Ethanol

[jackelope]

Is an ethanol additive/treatment sufficient for my small engine stuff or do I need to go find some ethanol free gas? Talking about only using it in small engines. Lawnmower, pressure washer, generator, etc. No dirt bikes, jet skis, etc. After just having my 2 year old pressure washer dead in the water, I thought maybe I better get on this. Thank you in advance.

[Bob33]

I've only used ethanol free gasoline in all my small gas powered engines for several years. It really seems to matter with 2 cycle engines.

[Alchase]

From what I understood, besides being less efficient then real gas, ethanol attracts moisture when gas is stored. The moisture is what causes the problems in smaller motors by breaking down gaskets and seals.
The additives like Sta-bil, keep the moisture out.

[fish vacuum]

It might depend on how long the gas  will be sitting around. For my chainsaw, outboard, and generator I use ethanol-free mostly because the gas won't be used up in a short period.
I would have no hesitation  running ethanol gas in those engines as long as it was fresh.

[Bob33]

Why risk it?

http://www.echo-usa.com/Warranty/Learn-About-Ethanol

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/forest/basics/ethanol-free-fuel/

https://www.stihlusa.com/information/articles/gasoline-guidelines-outdoor-power-equipment/

The engine repair shop I deal with says bad gasoline is the number one cause of problems they see.

[Oh Mah]

  yep.the gas part evaporates out alchohol draws in water you lose all the way around.that being said it is getting harder and harder to find these stations with ethanol free fuel.

[hollymaster]

Any piece of equipment that sits for more than a few weeks gets ethanol free fuel. Ethanol is death to engines that sit for extended periods of time.

[crabcreekhunter]

Use ethanol free in pretty much everything except my daily driver, high performance engines (dirt bikes, quads, especially outboards, jet skis, etc) definitely use, in lawn mower, snow blower, weed eater also use if available but otherwise ethanol works just dont let it sit too long.  As said absorbtion of water is the devil.

[Special T]

most small engines have some kind of Diaphragm fuel pump. ethanol is really hard on those especially if you dont run them dry aftere every use. I will use the state mandated fuel in my riding lawm mower but installed a cutoff switch to run dry after every use, and installed synthetic fuel hose. i hate the stuff but still use it in my weed eater but make sure to run it dry at the end of the year.

[Reidus]

I use the star-tron enzyme stuff in a blue bottle. been using it in lawnmower and weedeater with pump gas. had it sit in the tank over winter and start and run fine. Good stuff!

[johnny b]

If you wonder where you can buy E free fuel you can check the website Puregas.org and it lists most stations nationwide. They try to keep it up to date.  If you are near a marina your chances are good you can get it there.

[wadu1]

I've only used ethanol free gasoline in all my small gas powered engines for several years. It really seems to matter with 2 cycle engines.

[Crunchy]

Ethonal free in boat, pressure washer, lawn mower, edger and weedwacker.  I have 4 five gallon cans of it that i keep full.

[b23]

And, be prepared to get seriously gouged when you go to get it.  I only use pure gas in my mowers and other small engines but it is kind of ridiculous they charge nearly a dollar more per gallon for it.

[Crunchy]

It isnt too bad if you can find regular unleaded.  Usually its only premium unleaded. I laid 3.83 a gallon today

[trophyhunt]

Isn't Trump going to do away with the ethanol requirement ? 

[Reidus]

ethanol is one of the biggest government scams i ever seen!

[dreamunelk]

Depends on the engine.  4 stroke brigs will not care.  I have a husqvarna with a Honda engine and nothing but problems.  My old cheap lawn mower would run on the blend and never complain.  Just depends on how much you use.  For 2-stroke I use the premix unless I know I will be burning a couple of gallons,  4-stroke I just get a couple gallons at a time.

[robodad]

I guarantee you will pay more for repairs then you will ever save using gas with ethanol in it, that stuff should never be used in anything but your daily driver. It is nothing but problems waiting to happen and whatever you add to it will do nothing but make things worse. But nothing is better learned if not from experience so go give that crap a chance and learn your lesson then go buy new equipment and stop using that garbage !!

Guess you can see how much I like it eh :-) !!

[Gobble Doc]

Anyone ever test any of that "ethanol free gas"? The stuff from the co-op that is labeled ethanol free. You might be surprised.  Go pick up a kit. Not expensive.  The kind that is based on the immiscibility of gas and a polar solvent like water or an alcohol.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

[luckyman]

After rebuilding or replacing several small engine carburetors I went to non ethanol ONLY in small engines.
I have a car that has the average mpg screen, it always stay at 24.5. I tried the ethanol free in it to see how it ran since the price is higher then premium. It right away jumped to 16 and stayed there through a few tanks. Didn't seem to run any better that I could tell. After returning to ethanol blend it went down to 24.5 where it normally is.

[biggfish]

After rebuilding or replacing several small engine carburetors I went to non ethanol ONLY in small engines.
I have a car that has the average mpg screen, it always stay at 24.5. I tried the ethanol free in it to see how it ran since the price is higher then premium. It right away jumped to 16 and stayed there through a few tanks. Didn't seem to run any better that I could tell. After returning to ethanol blend it went down to 24.5 where it normally is.

That's because production vehicles have spark timing set for use with ethanol fuels. Ethanol burns quicker so spark timing and heat produced by the spark are all set to ignite the alcohol not the gas. If I remember correctly you would need to open the plug gap and retard the ignition point to see the difference. Otherwise you get partial ignition leading to poor mpg.

Sent from my LG-K425 using Tapatalk

[Sandberm]

Heres the link to the website that helps you locate non ethanol gas that another poster mentioned
https://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=WA

As others have said, I only run non ethanol in all my generators, boat motors and motorcycles. Had the carb on my TTR 230 motorcycle get clogged with a jelly like substance one winter when I didnt ride the bike for a few months. Had to clean the carb a couple times after i didnt get it all out the first time.

In Pasco on Rd 68 the Maverick station has non ethanol 87 octane for i believe around 30 cents more per gallon. My s-10 pickup gets anywhere from 5-8% BETTER gas mileage on the stuff, not quite enough to write off the difference in price.

CO-Energy through there Pacific Pride card has non E that is 92 octane but is about 75 cents more per gallon then there regular unleaded.

[jackelope]

Depends on the engine.  4 stroke brigs will not care.  I have a husqvarna with a Honda engine and nothing but problems.  My old cheap lawn mower would run on the blend and never complain.  Just depends on how much you use.  For 2-stroke I use the premix unless I know I will be burning a couple of gallons,  4-stroke I just get a couple gallons at a time.

4 stroke Briggs 8.5 i/c did care. I just had to have a guy go through the carb on it because I couldn't get it to start. My ancient Husqvarna saw couldn't care less. I take horrible care of that thing as much as I hate to say it. The 2 times a year I need it now, it fires up and runs like mad. Husqvarna mower doesn't care either.

I use the star-tron enzyme stuff in a blue bottle. been using it in lawnmower and weedeater with pump gas. had it sit in the tank over winter and start and run fine. Good stuff!

Thanks. That's what I was wondering.


I don't mind paying for it. Really, the amount I use is relatively small, so the cost difference will be negligible.  I don't have acres to mow or anything like that.
 I just want my stuff to start and run when I need it.

[jackelope]

Why risk it?

http://www.echo-usa.com/Warranty/Learn-About-Ethanol

http://www.husqvarna.com/us/forest/basics/ethanol-free-fuel/

https://www.stihlusa.com/information/articles/gasoline-guidelines-outdoor-power-equipment/

The engine repair shop I deal with says bad gasoline is the number one cause of problems they see.

All these links say they approve the use of E10 gas, but don't use it because it will ruin your stuff.


So it's ok to use it, but it's not ok.


Whether or not I address the  ethanol issue is not the question at hand for me. I'm mainly wondering if anyone is using the additives in their regular gas rather than driving all over creation to find ethanol free gas. One way or the other I will discontinue the use of normal pump gas.  I know for sure that there is no ethanol free gas within 10 miles of my home. So is the additive a good substitute or should I make the 10+ mile drive to find some?

[jackelope]

Just looked at www.pure-gas.org and found the Grange in Issaquah has it and the co-op in Snohomish has it. So maybe I should just grab a 5 gallon can of it next time through that area. Both of them are 20+ miles from me and they're the closest.
 

[Knocker of rocks]

One way or the other I will discontinue the use of normal pump gas.  I know for sure that there is no ethanol free gas within 10 miles of my home. So is the additive a good substitute or should I make the 10+ mile drive to find some?

I get mine at the Snohomish Co-op, and also treat it with SeaFoam.  When we have  full gas tanks everywhere, that adds up to 20 gallons at my house, my mothers and my GF's.  We burn thru it in less than three months, and I run the the carb dry on the pressure washer, the gererator and the push mower in the off season.  But everything seems to start OK, even the various Stihls which may be left with a full tank for a month or so at a time.

That's what I would suggest, SeaFoam adds about  45¢/per gallon when I add to the gas, and $1.00 when I add it at a greater ratio to diesel for the '82 JD 950 tractor.  It sounds expensive, but wasting my time or my mothers landscapers time adds up.  And I run the tractor like a tractor, but I want to keep it another 20 plus years.

[Knocker of rocks]

Just looked at www.pure-gas.org and found the Grange in Issaquah has it and the co-op in Snohomish has it. So maybe I should just grab a 5 gallon can of it next time through that area. Both of them are 20+ miles from me and they're the closest.
 

I think the Issaquah Grange sells off-road diesel, which is kind or rare around here except in card locks. 

[Bob33]

I buy the highest octane ethanol free gas at the Grange and put it in five gallon containers. if I don't use it all in a few months I pour it in my truck and refill the container at the Grange the next time I'm there. It's a bit more expensive but in the volumes I use it's pretty insignificant.

[lokidog]

I've only used ethanol free gasoline in all my small gas powered engines for several years. It really seems to matter with 2 cycle engines.

I did this last year and every one of my small engines started up this spring, chainsaw, weed eater, pressure washer, rototiller....

I'll still run ethanol fuel through my boat engines though as they never sit long, and when they do, I can run the carbs dry before storing them.

[coachcw]

joe gibbs treatment is killer , but for small stuff i just get non ethonal fuel

[mazama]

As Reidus posted I use the blue STARTRON fuel stabilizer,Honda dealer recommended it,i have esed fuel up to 6-8 months later in lawnmower and chainsaw.

[thinkingman]

Granger in Issaquah for the generator fuel and small engine fuel plus Sta-Bil. I doubt I use 10 gal a year so price is not a concern.

[jackelope]

Thanks guys. Planning to pack my 5 gallon can along next time I'm going anywhere near issaquah.

[Caseknife]

I'm a tech at Colville Motorsports and we go through carburetors all the time.  I have no problem telling customers to use non-ethanol fuel in their small engines.  The extra paid for the fuel is way less than the cost of going through the carbs each spring if the machine sits a lot.  If you are going to burn the fuel out in a weekend, use regular pump gas, but if it is going to sit, use non-eth.  We also believe highly in Startron and sell a boatload of it.  Non-ethanol fuel doesn't seem to affect the newer fuel injected machines, that we have seen, but I am starting to have my doubts with drivability issues that can't be explained otherwise.

[bearpaw]

I have a huge inventory of motorized equipment for our business, we used to have trouble every year with engines of all types, autos, chainsaws, lawnmowers, weed cutters, snowmobiles, utv's, atv's, etc. We started using non-ethinol fuel about 8 years ago and putting startron in during storage. Another thing we do with most carburetored small engines is turn off the fuel and run the engine until the carb runs out of fuel and the engine quits. This combination of preventative actions has eliminated almost all our problems and has saved us a small fortune in mechanic bills.

[luckyman]

After rebuilding or replacing several small engine carburetors I went to non ethanol ONLY in small engines.
I have a car that has the average mpg screen, it always stay at 24.5. I tried the ethanol free in it to see how it ran since the price is higher then premium. It right away jumped to 16 and stayed there through a few tanks. Didn't seem to run any better that I could tell. After returning to ethanol blend it went down to 24.5 where it normally is.

That's because production vehicles have spark timing set for use with ethanol fuels. Ethanol burns quicker so spark timing and heat produced by the spark are all set to ignite the alcohol not the gas. If I remember correctly you would need to open the plug gap and retard the ignition point to see the difference. Otherwise you get partial ignition leading to poor mpg.

Sent from my LG-K425 using Tapatalk

Thats a typo, sorry should read 26mpg with non ethanol. An increase of 1.5 mpg but no noticeable throttle response improvement.

[Kittman]

I have a huge inventory of motorized equipment for our business, we used to have trouble every year with engines of all types, autos, chainsaws, lawnmowers, weed cutters, snowmobiles, utv's, atv's, etc. We started using non-ethinol fuel about 8 years ago and putting startron in during storage. Another thing we do with most carburetored small engines is turn off the fuel and run the engine until the carb runs out of fuel and the engine quits. This combination of preventative actions has eliminated almost all our problems and has saved us a small fortune in mechanic bills.

It sounds like your Campjacks are kept pretty busy.

[Kittman]

Conspiracy EPA theories aside, Ethanol in the fuel does have certain advantages as it helps to eliminate spark ping or knock which reduces detonation or pre-ignition which is very destructive to automotive engines.  Smoother running power makes engines last much longer than they used to.  You just can not let the stuff sit too long or the formulated gasoline begins to breakdown & separate then causes problems.