Ethanol free gas/small engines

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scott_l

Guest
So I had problems with my gas trimmer over the summer (I was guessing it was the carb) and had to take it into a dealer to have it fixed. The guy said the problem was the good old MN gas leaves behind a build up from the ethanol in the gas. He recommended buying non oxygenated (ethanol free) gas for the trimmer.

So I was thinking the other day should I be running the same gas in my lawn mower and snow blower.

Any one have any ideas........I personally don't think it can hurt any thing.

thanks
 
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stormbringr1

New member
Ethanol gas is horrible on 2 cycle engines especially, Scott. However, whether 2-cycle or 4-cycle, you can't leave it for very long in anything before it starts to turn into thick green slime in the float bowl chambers and needle jets in the carb...

I'm in MN...but I always run the non-oxy in everything from the mowers to sleds to power washers, etc... Either burn that ethanol crap out of everything you own or throw some Sta-Bil in right away... The shelf life of that worthless corn gas is weeks instead of months...
 
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fatdaddy

Member
go to MSRA Minnesota Street Rod Association for stations that sell none oxygenated gas. they list them for the entire state of MN
 
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mikeh906

New member
Most of the marinas in fl. now sell the non ethanol, at a premium price, stabil now offers a new product for marine, and any two stoke motors, I use it now, but the regular stabil always worked for the sleds in MI. Its a problem, but not for me yet in my 2 stroke boat motor.
 
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anonomoose

New member
I burn ethanol (10%) gasoline in everything:

1951 ford tractor
3 GM pickups
1 Buick
2 ATV's
3 Evinrude outboard motors (1971-4 models)
2 push lawnmowers
5 vintage honda motorcycles
1 vintage britsh motorcycle
1 weed whacker
1 leaf blower
1 power washer
2 gensets
2 water pumps
4 snowmobiles 2 & 4 stroke
1 log splitter

zero problems....maybe I am just lucky!! Or you guys are unlucky? I take care of my stuff...and I don't leave gasoline sit in carbs for months...and I use stabil in some fuel that has been around for more than one year.

No issues. (Gezz...I own alot of motors...)
 
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G

Guest
Use non-oxy 92 in all my small motors. Use seafoam in last tank before storage. Had a bad experience with Stabill once so just use seafoam now. Sleds and Boat get ethanol 10% during season but get dosed with seafoam for off season. If you really pay attention like ananomoose you can probably get by with ethanol but most of us just aren't that way. No offense anonomoose.
 
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t660redrocket

New member
Sta-Bil is a rip off! It is just Naptha with red dye added. Naptha=Coleman fuel.

$12 for 16 oz. Sta-Bil.
$9 for 1 gal. Coleman fuel.

Naptha is a great additive for your two stroke engines!
 
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coldbear

New member
My small engine dealer swears that the gasoline being produced today is the worse in history.He suggested 89 octane, dump it out after every use. Once I got on the program of dumping,all my carb troubles went away. Now where did I put that gas can?
 
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mrfirecat

New member
I'm not sure where all of this negative ethanol stuff comes from. Are you sure that these problems are ethanol related. I live in IL and we have had 10% ethanol fuel for over 10 years now. We don't have a choice. That is all that is available. I never have any problems and I have equipment that has fuel sit in it for months. Some equipment for well over a year. My string trimmer is a good example. It sits with fuel in it for 6 months over the winter. it is about 10 years old and it has never had an issue starting. I also have mowers, a snow blower, chain saw, blower, dirt bike(2-stoke), generator, etc... and these don't cause any problems either.
 
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anonomoose

New member
Actually MrFire, ethanol has been in many blends of gasoline for way longer than that.

Remember Standard Oil Company? They put Deicer in their gasoline when I was just a small pup, and deicer was nothing more than ethanol mixed with the gasoline.

It is popular as heck to beat up on the ethanol industry, voicing everything from "taking food out of the population who is starving" to subsidizing it (as if we don't do that with oil reserves, and wallstreet...), to making too much to making not enough. These rumors are not accidental, and is designed to put pressure on the ethanol industry which competes directly with the oil industry.

Oil companies don't want a choice, love the monopoly they have where it is gasoline or your thumb.

Maybe ethanol isn't the long term answer, but it IS an alternative to gasoline, and as long as it hangs around we peons have a choice. Once electric, CNG, and hydrogen get on-board, then ethanol can fade into the sunset...but we will always then have alternatives to oil. Choice is a good thing...not a bad one.

Meanwhile rumors will continue to fly, opinions sounded, and the blame game will run rampant.
 
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mrfirecat

New member
Anonomoose,

I guess what I meant was that 10% ethanol has been the only fuel available for about 10 years. I can remember my dad buying "gasohol" back in the early 80's. My dad still uses the term gasohol instead of ethanol.
 
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440_chazz

Member
Anonomoose

Ethanol requires more energy to produce than it puts out. It doesn't make sense to me. Its not a sustainable fuel. Look at E85 ethanol. Its murder on any engine with E85 in its tank even with the flex fuel vehicles. Not only is your performance robbed with that crap but fuel mileage takes a nosedive with E85. They say that is the answer? No I don't think so. It will take some time before we see better alternative fuels like CNG and hydrogen because it takes $ to set up infrastructure.
 
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fjr4me

Member
Well put 440 Chaz.

Let's stop subsidizing the ethanol industry and see if it can stand on it's own two feet.

I doubt it.
 
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