Great ethanol warning

[bertsmobile1]

I agree with all of that except the reason behind the .gov mandates for ethanol in fuel. It is for the PERCEPTION that we will import less oil, but in reality, it is to buy Midwestern votes.

cheers.

Actually it does reduce the volume of oil needed for fuel
However it does not reduce the volume of oil needed for all the other stuff we make from it like plastics & fertalizers .
South Africa proved just how much oil consumption can be reduced .

But you are right politics is always a part of it
Gets votes for the corn growers & gets votes from the environmentalist Gets votes from the nationalists .

 

[Smithsonite]

I always thought the main reason for adding ethanol was for emissions.

Like I mentioned several posts back, to get my '85 Monte to pass emissions, I'd add 4 bottles of Christy Drygas (isopropyl alcohol) to a half tank of gas, then go out and drive around in 1st gear to get the cat smoking hot for the emission sniffer test. I'll never forget at this one station I was reading 2,250 PPM of hydrocarbons (unburnt fuel - limit was 220, lol) - needed a tune up, but the car was on its last leg and I was broke. Told the guy I'd be back. After my trick, it passed with flying colors. 100 PPM±. The guy was wide-eyed! "What the hell did you do to this thing?" He couldn't believe it. I never did tell him. I said, "I fixed it."

I mentioned this to my buddy in CA who was failing smog - he tried it and it did nothing, presumably because there's already too much ethanol in their fuel. I'd wager that trick doesn't work anymore for that reason in all 50 states.

 

[ttolar2]

Small-engine manufacturers warn that ethanol can dissolve plastic and create harmful deposits, leading to costly repairs. Since the ethanol is hygroscopic, it absorbs water from the air, causing the fuel blend to separate. Ethanol can be extremely damaging to small engines and high-powered sports equipment, leading to corrosion of the engine and fuel system. Great fuel substitute just all around bad in small engines. 80% of my work is carburetor repair and cleans because of Ethanol.

 

[smhardesty]

The included attachment pic shows 4 carb bowls from identical engines which were started once a month for 18 months. Top left had only non-eth gas. The other 3 had "regular" pump gas (with ethanol), some with different preservative additives. The pictures speak for themselves...gas with ethanol added is BAD for small engines. What really sucks is I have to pay almost a dollar more per gallon for gas that does NOT have the added ethanol.

Yep. That looks like a few carbs I've had myself. The one I pulled off the tiller that was my dad's looked even worse.
.

 

[7394]

I always thought the main reason for adding ethanol was for emissions.

Like I mentioned several posts back, to get my '85 Monte to pass emissions, I'd add 4 bottles of Christy Drygas (isopropyl alcohol) to a half tank of gas, then go out and drive around in 1st gear to get the cat smoking hot for the emission sniffer test. I'll never forget at this one station I was reading 2,250 PPM of hydrocarbons (unburnt fuel - limit was 220, lol) - needed a tune up, but the car was on its last leg and I was broke. Told the guy I'd be back. After my trick, it passed with flying colors. 100 PPM±. The guy was wide-eyed! "What the hell did you do to this thing?" He couldn't believe it. I never did tell him. I said, "I fixed it."

I mentioned this to my buddy in CA who was failing smog - he tried it and it did nothing, presumably because there's already too much ethanol in their fuel. I'd wager that trick doesn't work anymore for that reason in all 50 states.

I can remember after all else failed, running the gas tank almost empty, & then adding a gallon of denatured alcohol, my '74 Monte ran like crap, but passed emissions in Fla flying colors. Then after, go straight to gas station & add good gas..

Good old days..

 

[Smithsonite]

Indeed! I need a time machine. I'd get back there, then smash it.

 

[StarTech]

Indeed! I need a time machine. I'd get back there, then smash it.

I don't know about smashing it but if we all knew what we know now there would a lot more billionaires.

 

[7394]

Agreed on that...........

 

[Tbone0106]

I think buying ethanol free gas is a giant waste of money. I've never done it, ever. My equipment sits all winter (nearly 6 months) in an unheated shop. I don't use fuel stabilizer. I don't user battery tenders. I've honestly only cleaned one carb. My oldest piece of equipment is 15 years old, but most of it is around 5 years old. If you buy high-quality, professional grade equipment, you'll find the carburetors are better made. Replacing an OEM, commercial grade carb with an eBay $20 chinese special is a huge downgrade. Just clean and repair the OEM carb. I have a ton of small engine equipment, including some two stroke stuff. In addition, I have a couple of snowmobiles that sit all but about 3 months of the year, a motorcycle that sits probably 7 months, an ATV that sits a lot, etc, etc. Same treatment for those items - they just sit with regular E10 in the tank in cold storage and never have an issue. If you guys want to swear by buying expensive gas or dumping a lot of additives in, feel free, but I don't see the need.

I can't count the times I've cracked carbs that are infested with deposits of rust or lime. These things are not carried with gasoline. They come with WATER, which ethanol brings along as its pal.

Sure, sometimes it's a problem with a spark plug, or a kill wire getting pinched, or a really clogged air filter. Sometimes it's even mice munching on the spark plug wire. But 95% of the time -- no, WAY more than that -- it's crap in the carburetor, and that crap can almost always be traced back to the ethanol in the pump gas most people use.

I laugh when people talk about ethanol being 'blended' into gasoline. It is not like throwing together a whiskey and soda. It is a much more complicated and violent process. Gasoline and ethanol (or corn liquor, as it is made in the US) do not mix naturally. They must be forced together, and they are eager to depart one another. I have made my own ethanol-free gasoline from E10 pump gas by simply mixing the pump gas with water and allowing it to separate; when it does, it takes all the ethanol with it. That's how much water and ethanol love one another.

 

[Tbone0106]

Here in taxachusetts you can't get non ethanol fuel... but it doesn't bother me.. In the decades of using e10, Ive never had an ethanol related problem.. If I'm not going to use a peice of equipment for an extended period, I dump the tank, then run a bit of true fuel through the machine...

There are actually a couple dozen places in Taxachusetts to get the pure stuff. Many are at marinas or airports, where people tend to be VERY serious about the gas they put in their tanks.