Great ethanol warning

[Beesnweeds]

Does cold weather make it worse (even for E0)? I live in the Houston area and never seem to have issues.

Just to be safe, I do run E0 in all of my 2 cycle stuff.

Its minus 25 here today and if you leave a gas can of ethanol fuel outside it will have a chunk of ice banging around in it. If you could get the ice out it may actually make the fuel better. Non ethanol no problems in the cold.

If ethanol fuel was good, it would be used in aircraft. Because of technical and legal reasons you'll never see a pilot fill up his tank with ethanol based fuel.

 

[Smithsonite]

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.

Nowhere can you get it at the pump, except those 2 places. Problem with airports is, #1, the cost - deep-$5/gallon around here, and #2, lead. Lead won't be a problem until you get some hours on the equipment. Then it can foul plugs and help plug exhaust ports, build up on heads, etc.. That's why they make a very expensive additive called TCP for aircraft.

The problem with marinas is, when you live west of Worcester, you might as well just go to NY, NH, or ME, and buy in bulk. WAY cheaper!

 

[Tbone0106]

Nowhere can you get it at the pump, except those 2 places. Problem with airports is, #1, the cost - deep-$5/gallon around here, and #2, lead. Lead won't be a problem until you get some hours on the equipment. Then it can foul plugs and help plug exhaust ports, build up on heads, etc.. That's why they make a very expensive additive called TCP for aircraft.

The problem with marinas is, when you live west of Worcester, you might as well just go to NY, NH, or ME, and buy in bulk. WAY cheaper!

I didn't say there were a couple dozen places to get non-ethanol gasoline on your street. I said there are a couple dozen places in Massachusetts to get non-ethanol gas.

It is very difficult to get here in Ohio also. Marinas and airports are the most likely places, and airports often won't sell the stuff to the public, or the only thing they offer is prohibitively expensive 100-octane stuff. I am happy to learn recently that a new gas station in the town near me is going to offer non-ethanol gas at the pump. They will be getting my business.

 

[Smithsonite]

When I was in eastern OH a few years back, I found 90 octane at a small gas station right near a major highway. I filled up my 2.5 gallon can and brought it home with me. Cheap, too! I'd have bought more, but we had our little Volvo 940 packed to the roof with camping shit, plus stuff we stockpiled from the Amish, lol.

 

[Beesnweeds]

Basically the people run their equipment on a regular basis don't have problems

If that was the case it would be run in aircraft.

 

[Tbone0106]

If that was the case it would be run in aircraft.

Exactly. If your weed-whacker or your chainsaw quits because the gas is junk, oh well. Time to go through the carb.

But if the little Continental flat-four in your Piper Cub takes a shit when you're buzzing along 3,000 feet above the surface of the earth, that ain't funny.

When it's life-and-death, ethanol has no place.

 

[Smithsonite]

I won't even run E10 in my paramotor, and I've got over a 9:1 glide ratio.

 

[ILENGINE]

If that was the case it would be run in aircraft.

How often do the commercial mowing crews have ethanol and carb issue. How often do you see ethanol issues with vehicles. And I suspect the reason you don't allow ethanol is airplane has less to do with the ethanol, and more to do with atmospheric effects on the engine and venturi cooling effect on the intake causing icing. Which the ethanol would be more prone to icing because of the water that is in suspension just from the manufacturing of the ethanol.

 

[Smithsonite]

When cars aren't driven at least weekly, I've seen the exact same issues with them as with OPE. Ethanol separation in the tank, then the return action of the pump mixes it all up and friggs up the injectors.

Also just the fuel sitting in the line, rail, and injectors will go bad and screw things up, too. Cars are a little bit more immune to it because the EVAP system keeps the tank air tight.

Oh, and one of my best customers was a commercial landscaper. She had constant carburetor issues until I told her how to store fuel - keep the caps tight, don't leave them outside all night long, run Amsoil Saber in the 2-strokes, etc.. That cut down on a majority of her issues.

Back when I was a kid, you could leave a gas can outside with no cap, and dump it in equipment 3 months later and it would run, so long as you left the water at the bottom of the can.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

As much as i hate letting a motor set with ethanol in it i have a 1989 motor home with a carbureted 454. It sat for 5 years in the barn with a battery tender on it. I figured the carb was trashed but i thought i would try to start it. It fired rigth up and ran fine. Amazing.