Ethanol strikes again .

That would be an interesting subject for the Myth Busters . I'm sure it's true since the ethanol provides nothing to power .
Jim F said:
I lost 5 MPG when I had to use E10 in a 1996 Merc, GM,
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I've never been a fan of ethanol gas for any use. When it was "optional" I always avoided in any vehicle or small engine. When it became mandatory in 2009 it was the only thin available at most stations. It worked OK in cars and trucks, but the mileage suffered. When used in small engines it was a PITA.

At the time I had almost 2 dozen pieces of equipment with "small engines". They ranged in size from small 22 hp tractors to chainsaws. The ethanol was so hard on fuel lines and carbs you could count on replacing or rebuilding them on an annual basis. It got so bad I was stocking carburetor kits and buying different size fuel line by the 50-foot spool.

About 10 years ago the light must have gone on at the oil company headquarters. Several stations in our area started offering both non-ethanol regular and non-ethanol premium. They marketed it as "recreational gas" primarily for use in outboards, and ATV's. Both non-ethanol versions are about 15% higher that the ethanol versions. I have been using it in all my small engines since it became available. I haven't had to rebuild a carburetor in many years, and fuel lines seem to last forever.

One thing I found interesting is that even when ethanol gas became mandatory almost every small town in Iowa still had a pump dedicated to non-ethanol regular. It seems the farm equipment didn't like the ethanol either. It's a bit ironic that the state producing the most corn for ethanol fuel wasn't using it in the equipment used to produce it.
 
Timely subject. Yesterday my motorcycle has developed a condition of gas running out the overflow tube almost as soon as I turn the petcock on. I believe when I pull the fuel bowl this afternoon I'm going to find crud from the ethanol. I'll test my float in a container of gas; won't surprise me if it's deteriorating too.
I can't find it now, but there was an article about ethanol gas which claimed the alcohol, or the way the mix was accomplished; would actually more polluting than straight gas. It was on the internet so absolute proof wasn't present.
As for my yard equipment, I either drain the tank immediately on finishing it up or turn the fuel off, start and run dry. So far so good.
 
Same here. I had issues early on with weed whacker fuel lines, but pretty sure they have gone to new materials and fuel formulation. Haven't had any issues in years. Mike

MrWhoopee said:
Been running pump gas (10% ethanol) in my old cars, old trucks, chainsaws, and chipper forever. No problems.
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I built race engines that ran on methanol, and also fooled around with e85. Alcohol provides cooling as well, needed when you’re trying to pull 40hp from an air cooled 8hp Briggs.

One great thing that’s happened with outdoor power equipment is the advent of good battery powered tools. I switched all mine over to Greenworks brand years ago and don’t have to hassle with carb rebuilds at all.

John
 
I have used E10 gasoline ever since it came out. This was in all my vehicles, five different outboards, a 1950 Ford 8N tractor, two chippers, two rototillers, a wood splitter, a riding lawn mower, two chain saws and a number of push lawn mowers. I have not had carburetor or injector problems with any of the the engines in all this time. Some of these engines are used a few days a year and stored the remainder of the year. I don't make any particular effort to drain fuel systems prior to storage and I don't use stabilizer.

Regarding fuel ecomony, ethanol provides fewer Btu;s per gallon than does gasoline, 77,000 vs 120,000, so fuel efficiency does drop with increasing ethanol content. A non ethanol gasoline will have better fuel economy than E10 or E15. Whether it is more economical depends on the price differential. Another issue is performance. Generally adding ethanol to gasoline will reduce maximum available hp. Not so much of a problem except for engines used for marine or where much of their use is at full throttle.

It should be noted that octane rating by itself has little effect on economy. It is a measure of a fuel to prevent knocking. Many years ago, when engine compression rations were approaching 12:1, antiknock qualities were important. Higher compression ratios mean a higher thermodynamic efficiency. In fact, the relationship between compression ratio and thermodynamic efficiency is exponential. But unless an engine is specifically designed to use high octane gasoline, higher octane has little bearing on increased performance.

It is difficult to get an octane rating of more than 85 with a straight gasoline blend. More expensive hydrocarbons must be used in the formulation. In the good old days, tetraethyl lead was added to boost octane ratings. Those days vanished due to environmental concerns and justly so. Ethanol has antiknock qualities so blending with ethanol allows the use of less expensive blends of gasoline.

A major reason for fuel system fouling is low quality gasoline. In particular, water in gasoline, due to improper storage. In a straight gasoline formulation, water will settle to the bottom of the fuel tank with small amounts being dissolved in the fuel over time. Adding ethanol to gasoline will allow water to dissolve in the fuel and be carried through the fuel system, potentially causing problems. The Heet used for water removal in fuel in winter is a good example of this property. Heet is either methanol or isopropyl alcohol and has similar properties to ethanol regard adsorption of water. Buy your fuel from a major suppler and a station who does a large volume of sales is a good practice to lessen the chance of getting a tank of bad fuel.

Proper storage of your fuel, once purchased is also a good preventative. Best practice would be to either empty or completely fill fuel tanks prior to long periods of disuse. This will reduce water vapor entering the tank due to thermal expansion and contraction. Totally sealing fuel tanks, when possible also will prevent ingress of water vapor. My outboard tanks sit idle for six months of the year but I can close the vents during that time, My portable tanks can be hermetically sealed when not filling or dispensing.. So far, it's been working for me.
 
MrWhoopee said:
Been running pump gas (10% ethanol) in my old cars, old trucks, chainsaws, and chipper forever. No problems.
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Same thing here in Mass. but I do add a stabilizer.
 
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