Ethanol and small engines... GRRRRRR

[Gretch]

The loggers in NH use startron in their 2 cycle fuel....... we put it in the sleds, mowers, pretty much all small gasoline engines now. My 2000 A6 2.7T pops a CEL light with out it.....

For some reason the Porsches don't seem to need it, but the Harleys get some.

[74-911]

Places that repair small engines love ethanol gas. Cleaning carbs, replacing fuel lines, etc. Good for business.

[Baz]

Locations for ethanol-free gas in your area (state):

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

Find ethanol free gas near you!

In my city 2 marinas are listed. I'll check into those later today and report back the price and purchasing details....

[gamin]

Go to pure-gas.org and you will find 150 gas stations that sell ethanol free fuel in Montana.

[Jim Richards]

None in SoCal

[red-beard]

Has anyone tried using whitegas (naptha, coleman fuel, etc) for storage? That stuff seems to keep for years and it has no additive. It is a lousy fuel (50-60 octane).

[mikester]

Yep, I have two items - my mower and my trimmer. I don't have the best storage options for them. I keep the mower out in the open on the side of the house. I need to get a cover for it. I've had to clean out the carb a number of times and have gotten to the point where I start it up on Wednesdays just to make sure it's good and I keep as little gas as possible in it. I'll start buying that gas in the cans now though I think.

I love engines.

I hate ethanol...

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by Jferr006

Yep, we try to only run leftover jet fuel in the lawn mower/generator, buy the premix stihl for the weed whacker and we only buy non-ethanol for the boat at the marina.

I looked up the Stihl pre-mixed fuel. It says it's ethanol-free and will last two years UNOPENED. I think I'll buy some, but it's not cheap.

$7~$8 per 32. oz container = $28~$32 per gallon. I go through maybe 12 to 15 gallons per winter. The butt puckers at that thought. But I'll try some anyway. I just clogged two of my best chainsaws last Memorial Day weekend, removing the Tree From Hell from a buddy's yard.

[beepbeep]

I converted my Briggs mower to run on E85 three years ago. It has spent this winter sitting in a shed with tank full of E85. It started yesterday w/o problems. I just had to prime it a bit longer.

My 200kmiles Audi UrS4 got converted two years ago. I had to beefen the ignition and install larger fuel pump. Other that cold starting issues, it runs like a champ.

Ethanol is great! 104 octane, clean burning and in these neck of woods, slightly cheaper per mile than gas.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by beepbeep

slightly cheaper per mile than gas.

Not here. It is maybe 10% less expensive and has about 30-35% less energy.

I've been reading up on ETBE. It has better characteristics than ethanol, and does not absorb water.

[URY914]

I stopped at a station today selling 110 octane ethanol-free gas for $7.99 a gallon.

And those websites posted earlier for ethanol-free gas stations are not up to date.

[Jandrews]

The web sites that show local stations near here as having ethanol free gas always point to BP stations. Does the BP gas (apparently the same as Amoco Ultimate or "BP with Invigorate") contain ethanol? It doesn't say one way or the other, but the premium is 93 octane. Web searches aren't clear....some people say that gas is ethanol free, and others say it is 10%. There are a handful of BP stations within 10 miles from me where I can get this gas, but my suspicion is that it has ethanol. If so, who is auditing those pure-gas web sites and the iPhone app which shows it as ethanol free as well?

Talking Kansas City area here....

Thanks,

JA

[Zeke]

You can add a very small amount of sysnthetic 2-cycle oil to lawn and garden equipment. There is no cat and it wouldn't shut down the engine anyway if there were.

Or order some VP