Ethanol Free Gas

[mrmikey]

Practically none of these small engine fuel tanks have an easy method of draining them.

My old Coleman 5K generator was like that. I put a 'T' in the fuel line after the main petcock, one went to the original place, the carb. The other went to a 1/4" ball valve that had a 3' piece of fuel line on the other end of it. The valve was shut other than when I wanted to drain the tank at which time I'd open the main petcock, open the 1/4" ball valve and place the end of the extra fuel line into a 5 gal fuel can to drain it.
I'd dump the fuel into my truck, run the generator dry to make sure the old fuel was gone and refill the generator with fresh stabilized fuel ready for the next year of storage unless it was needed. That was until I couldn't get proper gas around here and all that was available was crap gas. From then on, I'd store the generator dry with no fuel. Eventually I gave it to my daughter and bought a tri-fuel that runs on propane so no worries running crap gas.

 

[kf4uda]

I run E0 in every small engine that I have and my one gas tractor. Like Eddie I tried E0 in my truck for a while. I got better mileage but not enough to justify the cost. I am fortune to have an account with a local fuel supplier. They have road and farm diesel as well as E10 and E0 fuel pumps. They gave me an electronic key and code. I get billed for my fuel once a month. That may be a source that some of you could look for in your area.

 

[not2old]

I have a generator that I've had to take apart to clean the carb after only a few years and don't want to go through that nightmare again so I've been pumping out the fuel every six months and putting in fresh. I've thought about draining it completely but that's not easy either. If you drain all the gas out will it cause other problems? I've had problems with my dirt bikes keeping the fuel petcock closed too long and when the gaskets dried out it leaked. Does anyone know if it is OK to run E-0 91 octane in a Briggs generator? I'm aware that Honda does not recommend premium fuel in their small engines.

 

[ultrarunner]

Amazing how these extra steps and buying carbs just wasn’t a thing before ethanol…

 

[two_bit_score]

I'm jealous that ethanol free gas is available near many of you. In CT, it is only available as racing fuel at 94 and 110 octane in 1 and 5 gallon cans for $22 a gallon or $100 for 5 gallons. Stewart's gas stations in NY sell it at the pump for a dollar more than regular gas, but the closest one is a little over an hour away.

You aren’t alone. Until Home - Buc-ees started carrying E0 it was hard for me to find it too.

 

[MattB4]

... If you drain all the gas out will it cause other problems? ...

You can end up with a rusty gas tank. I do not drain any of my small engines that have metal tanks. I fill them up with fuel for storage.

 

[deserteagle71]

I'm aware that Honda does not recommend premium fuel in their small engines.

Not just small engines. The manual for my Can-am Defender 1000cc side by side has the same recommendation. And reading in the Can-am forums, those owners who tried premium fuel thinking they'd get better performance found that all they got was a very difficult to start side by side.

 

[dodge man]

I have a generator that is also hard to drain. When I use it I make sure I don’t put any extra fuel in it and I run it dry. I can take the fuel line off to drain it but that always seems messy and messy with gas also seems dangerous.

 

[ruffdog]

Amazing how these extra steps and buying carbs just wasn’t a thing before ethanol…

I remember doing plenty of carb rebuilds/cleaning back in the 70s too.

 

[ultrarunner]

I remember doing plenty of carb rebuilds/cleaning back in the 70s too.

I did worn out rebuilds with oversize throttle shafts and such but can’t recall ever having corrosion problems…