Ethanol blended fuel info.

[Cranky]

A few days ago someone showed a pretty old fuel pump and posted about ethanol being good stuff because how long it lasted. Well, it's ok if your fuel system is made for it. His pump just might have had the newer type rubber parts in it but I have had a lot of trouble with my small engines before I learned the truth about the stuff. Even E10 can wreak havoc on systems that are not made for it. Most of my lawn equipment is old including my chainsaws. Heck, my garden tractor is an 84 model! I now treat ALL of my fuel that's going into all of my small engines no matter if I use it a lot or not. And there's plenty of other sites out there that have info on the stuff too.....plus, I just don't understand why we're using food for fuel. Yeah, I know that the corn used is pretty much low quality stuff but why not use other products that are not so harsh on the land? And do we need to use ethanol blends anyways? Ethanol is about 113 octane by itself and according to this site, water absorption can reduce the octane number 2-4 points on 87 regular.

http://www.fuel-testers.com/gasoline_octane_and_ethanol_E10.html

 

[Budnicks]

It's Govt. Subsidized, they are paid big bucks for the stuff, then it's mandated to be used by the EPA & Federal Govt.... they should feed the low grade corn to livestock instead, of making us use the stuff in our cars, it causes worse mileage, 170% more by volume of the % of alcohol content & causes many, steel, aluminum, corrosion, sweating/condensation & other real rubber hose or O-rings etc. & fuel filter rotting issues... IMHFO make no sense, but it's the Idiots in the Federal Govt. & EPA so it's Par for the Course

 

[Someotherguy]

luckily...i have several stations locally that sell 100% gas...which is all i will put in my vehicles...piss on that watered down crap...

 

[snakeoil24]

Government idiots at work again. Corn is a terrible source for alcohol. Sugar cane is the correct choice. Archer Daniels Midland remember the name lobbied the Gov idiots to use corn to keep prices higher and create shortages of corn in market place. Read about Brazil in 1970's told then Jimmy Carter to use sugar cane and US could be off Oil in 30 years. As usual idiots did not listen. Brazil uses sugar cane to make alky fuel save tonof money. And this stuff attracts water into fuel system and is corrosive. When do we send people to Washington to just do basic things in the interest of us as people?

 

[eric383]

That ethanol thing makes me angry. Less MPG when running it, less energy in it. Bad for any rubber products in the fuel system. It sucks!

 

[Meep-Meep]

I'm pretty convinced the ethanol additive is a scam and anything running a carb is asking for trouble using it. But what does the EPA care? Everything since about 1990 has EFI so the bad effects of the E10 are non existent. As far as mileage being worse? Maybe. But when the new Ram gets 16-20 MPG with a 375 HP hemi on that crap who cares. The situation is not going to change so I suggest we change with it. Cranky, time to put port EFI on the lawn mower and tractor!

 

[Sonny Black]

I treat ALL of my fuel also , even the non ethnol. I don't trust the Gas Station Proprietors.:edgy:

 

[RustyRatRod]

I work on small engines to have something to do in my spare time and have a little extra income.....ha. Been doing it since about 1995. Ethanol slam kills small engines. It turns the fuel lines to mush, and if you're lucky, no much gets into the carburetor. If you're not lucky......which is usually the case, you almost caint clean the carburetor.....sometimes it has to be replaced. Hard to get somebody to spend 90 bucks for a carburetor for a 150 dollar weed eater. I don't care what any of the greenies say. Ethanol is bad for gasoline and diesel engines.

 

[Moparsmitty]

We're down to one station around here that sells non-ethanol gas and they know that they are the only one. Their gas is about 30 cents a gallon more than everyone else. When I stopped there today I talked to a guy that was gassing up his boat. He said that it was even more at the marina.

 

[69redrunner]

You guys that are treating your fuel, what products are you using?

 

[satman72]

x2

 

[bee71]

It is all about money. The big corporate farms pay off the legislators with campaign money so they can keep their jobs. Corn for ethanol costs more to produce,puts a bigger strain on the environment and has done nothing to reduce costs to us.

 

[pabster]

Government idiots at work again. Corn is a terrible source for alcohol. Sugar cane is the correct choice. Archer Daniels Midland remember the name lobbied the Gov idiots to use corn to keep prices higher and create shortages of corn in market place. Read about Brazil in 1970's told then Jimmy Carter to use sugar cane and US could be off Oil in 30 years. As usual idiots did not listen. Brazil uses sugar cane to make alky fuel save tonof money. And this stuff attracts water into fuel system and is corrosive. When do we send people to Washington to just do basic things in the interest of us as people?

Spot on, snakeoil. I'm in total agreement here. Brazil has got it right using sugar, we're the boneheads that use corn due to intense lobbying and a complete lack of common sense.

Don't know much about Ethanol except that it's in all the gas where I live. It's most likely killing my engine slowly.

 

[RustyRatRod]

You guys that are treating your fuel, what products are you using?

This:

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...BL_-1_-1&mn=Sta-Bil&mc=SBL&pt=N0407&ppt=C0126

It works good.

 

[Moparsmitty]

You guys that are treating your fuel, what products are you using?

I've been using Marvel Mystery Oil in my gas for a long time. About 4oz. per 15 gal. tankful. Supposedly it helps stop the corrosive effects of the methanol and keeps the fuel system really clean. It also helps keep the intake valves clean. I'm fairly sure that it doesn't have alcohol in it because it is supposed to suspend any moisture in the fuel. I recently had my AFB apart and it was squeaky clean inside after many years and thousands of miles, so that's good enough for me.

 

[Cranky]

I used Sta-Bil Marine....

 

[Gpuller]

That was my fuel pump I posted. It was a Carter 6903 pump purchased from Summit racing in June of 1989. That makes it 24 years old, it hasn't been touched since it was installed in '89 and has only pumped 10% ethanol fuel.
My personal opinion is that E10 did not kill that pump, if so it would have been long ago. How long does a person expect a fuel pump to last? I think 24 years is pretty damn good.
I have the following gas powered equipment: '66 Charger, 425 John Deere lawn tractor, '52 G John Deere, '69 John Deere combine, MTD tiller and push mower, '99 Ski-Doo & '97 Polaris snowmobiles and a Weed Eater string trimmer.
All run E10 and never get any fuel treatment in the gas. Really haven't seen any major problems with any of the equipment over the years of use.
In my area there are no non-oxygenated fuel stations. My plan is to run my Charger on E85 someday.

 

[ga66mopar]

It is all about money. The big corporate farms pay off the legislators with campaign money so they can keep their jobs. Corn for ethanol costs more to produce,puts a bigger strain on the environment and has done nothing to reduce costs to us.

Very true. Archer daniels midland has gotten smart. They give money to republicans & democrats. Newt Gingrich has been bought and pay for by the ethanol companies.

 

[Gpuller]

Few of the ethanol plants in my part of the state were bought out by oil companies. Most started out as privately owned then bought.

 

[69redrunner]

I used Sta-Bil Marine....

Why specifically Marine Sta-Bil?