Fuel

[JD14SB]

I find that the 2-cycle small engines such as those on a String Trimmer, Leaf Blower, Mini Mantis Tiller, Chainsaw, and Edgers do need Ethanol-free Gasoline. If regular gasoline is used, the metering diaphragm and fuel pump diaphragm in the Carburetor will lose their flexibility. Corrosion can also result which requires a new Carburetor to fix. Many larger engines do OK on regular gasoline as long as there isn't a bunch of rubber parts in the Carburetor and. My Honda HR-215 Mower made from the late 80's to early 90's still has the original Carburetor. The regular gasoline absorbs water (ethanol). When it cannot absorb any more, than you have water sitting in the gas tank and Carburetor. This will corrode the Carburetors. So when the piece of equipment is parked for the season, run it out of gasoline and it will be fine. I like it when People use regular gasoline and don't drain it or leave it in a 2-cycle Engine since I repair small engines. I see dollar signs.

 

[plt156pi]

The great ethanol vs non-ethanol debate rages on!!!!

Just like oil, oil filters, spark plugs use what gas makes you happy. I have about 30 things with gas engines that all run regular pump gas and i have stored regular gas in cans for over a year. Never had an issue. I guess i am just luckier than most.

Either that or you work for the EPA

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I have a stihl fs80 bought in 1998. It has had over 100 tanks of fuel throught it. Worn out 3 string heads. Never had E free gas in it. Replaced a split primer bulb but nothing else about the carb. Original fuel lines and diaphragm. Runs just fine. I run all the handhelds dry at the end of the season. If i had easy access to E free i would buy it but none close. I use about 100 gallons a year in OPE stuff. E10 works just fine. YMMV

 

[marinusdees]

Another vote for NON-Ethanol gas. Over the years I have accumulated nearly 2 dozen gas powered pieces of yard care equipment. The collection includes weed eaters, edgers, rototillers, lawn mowers, chain saws, snow blowers, hedge trimmers, garden tractors and a few other tools. When ethanol gas became mandatory, I was rebuilding carburetors and replacing gas lines on an annual basis. It got so bad that I was stocking carburetor kits and buying different sizes of gas line by the 50-foot spool.

It was a royal never-ending PITA. After a few years the non-ethanol variety came back in our area as "recreational" gas mainly to be used in outboards, snowmobiles and ATV's. I immediately switched and the carb and fuel line problems went away. Some places have only premium grade while others have regular. Both seem to work well without destroying fuel systems. Premium is a bit more expensive, but still a real time saver since I don't have to deal with rebuilding carbs and replacing fuel lines. The fuel lines stay flexible, and the carbs don't gum up. I add a little Stabil to each when I retire them for the season and have no trouble starting them the next time they're needed.

If at all possible, I'll never use ethanol gas again in any engine under 40 hp.

Ethanol raises hell with most carburetors, but especially diaphragm carbs,, eats the diaphragm. Adding ethanol to gasoline is like adding sawdust to hamburger.

 

[billroy1]

Interesting comments here. I've been working for a lot of years as a small-engine service guy, and I'm the kid that tore down the little Briggs engine on Dad's push mower in 1966, when I was eleven years old. I've seen a few things.

Fuel stabilizers don't work to prevent the damage ethanol does. Ethanol -- grain alcohol -- is hydrophilic, meaning that it likes water a LOT. Ethanol likes water so much that it can literally be removed from blended gasoline by adding water to the blended mix. (That's exactly how ethanol content testers do their thing.) Ethanol is water-soluble; gasoline is not. But ethanol will literally attract water, even the humidity in the air. I would be afraid to estimate how many times I've torn down a small-engine carburetor and found lime deposits in the bowl. The lime (calcium) is carried there by water.

I use non-ethanol gas in my occasional-use small engines -- chainsaws, weed whackers, leaf blowers, tillers, etc. Yes, it's more expensive, though where I live the difference is nowhere near a dollar a gallon. It's more like 30 cents. But it's also 91 octane, compared to the 87 octane ethanol-polluted stuff. For use on my three-acre property, the extra cost is so worth it that it's hard to describe. In the mowers, I'll use the ethanol-laced stuff during the peak mowing season, which is May-July around here, because I know it won't sit in the fuel systems for very long. But when things start to slow down in late August, it's non-ethanol gas only.

Putting corn likker into our gas tanks is truly one of the dumbest things our national government has ever come up with.

I know I don't know much about anything especially gas but I have been putting a couple oz's of the red Iso HEET water remover along with some Stabil when I buy gas for both 2 & 4 strokes and I have had no gas problems at all for 9 years now, that I do know but who knows it may damage engines for all I know

 

[ILENGINE]

The same people that have been complaining about alcohol in the gas have been adding alcohol to their gas for years. They used methanol in their gas to prevent freezing fuel lines, but then complain about the effect of ethanol.

 

[RevB]

SAE report....

Assessment of the Effectiveness of Three Aftermarket Gasoline Fuel Stabilizers in Preventing Gum Formation and Loss of Oxidation Stability 2022-01-0486​

Fuel stabilizers have long been marketed to consumers to prevent oxidation and gum formation. In the past, gasoline storage for long periods of time was commonly limited to off-road equipment that was used infrequently. Cars and trucks that were driven regularly consumed the fuel in their tanks rapidly enough to avoid excessive fuel aging. However, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) may be operated frequently without engine operation, raising the possibility that fuel may be stored in the tank for longer periods of time. Studies of the oxidation of gasoline have provided scientific understanding of the process, but there is little if any scientifically backed information aimed at aiding consumers in assessing the need to use an aftermarket fuel stabilizer if they anticipate lengthy periods of fuel storage in their fuel tank. This study was conceived to address this information gap by evaluating three aftermarket stabilizer products alongside baseline gasoline using sealed samples over a period of 12 months of aging. The aging was carried out under ambient temperature conditions with an additional series of samples kept in refrigerated storage. Analyses of vapor pressure, copper strip corrosion, oxidation stability, existent gums, and potential gums were carried out using standard ASTM tests to evaluate the samples as aging progressed. The results show that baseline gasoline remained compliant with relevant specifications to at least 12 months of aging without the use of aftermarket stabilizer additives. Use of two of the aftermarket additives increased the oxidation stability of the baseline gasoline, but this added stability was not necessary to comply with gasoline specifications.

 

[Edgy]

Is it really worth the extra price (Over a dollar a gallon extra) to get ethanol free fuel for mowers? I have a 18 hp Briggs & Stratton engine engine on my riding mower, I have a small small push mower and I have a 2-cycle weedeater. I’m in south Alabama, 65 miles from the coast. The past several years, I’ve cranked up the weedeater during the off growing season just to polish up what I may not have weed-eated earlier – just to run it for a little bit. I may or may not do that for the push mower. The riding mower is used to drag limbs to a burn pile so it gets cranked every so often in the ‘cold’ season. We’re not long out of growing season and we don’t have really cold winters.
I’m just wondering if there’s something I can do different or is there just no reason for the non-ethynol fuel at my location.
I appreciate your thoughts and time!

There are many approaches to this that work. I use two cycle equipment on 2/3 acres in Louisiana. I use Trufuel. (A lot of opinions about this product too.) But I have not had any issues in 15 years, and I don’t dump my fuel. I talked to the chemist who developed this product. He said the product has a 2-year shelf-life. I would say using non-ethanol fuel ranks #2, but dump it after season’s end. Jump on YouTube and see the experiments on 4-cycle engines done by Teryl.

 

[RevB]

The same people that have been complaining about alcohol in the gas have been adding alcohol to their gas for years. They used methanol in their gas to prevent freezing fuel lines, but then complain about the effect of ethanol.

In concentrations above 30%, ethanol will act as a cylinder wall oil wash and accelerate wear. By now all modern engines are compatible with 10 and 15% ethanol. In the 70s raced a Hirth powered 634cc Arctic Cat on 100% methanol. That crap would give you a really bad headache if you didn't wear a respirator and shorten your life as well.

 

[billroy1]

I know I don't know much about anything especially gas but I have been putting a couple oz's of the red Iso HEET water remover along with some Stabil when I buy gas for both 2 & 4 strokes and I have had no gas problems at all for 9 years now, that I do know but who knows it may damage engines for all I know