Great ethanol warning

[reynoldston]

Been using ethanol blend gas for years without any problems. Run the fuel real low at the end of the season then refill with fresh at the beginning of the season. The only engine I use ethanol free fuel is my generator because it sits for long periods of time before running. I say do what makes you feel comfortable because there isn't that much difference in the cost of fuel.

 

[smhardesty]

I think I felt a significant power increase with the E0 too, but I didn't mention it since I wasn't able to back that up or quantify it factually.

I'm right there with you. I have made three rather lengthy trips with the car since switching to ethanol free gas. I'm pretty sure I can feel a difference when I step down to pass somebody, or step down just for the hell of it. It's minimal, but I still think I notice an increase in power. I'll know more after running it for a few months.
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[Smithsonite]

I'm wondering why you say not to use 87 octane. Are you referring to ethanol blended gas, or are you saying only to use higher octane fuel. High octane fuel is used in ICEs that have high compression ratios. Running 91 or higher octane gasoline in a regular car, truck, or piece of OPE doesn't do anything. The use of high octane gasoline is recommended only in cars with turbochargers or that have high compression engines in them. It really only serves to decrease or eliminate knock in engines that really require high octane.
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Because when E10 87 sits, it'll end up MUCH lower than 87 in time. I didn't do any testing to prove this - I can just tell by how my equipment runs. My zero turn in my avatar would KNOCK super loudly when first started. That first "pop" was a loud knock on that old fuel. The octane rating had dropped BIG time. Never had that problem with fresh 87 or premium. Another thing is, up here in MA we have winter blend, and summer blend fuels. Winter blend is much more volatile. So that's another part of the equation. I believe I filled that barrel in November the year prior, so that would be winter blend - more prone to knock in the summer heat.

 

[VRR.DYNDNS>BIZ]

I run a mower shop. I love ethanol!

O My income loves ethanol. Repeat or returns are a problem because they get it home and add water, I mean gas to the tank and expect my effort solves everything forever.

 

[Smithsonite]

Ethanol causes problems in Carburetor Engines. In Fuel Injection Engines there is no place for gas to pool and cause problems. Otherwise we'd have stalled cars all over the roads.

It clogs injectors just as badly as carburetors. It's just that people tend to use cars and trucks FAR more than OPE. Cars and trucks aren't seasonal, and they're kind of needed in daily life.

I bought a '93 Volvo 940 in 2015 that hadn't run in a couple years. The owner at the time tried to put a fuel pump in himself. I haven't the slightest clue what the hell he did, but he managed to set the fuel pump wiring harness on fire, lol. Being so close to the open fuel tank in the trunk, it probably scared the crap out of him, and he put it up for sale. I could tell he was throwing his hands up on it. I got it for peanuts. We're still driving it today!

Anyway, my point in telling you this is, when I went to start it for the first time, it took over an hour to clear out the injectors. It just flat did NOT want to run. These are old school injectors, too - BIG, beefy, built to last. Try that with anything from the 21st century, and you'll be replacing ALL of them if you want to drive it.

 

[smhardesty]

The entire ethanol thing started as a substity for the farmers due to low corn prices

You got that exactly right. Knowing where you are located tells me you are aware of the ethanol plant in Palestine. I was privy to a lot of conversations between farmers about how much they were going to invest in the plant to be sure it was built locally. Those farmers aren't stupid. They didn't support the building of the plant for grins and giggles. I made a similar comment about farmers in a previous post. If I was a farmer I probably would have done the same thing. I now see the long lines of trucks at that plant waiting to dump corn in the pit. Those farmers aren't delivering to that plant just for fun. The plant normally offers a slight premium over other grain elevators in the area. Local farmers can now realize the higher price of corn locally instead of driving all the way to the river.
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[reynoldston]

Why do they use E85 in race cars? more power.

 

[Smithsonite]

Yeah, but they're BUILT for that. Higher compression and tuned to match.

My buddy has a 1k HP 2011 Camaro built for E85. The fuel system alone on that cost him $12,000. Has 3 fuel pumps and 1/2" fuel lines - that's what it takes to make power on E85.

 

[smhardesty]

Fun, fun! I have more, but this site doesn't allow anything more than flip phone pics ...

Yep! The carb off the tiller I let sit for over 6 years looked like that, only a little worse. I know there are guys that will argue with me, but I'm 100% convinced that carb ended up that way because Dad used E15 gas with no fuel additives at all. I then let it sit for all those years with that fuel in it. There was still about a cup or more of the gas in the tank when I finally got around to selling it. It was a nasty mess, for sure.

 

[tosh]

I don't disagree with any of the previous comments, but here are some observations on the issue from the frozen North.
10% Ethanol is generally not a problem in a larger capacity engine which is run regularly, whether a car, truck or tractor. However, Mercedes (and perhaps other high-end vehicle manufacturers) advise against using Ethanol "enhanced" fuels. Caveat emptor!
Just for fun, if you put one gallon of gasoline with Ethanol in a clear container, add a cup of water, shake it up and let it settle. You end up with Ethanol-free gasoline above a layer of water/Ethanol. Such is the affinity of Ethanol for water, (and which is the root cause of everybody's problems). If you actually measure the quantity of water added and then measure the settled layer after extracting the Ethanol, then you can see the amount of Ethanol removed.
As for the the Iso Propyl Alcohol, that works fine, but the cheap stuff might be "wet" meaning it's diluted with water, thereby reducing it's effectiveness at de-watering the fuel. Simpler to buy gas line de-icer from your local auto store. Comes in a 6 pack of small sealed bottles. Dump one into the tank every 2-3 fills and away goes any issue with difficulty with small amounts of water in the fuel system. Any significant amount of water in the fuel system will tend to freeze around here and good luck when that happens! Waiting until Springtime is one method. Prevention is highly recommended.