How will the new 15% ethanol gasoline affect our Craftsman mowers and lawn tractors?

I watched a video on YouTube, posted by an old motorcycle guy (raced in the past and still rides), about removing Ethanol from gasoline- he poured gas into a glass bottle for a water cooler (these were before plastic bottles) and then, poured water in before sloshing the mixture. The water/Ethanol mixes as well as it can and forms a layer at the bottom in a process that's called phase separation'. Once that has settled to the bottom, the top layer (majority of what's in the bottle) is gas without Ethanol. Use a pirimer bulb and hose for an outboard motor to remove the gas and discard the water/Ethanol mix. I'm sure the liquid could be placed in a metal container with a large top (small bucket) and left to evaporate.

Probably best to use a higher grade of gas- one reason Ethanol is added is to increase Octane.
 
sgkent said:
Ethanol is a molecule that has hydrogen, carbon and carries an oxygen molecule. Octane carries only hydrogen and carbon. It has many more of both compared to ethanol. As a result, ethanol burns leaner, faster and produces less power. It results in a 12% faster rise in combustion pressures, and less burn duration time. That is more like you pushing your grandchild on a swing with anger than a loving push when compared to pushing a piston. In my opinion, it is all about certain people making money and not things running and lasting as efficiently as they could. The National Academy of Sciences in a 2024 study determined that ethanol laced fuels are far worse on the environment than E-0 fuels. More CO2 emissions too. Worse, ethanol is hygroscophic, and pulls H2O from the air. That introduces water to the fuel and causes corrosion. Some unscrupulous business people can add it before they sell the fuel because it dilutes in the ethanol without being visible (until it reaches saturation). To my knowledge there is no standard that limits the percentage of water in the ethanol, and that changes MPG when you are being sold water instead of fuel. Think about it. In a 10,000 gallon highway tanker of E10 gasoline, someone could drain off 40 gallons of fuel, add back 40 gallons of clear water, and that water would not be visible because ethanol will hold up to 5 - 6% water. That 40 gallons at $4 - $5 a gallon per load ... . Do the math. E-15 only makes all this worse but who cares. The American people will slop up to the trough just about anything they are told if, "But, it saves the planet," is added to the sentence. They will let all levels of their government dictate this.
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Hey sequence, could you find a link to that study? I couldn't find it, my google fu is weak. From what i remember back in the good ole lead fuel days, there were a few reasons ethanol was put in gasoline. Oxygenation and clean combustion, Octane boosting and the last and in my opinion the least sensible, "Renewable Energy and Energy Security". Corn is pretty hard on soil and requires a lot of fertilizer etc to grow. I live in a wet maritime climate, I've used E10 in all my equipment for decades without issues, but using a few precautions like using fuel stabilizer and running the carburetor out of fuel plus the Cenex sells E0 gas that i fill up my gas cans with when i'm driving to that town. Most of my equipment is pretty old, Stihl saw early 80s, stand alone wood chipper from the 90s, and my tractor uses a gas powered Kohler 25 hp from 2010. I'd be leery of using higher alcohol fuel in them mostly because that wasn't a thing when the engines were made and not mention of E15 in the manuals.
 
Bertrrr said:
I tried some E85 fuel on mine and had to use the choke to keep it running , not sure about the 15% ethanol stuff..
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Don't know anything about fuels do ya. E85 is 85% ethanol. It would run fine on 85% ethanol IF The jets were properly sized. They're not hence the choke. E85 runs way richer than E0 or E10 or E15. Why? Ethanol has 26.68 MegaJoules per kilogram, gasoline has 42 to 44 MJ. Takes a lot more ethanol per unit volume to make the same power as gasoline.

Eed an education on fuels......

Gasoline FAQ - Part 1 of 4

Gasoline FAQ - Part 1 of 4
www.faqs.org

Most won't read it because it's all sciencey and stuff. 🤫🙄
 
sequence said:
Hey sequence, could you find a link to that study? I couldn't find it, my google fu is weak. From what i remember back in the good ole lead fuel days, there were a few reasons ethanol was put in gasoline. Oxygenation and clean combustion, Octane boosting and the last and in my opinion the least sensible, "Renewable Energy and Energy Security". Corn is pretty hard on soil and requires a lot of fertilizer etc to grow. I live in a wet maritime climate, I've used E10 in all my equipment for decades without issues, but using a few precautions like using fuel stabilizer and running the carburetor out of fuel plus the Cenex sells E0 gas that i fill up my gas cans with when i'm driving to that town. Most of my equipment is pretty old, Stihl saw early 80s, stand alone wood chipper from the 90s, and my tractor uses a gas powered Kohler 25 hp from 2010. I'd be leery of using higher alcohol fuel in them mostly because that wasn't a thing when the engines were made and not mention of E15 in the manuals.
Click to expand...

Gasoline FAQ - Part 1 of 4

Gasoline FAQ - Part 1 of 4
www.faqs.org

Try this....a long read. You haven't had trouble with your equipment because all the rubber parts were switched over to Buna-n round 1980.
 
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