Ford 4400 1970 gas - premium fuel only

Do I need to run premium fuel only in my 1970 ford 4400
gas even if the fuel will be consumed in a matter of days or
weeks? I know of issues with it causing problems when it
sits longer, but curious if that changes if fuel consumption
happens very near to the time its added into the tractor

No.
It'll run fine on regular.

I don't get all this fuel problem stuff.I buy 200 gallon at a time about twice a year it sets till it is gone never have any problems with fuel burning or running.

I think the thing to avoid is ethanol in gasoline, it attracts and absorbs water out of the air which causes rust in gas tanks and carburetors. Our local Kwik-Trip gas stations have a 91 octane 100% gas that I've used for close to 20 years now with no problems, and most things I use it in sit 6 or more months every year. And they start fine the next time I use them. I'm sure there's other brand gas stations with E-Zero gasoline. Lots of boat owners use it too.

I avoid ethanol at all costs in anything that might sit for any length of time. Any parts like gaskets that aren't made with materials compatible with ethanol will turn to mush. And as others have said, ethanol is hygroscopic so it will absorb moisture from the air in any tank with a vented cap. At our local Cenex you have to buy premium 91 octane to get ethanol free gas. At some other places 25 miles farther away from me you can get 87 octane without ethanol.

Engines with 8:1 compression don't need premium fuel. In fact, it often makes them harder to start.

(quoted from post at 08:51:34 05/25/23) Do I need to run premium fuel only in my 1970 ford 4400
gas even if the fuel will be consumed in a matter of days or
weeks? I know of issues with it causing problems when it
sits longer, but curious if that changes if fuel consumption
happens very near to the time its added into the tractor

Click to expand...

"I know of issues..." Respectfully, you don't. You have HEARD of issues, which are only GUESSES as to what the actual cause is.

Ethanol fuel is used as a convenient scapegoat by mechanics for all sorts of problems.

Taryl Fixes All on youtube did an experiment over a year and a half using 10 brand new identical lawnmower engines, 10 identical brand new gas cans. One can had plain 87 octane 10% ethanol, one had premium fuel, one had the $24 a gallon "never goes bad" gas in it, and the rest had 87 octane 10% ethanol fuel with various snake oil products in them. At the beginning of each month, each engine was started and run to see which gas would go "bad" first.

By the end of the experiment most of the engines were still running, including the engine with the UNTREATED 87 octane. I think 3 engines eventually failed to start, ALL were using "treated" gasoline.

Long story short these old tractors are from a time when fuel was poor quality. They don't much care what they're fed, and they will just run and run and run.

My claim to fame is the 7 year old gasoline in my Farmall Super H. Seriously that tractor sat and was only started a couple of times a year and NEVER had any gas put in it for SEVEN years. It was 87 octane 10% ethanol fuel, which eventually ran out. Which reminds me, I really need to start that tractor up and run it. I don't think I've touched it since before Dad died...

I get plain old ethanol low grade pump gas and don't often have issues.

The single most helpful thing you can do is to shut off the fuel and let the carb run dry after use. In some cases you need to install a $5 fuel valve.

Certainly no old low compression gas tractor engine has any need for high octane gas.

(quoted from post at 12:34:34 05/25/23)

(quoted from post at 08:51:34 05/25/23) Do I need to run premium fuel only in my 1970 ford 4400
gas even if the fuel will be consumed in a matter of days or
weeks? I know of issues with it causing problems when it
sits longer, but curious if that changes if fuel consumption
happens very near to the time its added into the tractor

Click to expand...

"I know of issues..." Respectfully, you don't. You have HEARD of issues, which are only GUESSES as to what the actual cause is.

Ethanol fuel is used as a convenient scapegoat by mechanics for all sorts of problems.

Taryl Fixes All on youtube did an experiment over a year and a half using 10 brand new identical lawnmower engines, 10 identical brand new gas cans. One can had plain 87 octane 10% ethanol, one had premium fuel, one had the $24 a gallon "never goes bad" gas in it, and the rest had 87 octane 10% ethanol fuel with various snake oil products in them. At the beginning of each month, each engine was started and run to see which gas would go "bad" first.

By the end of the experiment most of the engines were still running, including the engine with the UNTREATED 87 octane. I think 3 engines eventually failed to start, ALL were using "treated" gasoline.

Long story short these old tractors are from a time when fuel was poor quality. They don't much care what they're fed, and they will just run and run and run.

My claim to fame is the 7 year old gasoline in my Farmall Super H. Seriously that tractor sat and was only started a couple of times a year and NEVER had any gas put in it for SEVEN years. It was 87 octane 10% ethanol fuel, which eventually ran out. Which reminds me, I really need to start that tractor up and run it. I don't think I've touched it since before Dad died...

Click to expand...

Yep, just what he said.

I took one of my Cub Cadets down to Dad's farm in 2006 to haul stuff around to clean things up for an auction and ultimately sell the house & buildings. Dad had his '51 M there with loader to move the big stuff. I brought a 5 gal can of my E-Zero gas, and Dad had two 5 gal cans of gas, with ethanol in it. I tried starting a fire with some of Dad's gas, the M was running on it, but I flicked my BIC lighter 20-30 times and it wouldn't start on fire, even in a puddle of gas. I grabbed my can and splashed a bit of my good gas on the pile of scrap lumber I wanted to burn, flicked my Bic in the good gas and WHOOSH, my gas caught fire and then caught the bad gas on fire. So Yes, gas can go bad, but can still run an engine, the hyd tubes running to & from the live hyd pump on the M started leaking on the spark plug wires causing the M to misfire which caused it to foul a spark plug. Dad fixed the oil leak and put new D-18Y Champion plugs in the M.
Most of the gas I use over a year's time goes in my lawn mower, about 3-4 gallons a week all summer. Snow removal is 5 to 10 gallons a year. In 2008 we got a bit over 100 inches of snow, I used probably 20 gallons that year. The chain saws, leaf blower, weed-eater, only use 2 gal of gas a year. The stale gas/oil mix goes in the M.

Your tractor is lower compression, higher power type of engine.

It doesnt want premium. Tho it would make more power on ethanol if tuned for it.

Regular gasoline including ethanol blend 10% will work best.

Ethanol blends might pull loose the gum and varnish from the tank that gasoline leaves behind, and might clog up your fuel filter. Getting your tank cleaned out is a good thing tho, just have to do the filter. If this the first time you use an ethanol blend. Around here ethanol blend is what, 30 years now, dont know how it hasnt been used in your machine.

Some old gasket materials dont hold up to ethanol over time. A 10% blend is hardly ever a problem, and why manufacturers continue to use these outdated materials is beyond me.

Some folk have problems with water in their fuel. Most folk never do, if you are letting water get in your fuel ethanol blends make it show up worse. But, you already have a problem if you get that much water in your fuel. Probably good the ethanol reviled the problem to you.....

Paul

The high octane level in premium is not needed. The Ethanol,,, how ever can and does cause problems. Ethanol carries moisture and the moisture is what causes most of the problem with the carbs. There can be corrosion and deposits in the float bowl due to moisture. There can be a gum deposit from the ethanol dissolving years of film off of the tank and that gum then hardens in the bowl and jet passages. The fuel can and does.... dry up and scab over jets and passages from the scum and gum in the fuel from the ethanol removing it from other places. And carb venturi design using particularly small passages will totally clog up from using ethanol fuels, again from the gum and scum scabbing over and stopping up the passages. Running the carbs dry with a cut off valve will MOSTLY stop this from happening on a lot of small engines. Engines with either solenoid loaded needle cutoffs or large jet design seem to tolerate the ethanol very well, so modern designs seem to do better. SO... you do not need high octane. You may or may not have problems with the gas drying up and causing flooding or a very lean run or a no run due to ethanol gas. Non ethanol fuel, if you can get it and afford it, will have less problems. Running the tractor often, will mean less problems as oppose to letting it sit for long periods and having more moisture and evap problems. Again, cutting off fuel and running carb dry before you put the tractor/chainsaw/welder/generator/weedeater/........ up, seems to solve/help this problem.

For fuel shut offs I have been using mine ball valves from McMaster Carr, 1/4 turn and it is off or on.

For about he same $$$ you can buy NON Ethanol gas,then you won't have to worry about the problems ethanol causes.

I believe it is fine and dandy to run 10% ethanol 87 octane R+M gasoline. I have run it in all my engines except my Silver Wing Honda, which gets 93. My 51 GMC 3/4 ton starts on a 6v battery after being in storage for 5 months. If a gas powered device is being started after sitting for years with old gas in it cleaning the entire system is best practice before putting new fuel in it.
Ethanol gasoline will absorb 3 teaspoons of water per gallon. non ethanol gasoline will absorb none. Jim

No you don't, we run E-10 in all our 4-stroke engines with no problems, and most of them sit for over 5 months in the winter.

Maybe in your neighborhood! Here in MN we have 91 premeum without ethanol, but it's at least 50 cents more, and in AZ where we spend the winter it's very hard to find. Same thing in WA where our son lives, one station in a big area has it. I found it on Pure-gas .org.

Almost every station in my area carries non ethanol and its about the same price as high test.

Much of the information that you have been given here is not helpful. Ultradog is correct, and SoTXBill touches on the most important thing. The over-arching most important thing is that during periods of low use is to KEEP YOUR TANK FULL!! Fuel quality is degraded mainly by absorption of moisture. The moisture comes into the tank through the cap vent. Every day as the tank heats up air in the tank expands pushing air out. During the night when the humidity is usually higher the air in the tank cools and contracts sucking humid air in. Te same phenomenon takes place in your tractor's transmission, hydraulic and rear axle housings.

My opinion: If the tractor is run on a regular basis year round, run the the cheapest gas you can buy in it. If it sits for extended periods, Run non ethanol Rec fuel in it. I see no advantage to ethanol laden premium.