Ethanol free gas?

[Username Taken]

Only one station within 130 miles around here that carries ethanol-free gasoline...and it is only 87 Octane. Worse, the price is 50 cents a gallon higher than regular gas which is 10% ethanol!

New Honda lawn mower I bought last year STRONGLY recommends use of ethanol-free.

I would have bought another lawn mower.

Until recently, I had a 25 year-old, self-propelled Craftsman that would sit for Months at a time. It started on the 2nd or 3rd pull every time. The only reason we got rid of it was the drive broke and those things weigh a ton, too much to push. Bought a cheapie Murray at Wally World to replace it. Just used for trimming where the Rider won't go. Bought my house 30 years ago, push-mowed the lawn one time and went out the next day and bought a rider.

I've still got an Echo chainsaw that will sit in my shed for 2 years at a time. Maybe more. Last time I went to start it, it fired right up. After following the recommended start procedure. They're finicky that way. Hope it does again this spring when I head to Michigan. If Michigan is still there......

The only thing that went wrong with it was the push bulb for the chain oiler rotted away. The gas primer bulb was still functioning last I checked.

I live in South Florida and I keep both in an aluminum shed where it gets well over 100 degrees every day for Months. And Months.

Some products just don't have good carburetors. I try to avoid them. Stihl is the best chainsaw but their carburetors are prone to fouling, making them a bear to start. My Husqvarna chainsaw's compression was so high, it required a professional football player to start (gave it away) and Honda carburetors will varnish up over lunch time. Gave two of them away. Junk.

Sometimes I wonder if it's the gasoline or the equipment. Besides, I hate carburetors. Always have. Always will.

I'm going battery-powered wherever I can. Not because I dislike internal combustion engines, because I despise carburetors.

That's just me and I'm not typical.

 

[rontaki]

The web site Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada claims to list every non-ethanol gas station in the USA and Canada.

I buy aviation gas at a local small airport to use in my small engines. It contains a small amount of lead, so it will foul sensors or catalysts. I ran a trash pump on it for many hours / tankfulls last summer, and there is some kind of deposit on the final exhaust screen, that might be lead. Doesn't seem to hurt performance.

 

[TimberXX]

that website is the best.. It was a game changer when they added the map feature.

 

[tibadoe]

Up until last summer I always used 10% ethanol 87 in all my small engines (still do in my autos). Never an issue - but I did treat the gas in winter if it was going to be sitting for a few months. Filled the tank with 87 non-ethanol this go round - can't say I see much difference. Time will tell.

 

[ruffdog]

Why do 2-stroke manufacturers want a higher octane fuel? Because, when you premix oil into fuel it lowers the octane level so, you should start with a higher number. Why should you be cautious when using ethanol fuel when premixing? Because the alcohol will absorb moisture and as it does, it will force the oil out of the mix. That is why they suggest to use fresh fuel now and you should shake your can before use.

 

[dodge man]

The link above was a help. There is a nearby town that they list having 91 ethanol free but the date was 6 years ago. I’ll check to see if they still have it.

 

[Username Taken]

We can all learn a lot by reading this --

Octane’s Liquid Diamonds: The Secret Value of Ethanol : Biofuels Digest

 

[dodge man]

The gas station in the nearby town still sells 91 octane ethanol free. It’s a BP station and the pump even has a sticker saying ethanol free. I updated the ethanol free website since the last update was 6 years ago.

 

[czechsonofagun]

The web site Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada claims to list every non-ethanol gas station in the USA and Canada.

That's what I use. I ride old Honda motorcycles and most of the time I fill them up with real gas. Makes a huge difference.

 

[Garson]

The biggest issue with ethanol in gasoline is that it converts moisture in the air to water in your gasoline. This will happen over a period of time so most automobiles use enough gas that this is not an issue. However, your lawnmower for example, may sit for 6 months unused and water will invade the tank. Or ethanol gasoline sitting in a storage can will tend to attract moisture.

Octane will only become an issue in high compression engines, for example, chainsaws.

 

[MossRoad]

As mentioned many times, I've been using E10 87 octane since the 80s in everything I own. I've never had a fuel/water issue. Cars rotate the fuel through usage. However, all of my small engines, with the exception of the chainsaws, can and do sit around for months and months, and even years, with E10 and no problems.

The only reason the chainsaws don't sit is that I run them dry through usage. After X tanks of fuel, I'm done for the day and don't refill them.

Weed eaters, snow blowers, pressure washer, lawn mowers, tractors, log splitter, tiller.... never a fuel issue.

I also store three 6 gallon plastic cans of E10 87 octane all winter long. No snow. No usage. Gas sits. It'll get used in the spring.

Good luck to all, however, water in E10 issues are not a problem here.

 

[devodad]

Best practices would be to run the octane rating recommended by the manufacturer 100% of the time unless the engine has been modified.

I can't think of many small engines that call for 91 octane.

No they don’t call for 91 octane. They call for regular 87 And then the dealers will recommend other expensive additives to counteract the ethanol and at the same time boosting the octane.

 

[yomax4]

There are a ton of Ethanol Treatment additives like Stabil that supposedly help the ethanol fuel maintain. Some others use a couple bottle of Heet red bottle to help with any potential water problems. Not sure if it all works as intended but I use some here and there in my plow truck which sits for 6 months every year.

 

[dodge man]

Stihl says 89 octane. I’ve had three issues with Ethanol fuel going bad. In one case it hadn’t sat that long, maybe 6 months. The other cases they had sat for more than a year. All small engines.

 

[Username Taken]

What happens with chainsaws a lot is when the gas sits, the gasoline can evaporate but the oil doesn't. Even inside the chainsaw.

And that can make for a too rich oil to gasoline ratio. Which, IMHO, is often way too rich anyway. My 200 HP Yamaha Outboard ran at 200 to 1 at lower speeds. But chainsaws don't see a lot of idle time. Whatever

Bought a chainsaw at a garage sale one time for $20. It was good one, too. An older Stihl.

The guy said he couldn't get it to start and run right.

I put straight gasoline in it, about a pint. It started up and ran like a champ. Still is, AFAIK (gave it to my brother)

Octane is good for one thing, to combat pre-ignition. That's it. Period.

Gasoline engines compress air AND gasoline in a mixture at the same time (unlike diesels that compress only air).

Compression creates heat and it can cause the gas mixture to prematurely ignite, especially when the engine gets toastie. Not good. Octane boosters keep the gasoline from igniting until the spark hits it. Got nothing to do with anything else

But if Stihl says to run 89 Octane, probably a good idea to do so