Pre mixed fuel vs mix it up yourself

[StarTech]

Just use a Pro Multi Mix oil and don't worry mix ratios if the equipment running anything between 16:1 to 50:1. It contains stabilizers. Here I use to have multiple cans of fuel going bad due all the different mixes. Now I just have one container for all 2 cycle engines. A lot easier to use up and to keep it fresh.

As for the ethanol affecting rubber yes it does dries it out a little faster but even regular fuel does this. Even the fuel additives which is in all fuels will cause problems.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

The pre-mixed is for girls .

 

[SeniorCitizen]

I;ll ask my personal chemist , but i doubt there's more than a molecule or 2 difference between methanol and ethanol and i've pumped thousands of gallons of meth. from a 500 gal. tank through a rubber hose that's been on the pump for 30 years or more . The hose should be labeled WOG for either one .

 

[GearHead36]

I;ll ask my personal chemist , but i doubt there's more than a molecule or 2 difference between methanol and ethanol and i've pumped thousands of gallons of meth. from a 500 gal. tank through a rubber hose that's been on the pump for 30 years or more . The hose should be labeled WOG for either one .

I used to race go-karts, and we used 100% methanol. I had to replace fuel lines every season, as they would get rock hard by the end of the season.

 

[GearHead36]

A few years ago, my mom, who was fairly knowledgeable on fuel and power equipment, had a trimmer that wouldn't start. I told her that it was probably bad fuel, but she assured me that it wasn't. The problem for her was that she and my dad used to run a gas station, and she was fairly knowledgeable on gas... from the 70's. Modern fuel is different, and doesn't last as long. She wasn't using her trimmer as much as she used to, and the fuel (E10) was going bad before she could use it up. I replaced her fuel with canned fuel, and her trimmer fired right up. I kept her supplied with canned fuel, and she stopped having "no-start" problems. I have the same trimmer. It runs fairly well on canned fuel, but not as well as premix. On canned fuel, it takes longer to warm up and start running clean. It also seems to cause more misfiring. When I only had a small subdivision lot to maintain, I used about 1 gallon per year, and I used canned fuel. Now, during the growing season, I use 1 gallon per month which would be a bit pricey with canned fuel. Ethanol-free fuel plus 2-cycle oil works out to around $5 per gallon, which seems a bit pricey, but that's still a far cry from $40 per gallon for canned.

 

[7394]

Yep, self mixer here...

 

[hlw49]

My X1901 2000 vintage Dixie Chopper runs like a champ. Though it is not the orginal engine. Orignal engine was a 19 HP Kawasaki. The engine on it now is a 2006 CV20 Kohler I took off a perfectly good Craftsman Garden Trractor. Never regretted it though.

Ethanol will not destroy the engine, but it will affect the carb. The diaphragms and gaskets will become brittle over time, and if ethanol fuel is left in a carb over the off-season, there's a good chance the carb will need a cleaning or rebuild. It's good practice to use ethanol-free fuel. I use ethanol-free fuel in all my equipment. My push mower is 13 yrs old. It's been used every season, and the carb has never been off of it. There are probably people here with equipment much older than that, that still runs like new.

 

[SeniorCitizen]

I used to race go-karts, and we used 100% methanol. I had to replace fuel lines every season, as they would get rock hard by the end of the season.

Was it WOG ?
ask or look for WOG stamped on the hose . water / oil / gas

 

[TonyPrin]

IMO, ethanol can damage small engines, but the issue is over-hyped. Under most circumstances, the use of E10 gasoline in a small engine does little to damage it before the equipment fails for other reasons. Buying gasoline in only 60-day quantities is all that's needed and stabilizer can help if stored longer. It also helps to fully clear the gasoline at the end of the season.

 

[StarTech]

I agree that the issue is over hyped. But all equipment will have problems no matter what type of fuel is used. For 2 cycles the use of properly mix gives the best life. Many of us knows what when improperly mix fuel is used.

But there those among that things should last forever and are always getting upset when it doesn't.