Ethanol fuel treatment?

[K&L Landscaping]

It is 100% impossible to find Ethanol free fuel in my area. Which brand of Ethanol treatment are you guys using? I've been using Star Tron from my local STIHL dealer but good grief it's $10 for a small bottle. I've looked at the Sta-Bil ethanol treatment and the Lucas Safeguard fuel conditioner. I would really like to use the Lucas because it's like $6.xx at Walmart. However, it doesn't say anywhere on the bottle that it's suitable for 2 stroke engines.

Anyone have any advice?

 

[chrisoppie]

I have been told by a marine machanic that the ethanol treatment stuff Honda puts out is very good. I dont know if it is usable in 2 stroke have to read the bottle.

 

[BloodOnTheIce]

Star Tron is 7.99$ sitting on the counter at my shop.

That small bottle is enough to treat 24 gallons of gas.

 

[K&L Landscaping]

Star Tron is 7.99$ sitting on the counter at my shop.

That small bottle is enough to treat 24 gallons of gas.

That's what it USED to be at my shop. Now, it's $9.99!

 

[Mad Professor]

Go to the airport and get 100LL. It will store for years unmixed and > 6 months mixed.

Cheaper than snake oil cures for corn fed fuel

 

[bass_on_tap]

Tractor Supply has Star-tron for about $7.00. Star-tron makes a bigger bottle that is more concentrated so it treats more gallons/oz. I also saw Stabil ethanol treatment at TSC today. I understand the blue Marine Stabil for ethanol fuel may not be good for rubber parts. Walmart also sells Star-tron in their marine section and sometimes in the auto sections too.

 

[Somesawguy]

I use PRI-G, but Startron is supposed to be good as well.

 

[WidowMaker1]

we still get normal fuel (No ethanol ) at the pump in OZ ...we can also use a fuel with around 10%- Ethanol if we choose too ....I'm guessing you guys over there have Ethanol in all your fuel now ?????

 

[naturelover]

Was gonna start on Motomix

But apparently its being discontinued.

Don't run my saw or trimmer too much, so even though its expensive, it would have probably lasted me for a while.

If you have any boating docks, sometimes the marina will sell ethanol free fuel. Found that a marina close to me has ethanol free fuel through a website, will have to check on it this summer.

 

[RAMROD48]

That's what it USED to be at my shop. Now, it's $9.99!

OMG the horror!!!!!!!

$2.00.....

Whats a carburetor cost? or even a rebuild at the shop? :msp_mellow:

 

[cheeves]

That's what it USED to be at my shop. Now, it's $9.99!

Got my last bottle at HD on sale for $4.99.

 

[Brian VT]

Go to the airport and get 100LL. It will store for years unmixed and > 6 months mixed.

I buy 100LL in a 5 gal. metal can. I didn't know that the storage time was less after it has been mixed. Why is that ?
I use up the 5 gal. in usually less than 1 month, but I'm still curious.

 

[redheadwoodshed]

we still get normal fuel (No ethanol ) at the pump in OZ ...we can also use a fuel with around 10%- Ethanol if we choose too ....I'm guessing you guys over there have Ethanol in all your fuel now ?????

No, some areas of the country still have a few stations with no ethanol.At least we do in Louisiana.

 

[abureels4me]

I was using stabil but have switched to seafoam. It stabilizes fuel for 2 years it says but mine never last that long, and it does a great job of keeping the fuel system clean.

 

[horseskidder]

Stabil has worked for us up here, but I'm a real believer in av gas. 101 low lead has NO ethanol in it at all. It can't---- carbs and fuel return lines on aircraft would freeze constantly at the temps they operate in. Aviation standards are unbelievably stringent.....if you can afford the extra ( around 7 bones a gallon) go for it, just make sure to re-tune your carb.

 

[DarkTimber]

I don't know if you have tired this or not but there is a web site that lists all the ethnol free gas stations across the country. I used it to find one just a couple of miles down the road from where I live its only regular grade non ethnol gas but beats having to use ethnol gas in my book.

 

[indiansprings]

I personally don't think you need any additive with a good modern synthetic mix like Ultra, Huskies equivalent or Amsoil Sabre, I believe the additives are already sufficient in the mix. I've run nothing but ethanol for the last two to three years with Ultra and have had zero issues, I've had string trimmers sit six months with fuel in them and have then fire right up and run fine. I will occasionally mix up five gallon of mix with a ounce of seafoam for each gallon of mix, mainly as a decarbonizer, fuel system cleaner. I'll normally burn between 2.5 to 5 gallon of mix a day.

 

[WidowMaker1]

No, some areas of the country still have a few stations with no ethanol.At least we do in Louisiana.

thanks for the info bro, all stations in OZ sell NON ethanol fuel!! :msp_thumbup: with the option (separate pump) of a blended fuel with a "maximum" of 10% ethanol if ya desire it?...

 

[dingeryote]

Find a local Marina or race track that has a pump. The Boat guys are about 2 Beers from armed insurrection over the Ethanol issue.
Marathon sells Recreational 90 ethanol free and is available just about anywhere..cept maybe Mexifornia.
Just gotta call around to the distributors and ask who they deliver the stuff to.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[Andyshine77]

Find a local Marina or race track that has a pump. The Boat guys are about 2 Beers from armed insurrection over the Ethanol issue.
Marathon sells Recreational 90 ethanol free and is available just about anywhere..cept maybe Mexifornia.
Just gotta call around to the distributors and ask who they deliver the stuff to.

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

Not so in most of the midwest, there isn't a pump station within about 100 miles of me. Sure I can get 110 race fuel, but it's too much octane and I didn't care for the lead either.

The whole ethanol issue is over played IMHO. I've been running fuel with ethanol for the last 10+ years and I've yet to have a single issue. Really it comes down to common sense. Store fuel in a stable environment, not the bead of your truck. Keep the fuel fresh, no longer than two months in the winter, one in the summer. Draining the tank and running the engine until it dies is a good idea as well. If you do all the above you shouldn't have any issues for at least 5 years likely longer.

With that said, yes eventually the ethanol will eat at the fuel lines and the carb diaphragm, but so what I change them out more often than that anyway. I also see no benefit to using Seafoam, it's just Pale Oil, Naphtha and isopropyl alcohol, so I see no reason to use it whatsoever.