Avoiding Ethanol

riverider said:
Well I have had this PowerTrim 100 Edger with a 3hp B&S engine I bought in 1966. It always ran great till it started getting E85 gas. Even when the Nolead gas replaced the leaded gas it still ran great. But when our local stations started selling E85 without any public notice. I had problems.

The problem was traced to rubber parts in the Carb. being ruined by the E85.

I agree the good old B&S engines will run on about anything that will burn, but soon you will find the E85 will ruin the Carb.:mad:
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You're right. E85 is a whole other system. E85 should only be run in something designed and designated for E85. Why did you use it? It's not like E10 as a low volume mix. It's a seperate tank and pump around here.
 
Kmvreter said:
You're right. E85 is a whole other system. E85 should only be run in something designed and designated for E85. Why did you use it? It's not like E10 as a low volume mix. It's a seperate tank and pump around here.
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Why? Who knew? The stations just switched. No notice NAW THIN. Now they must have it posted on their pumps, then they were not required to inform the buying public.
You just some went to a station and bought gas, now we know what lies in their tanks.:bash:
 
Been using Hess for a few tankfuls now, and I'm getting about 1 MPG better on it than I was on gas with ethanol in it.
 
Car makers have made it so if you run, "flex fuel" ethanol or methanol, your timing retards. Thus decreasing gas mileage. All thanks to big Oil.




Jeff Kleb said:

Every gasoline station I have seen here in VA has a "10% Ethanol Blend" sign on their gas pumps. I doubt you can get any ethanol-free gasoline at all. I am not positive about that, but I sure have not seen any.
:confused:

Out in the rural areas, they sell E85 - and even M85; but it is hard to find in urban areas. Sure, E85 is "cheaper" at the pump....but your fuel mileage will decrease significantly. This is because there are fewer BTUs contained in a gallon of alcohol than in gasoline. (Diesel probably has the highest BTU level, but you better not put it in your gasoline-powered car!)

I suppose an advantage (as mentioned above) is the higher octane level. I doubt you would have any pre-igniton (knocking or pinging) if you were running ethanol in your car. It also burns very clean.
:bigok:

I know that oil companies constantly advertise their additives (Techron, V-Power, Invigorate, etc.), but often wonder about how good they really are. Even when using "off brand" (Wawa, Sheetz, FasMart, East Coast, etc.) fuel, I don't really seem to have much trouble.

Ford recommends BP/Amoco for my Mustang GT, so I do throw in a tank of it once in awhile. The Shell station near my home sells gasoline for a 5-cent discount every Thursday, so I have been hitting them every now and then also. My Sentra runs on just about anything short of crushed banana peels and apple juice.
:D

** REAL TRUCKS DON'T HAVE SPARKPLUGS!! **
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First off, for a modern vehicle made in the last 10-15 years E85 and lower should be okay for the vehicle (honestly I'd try to run 10% or lower if possible.) Any higher a concentration and a non-flex fuel vehicle can encounter damage to the fuel lines and fuel system as a result.

I'm not a fan of Ethanol myself, but in California you have no real choice in the matter. What's worse is that Ethanol is not eviromentally friendly, it's not economically friendly, it's pretty much ruined corn farming in the US (the majority of corn farming in this country goes to Ethanol production and corn syrup, not food,) and it's only held up by government subsidies. A couple long term studies have shown that trying to boost Ethanol in the US has resulted in negatives in the above areas across the board. Basically it's a bust and the government is still dragging it along because at this point it'd probably collapse a large amount of farmers and infrastructure to pull out completely.

Though on the flip side... I just got 0% Ethanol Premium from a local gas station in Bend, Oregon today for about $4.50 a gallon; so... yeah...
 
It's a damn ruse - yes supported by the elected GOP congress - to prop up the agricultural industry. End of story. And my damn Fritos and Frosted Flakes cost more because of it.

There are stations in my state that advertise ethanol free. They do not contain 5% ethanol. It costs more but is pretty popular with boaters and anyone with lawn mowers.

I have run pretty controlled experiments with 10% and 0% ethanol in my V8 Tundra. No difference. I guess sucky gas mileage is sucky gas mileage. Love the truck anyway.

I will also swear the 10% blend is responsible for gumming up my riding mower carburetor though...
 
Lineman said:
Car makers have made it so if you run, "flex fuel" ethanol or methanol, your timing retards. Thus decreasing gas mileage. All thanks to big Oil.
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On this issue is it big oil or the corn farming lobby?

Around here they advertise real gas as 'Marine Fuel' and it is more expensive than super unleaded. Younger people think it is special and I have told at least 2 others that actually that is what used to be the norm, not some fancy invention. One knot head was complaining that the boat motor companies were in bed with big oil and forcing the Marine Fuel onto boaters to make big extra bucks. No, I am not kidding.
 
Blue Seat Lyfe said:
Only place to buy ethanol free gas in FL seems to be marinas
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If you have a smart mobile device, download the Pure Gas app. There are tons of stations in Florida that carry non-ethanol contaminated fuel, and not just marinas. I use it primarily for bikes and lawn equipment, and its worth the extra cost to not have to repeatedly clean/rebuild carbs in my play machines.
 
After learning somethings about e85 i wanted to try it for myself and see if what was being said was true or false. I have since converted my 97 runner to a flex and have not seen any problems yet (been 6 months so still early to tell). my mileage has decreased but its cheaper cost balances out. i go for a smog check this month and will see how much cleaner it runs.
 
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