How important is finding no ethanol fuel ??

[vizette]

I have multiple opinions on this, as we can't get non-ethanol here either without driving out for an hour or more...

As others have stated, if it sits for a long time, that's when I worry. If I have something that I know is going to sit, I drain the gas and run it dry. So far this has been working out much better than just letting it sit and hoping it's OK.

I've also been using ethanol shield when I fill up the canister. I think it's available at big box stores, but I probably just got it from Amazon. It does seem to help, but I haven't done any "project farm" style tests to verify.

If you have a Sunoco around you, you can get big cans of whatever gas you want. Leaded, non-ethanol, super high octane "race" gas...

There's also the option of buying ethanol free pre-mix from the big box stores. If you burn through a lot though, that gets REALLY expensive quickly. However, my brother in law uses this because he doesn't burn a lot, and he loves it. Says its the best his equipment has ever run and starts easily every time.

As others have pointed out, it is possible to remove the ethanol - sever PITA if you ask me (not worth the grief), and you're paying at the pump for something you're going to remove later, so that kinda bites...

So the short answer as to what I do; ethanol shield and good two-stroke oil, and ethanol shield has a stabilizer already so I don't even bother with stabil. Drain and run dry if it's going to sit for extended periods.

 

[Bret4207]

Most of the new stuff is designed to withstand ethanol fuel or there would be a load of warranty issues.

I really haven’t had any issues with E fuel. I try to use it for most cutting and try to use E free in the last tank or Motormix before storage.

I’m on Long Island NY and there is no E free fuel around within a few hours of driving. The stuff is like gold, so I try to fuel up when I travel and bring it home.

On buddy swears that the cost of VP fuel is worth the lack of headaches. It’s around $85 for 5 gallons here. He swears it’s better than any pump gas, says he has had saws fueled and sitting for 5+ years full and they just fire right up. He considers it cheap insurance and lest costly than fuel lines and carb kits.

Every marina will have ethanol free gasoline. At least every marina 9 hours north of you does, can't believe it isn't the same on LI.

 

[Bret4207]

My experience leads me to believe that the ethanol blends in my area will absolutely give me trouble is used in a small engine. Other peple elsewhere never have any issues, so that makes me think it's the local blend that does it. I don't own any saws newer than '95 or '97. I can 100% guarantee that a tank full of the 10% ethanol mix we get up here put in an older Pioneer will result in the cap swelling to the point Channel Locks are required to get it off. Older McCulloch fuel lines will turn to mush as will some Homelite lines. The gummy varnish it leaves will coat the old style felt fuel tank filters with a bullet proof residue. In a 4 stroke like a B+S or Kohler it will gun up the passages over time and seems to corrode some older carbs. This is all first hand, real life experience, problems I've encountered. Stopped using E10 and things went back to normal. Just my 2 cents but I won't run E10 in my small engines if I can help it. Some stations up here they sell E10 and then add more drier to the tanks. So maybe that E10 is more like E15 or E20, who knows? I have enough problems with small engines as it is without inviting more issues by using fuel that is known by me to be a problem.

 

[MacAttack]

Luckily ethanol free is readily available here in Western NY (despite virtually every other thing in NY related to regulations etc completely sucking, but that's for another forum). I buy cans of E Free and add a shot of stabil and I'm getting some insanely long shelf life. I have some 3 - 4 year old premix that still smells and performs perfectly. No gas related issues with E Free.

 

[Bret4207]

Amen on the NY comments. Getting tough to live here.

 

[kevin711]

Amen on the NY comments. Getting tough to live here.

I just switched everything except my vehicle over to non ethanol gas. When I did run 10% ethanol I used stabil marine 360 as a fuel stabilizer+ethanol treatment and it worked ok on the fuel but I still had a few fuel line issues. It took about 6+ years to happen. I never let any fuel I'm using sit in a carb. I always run the carb dry then store whatever it is I'm using.

For me its piece of mind.

Also, if it matters whenever you're rebuilding a carb you can seal the new welch plug with clear nail polish since theres no ethanol to eat it away.

 

[motorhead99999]

I don’t think it’s that big of a deal. I use ethanol free in everything but my newer vehicles. When we couldn’t get it here my neighbor had a 55 gallon drum he would almost fill with ten percent then dump a gallon or two of water in it and let it set for a couple days. The ethanol attaches to the water and he would drain it out of the bottom with a pekcock till he had gas. I’m not sure if it messes with the octane or not

 

[quantico]

I dont see a pure gas location closer than a 4 hour round trip..

 

[NeSurfcaster]

The guys I work for have been using 10% ethanol 87 octane forever. Some of there 461's are 7+ years old and stihl on original carbs, because they don't sit. As long as ethanol gas don't sit it's fine. The hedge trimmer that sits for months sometimes/often is always tough to start. Gets a new carb kit every other year it seems.
When I get a load of logs or a side job I get a few gallons from the pump. If I'm only gonna run a tank or 2 I buy can gas and always run my saws last tank with can fuel. So far so good

 

[rarefish383]

I collect big saws, and I don't like to run them dry. But I have so many, it's hard to stay on top of them. Surfcaster brought up something I've been thinking about. Getting some canned gas and putting a little in my play saws, run it till I'm sure it's in the lines and carb, and then stick it back on the shelf.

 

[holeycow]

The fact that this discussion comes up time and time again is utterly ridiculous.

we need to produce "x" amount of bushels per acre to feed the world yet we devote massive acreage to "growing" **** fuel.??!!?

oh the lies..

I left ethanol fuel in one of my old saws one winter. That saw hadn't ever had an issue. It needed a carb kit and new lines that spring. Those original "rubber" parts were about 25 years old at the time (7 or 8 years ago or so) with nary an issue.

garbage "bio" fuels that we shouldn't have to deal with.

 

[TheTone]

I can get ethanol free 93 octane premium at the local Walmart (Murphy) gas station. I don't know for sure but there may be an upper limit of ethanol content in gas sold as e-free. I now use Startron as my stabilizer and stray ethanol destroyer. It is advertised as containing an enzyme that breaks down ethanol. I don't have enough experience with it to reliably recommend it, so I would advise you to go to their website and decide for yourself.

 

[Marley5]

i have observed that the greatest advantage of ethanol free gas is when any carbureted equipment will sit unused for any amount of time. The ethanol gas turns to s--t and destroys rubber hoses, diaphragms, when it sits for a length of time. If i used something daily or even weekly, i wouldn't be nearly as concerned. My stuff tends to sit between uses so I use only ethanol free in anything with a carburetor.

I was going to reply but saw this post.

 

[MacAttack]

The guys I work for have been using 10% ethanol 87 octane forever. Some of there 461's are 7+ years old and stihl on original carbs, because they don't sit. As long as ethanol gas don't sit it's fine. The hedge trimmer that sits for months sometimes/often is always tough to start. Gets a new carb kit every other year it seems.
When I get a load of logs or a side job I get a few gallons from the pump. If I'm only gonna run a tank or 2 I buy can gas and always run my saws last tank with can fuel. So far so good

Exactly, if stuff gets run often enough to keep the gas fresh, it seems to be fine, at least on newer equipment. I've heard plenty of accounts of ethanol gas attacking older plastic fuel tanks, hoses, etc very quickly

 

[a. palmer jr.]

I wish I'd taken a picture of my Cub Cadet that sat all winter with ethanol gas in it, come spring it looked like a tank full of jello. Never had that happen before but I take precautions now so hopefully it won't happen again..My chainsaws never see any ethanol..

 

[Sepia]

In Canada, all the Shell 91 V Power gasoline is ethanol free. Petro canada 91 used to be e-free as well but that has changed and all Petrocanada fuel contains ehtanol now - including 94.

 

[holeycow]

Yup. I have been told that “traces” of ethanol might be in Shell premium from time to time. But I do think it’s our best bet.

 

[Bret4207]

I can get ethanol free 93 octane premium at the local Walmart (Murphy) gas station. I don't know for sure but there may be an upper limit of ethanol content in gas sold as e-free. I now use Startron as my stabilizer and stray ethanol destroyer. It is advertised as containing an enzyme that breaks down ethanol. I don't have enough experience with it to reliably recommend it, so I would advise you to go to their website and decide for yourself.

I've been given a bottle of the stuff that supposed to destroy ethanol, I think it's Star-tron. I haven't tried it but the thought does occur to me that if it "destroys" the ethanol, what about the residue that left over? What does it do to "destroy" the ethanol? I fear it's going to be like my one trial with Sta-Bil where I added it to a generator tank in spring and the next fall I had a tank and carb full of jello. I haven't had such great luck with a lot of these miracle cures.

 

[MacAttack]

I've been given a bottle of the stuff that supposed to destroy ethanol, I think it's Star-tron. I haven't tried it but the thought does occur to me that if it "destroys" the ethanol, what about the residue that left over? What does it do to "destroy" the ethanol? I fear it's going to be like my one trial with Sta-Bil where I added it to a generator tank in spring and the next fall I had a tank and carb full of jello. I haven't had such great luck with a lot of these miracle cures.

"Countering the effects" of ethanol is probably more realistic than "destroying" it. The damaging effects of ethanol seem to have a lot to do with attracting moisture and turning the gas to varnish. If an additive can help prevent the attraction of moisture, maybe it can help?

I feel like premix, with the presence of oil, helps offset the effects of ethanol somewhat...

 

[Mad Professor]

So in your opinion is there anything too this e-free paranoia?

well with the marvel stuff he's running ~25:1

How much does all that cost compared to running non-corn gas?

If I pay ~$5 a gallon for 100LL and good oil it costs me way less than canned alternatives, my saws can sit for a year without a problem, the gas in metal cans mixed stores years, I don't buy carb kits and hoses E10 eats up.

5-gal of E-free XXX mix costs ~$80 do the math

And IMHO 100ll is better than the crap they sell for ~$18 -gal mixed