, bottomline ,,ethanol fuelsmust be consumed in 30 days ,, YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE if it sits over 30 days ..i use the old ethanol in my car sparingly and if need be perk it up with hi -test or at the very least a full tank of 87 octane
 
Two chain saws new within the last year.

The owner's manual on a Stihl MS170 says simply not to use gasoline with over 10% ethanol.

The manual on a Poulan Pro 5020 says, "Use of alcohol blended fuels (called gasahol or using ethanol or methanol) can cause major engine performance and durability problems".

It's interesting that Poulan mentions methanol. I frankly haven't run into any pumps dispensing gasoline mixed with methanol.

The methanol is what causes problems. When we were running sprint cars on pure methanol, we would religously drain the fuel system as soon as a show was over.

Guess you could flip a coin. I personally have used 10% ethanol in everything for years and haven't had a single problem I could blame onto it.
 
Yep seems spotty to me chain saw has been sittin for 8-9 mons with 10% ethanol, cranked right up today. A lawnmower that run good last fall and sat all winter dont run right next spring(briggs dont like 10%?).
 
Ok , here it is ,In Case you have not noticed The WORLD is not PERFECT ..there is a lot to learn and science to prove ...,to go ethanol free will inflate overnite the price of gasoline,with constant price gouging , ethanol has reduced the demand for fossil fuels, and kept the oil co more honest ,ethanol is a cleaner burn ,everyone needs to learn when ,and in what they can use ethanol fuel , and its shelf life .. search the archives,

IMPORTANT !!
WHY,2 cycle motors (CHAINSAWS for example )must not have ethanol ...is because in perfect fail conditions the alcohol vaporizes water sweat in the crankcase that depend only on the 2 cycle oil for lubrication, ,now, Ffwd and leave that saw sitting in a damp truck or shop for a month or longer ,we all know , some saws go a year before they are started ,, the sweat moisture has a tendency to rust the crank bearings ,,Common sense teaches that rust is a problem ,,.this is why it is best to keep your saw always in a dry place regardless of the properfuel use ...
 
Kevin,
Are you paying 10 cents a gallon more for ethanol down there over the price of regular unleaded? When were in southern Missouri this past summer, all the stations were a dime more for 10% ethanol over the price of regular unleaded. I don't know why people would pay extra to get less miles per gallon with the ethanol. Here in the midwest, regular unleaded sells for 10 cents a gallon more.
 
First off all, all gas has some ethanol in it. E10 has up to 10% in it. Been
awhile since we went through this but here is some good
information on ethanol research by "experts." Go through the whole
site, not just till you hear what you want to hear.
Mercury Marine and Ethanol
 
I do my best to run the tanks dry on all my stuff any more and only put in as much as I think I will need for the job. Found to many with water in the tank if I do not do this
 
This subject has been beat to death on here, seems like every one has different luck with fuel. I buy 91 octane no/alcohol farm gas and won't use anything else, have real good luck with it, every thing runs and survives the winter and starts right up in the spring, doesn't vapor lock on a hot day in the summer either. It costs me 20 cents a gallon more than the other so called gasoline, this stuff actually smells and looks like real gasoline. For 20 bucks a hundred extra, it has solved ALL fuel problems around here and no more runnin to the station for 2 cycle gas and fuel for the puller.
 
My experience, others may have different results. Have an old lawnmower, Tecumseh engine. It sat for 9 years with pump gas in it, didn't need it while living in apartment. When I moved to rural house I decided to give it a try. Fired right up on first pull, never skipped a beat. Sits in dry shed, wood floor, dig it out once or twice a year.
1952 Allis Chalmers tractor with loader. It has to sit outside. Main use is for plowing snow, but some lifting/pulling etc all year, sometimes sits for 2-3 months. In warm weather it starts on first spin, no choke. Below 30* it takes 3-4 spins, play with choke 30 seconds or so, then smooths out. . Checked sparkie plugs yesterday, a bit sooty. They have been in 4 1/2 years or longer, so put in new ones. Will see if it helps next time it snows.
1971 JD garden tractor, Kohler power. Main use is mowing, also snow blower for sidewalks etc. Starts & runs same as it did 30 years ago. Have been buying pump gas, 10 gal at a time, maybe just lucky. No Stabil or other additives used.
Willie
 
I too buy the 100 octane low lead gasoline at the airport for the pony motor on my 720 D. That is what I have been burning in my old "G" puller also. In my '05 F250 6.8L V-10 the 89 octane will cost me 3 mpg under 87 octane reg gasoline. I have checked it several times with the same result. Therefore I use 87 octane in all my road vehicles.
 
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