[zuren]

I think it is widely known that the ethanol added to standard pump gas is bad for older gasoline and 2-cycle equipment that weren't designed to use it and/or sit for long periods of time between uses. Many chainsaw guys advocate using ethanol-free fuel but it can be hard to find.

My local Mobil station now carries ethanol-free gasoline (90 octane) but it is $4/gal.! At the regular pump, 89 octane is currently $2.55. I would have to do the math of adding ethanol treatment to regular pump gas but is treated pump gas just as good as ethanol-free gas?

Like I said, I need to do the math but I think I can buy many more gallons of pump gas (with bottles of ethanol treatment) to the same dollar amount of ethanol-free gas. If there is little/no performance difference between the 2, it makes sense to save my money.

Thanks!

 

[TreePointer]

1. Newer OPE is still affected by ethanol.

2. Ethanol treatment like Sta-Bil does not remove ethanol, so many ethanol issues remain.

I'd get the ethanol free fuel and add my 2-cycle mix to it. Note that a good modern 2-cycle mix already has stabilizers in it.

Alternatively, you can use ethanol fuel (under 10%) during your high use period. Only make enough of it so that it's consumed within a month or two. When you go to store your OPE, run non-ethanol fuel through it. At the end of the season, I do this by running something like Tru-fuel or Stihl's Motomix through my OPE.

 

[Subaru Guy]

This is a great topic, i've often wondered the same thing. I know all ethanol treatment is not created equal, so any input on that would be nice as well. I've been using the green STP Ethanol treatment, $3 at the local Walmart, treats 40 gallons. Comparable treatments at the small engine shop cost over 3 times as much, not sure what I ought to be using.

 

[joat]

some new equipment warranties will be VOID if you use ethanol

older ( non steel ) gas lines go soft and collapse ...

 

[Chagrin]

I've been using the green STP Ethanol treatment, $3 at the local Walmart, treats 40 gallons.

I always look at these fuel treatments with suspicion, and digging up the MSDS for STP products it appears that most are just kerosene (~85%). That is to say that the "Octane Booster" is the same as the "Fuel Stabilizer" is the same as your "Ethanol Treatment". There are a few differences in the other petroleum distillates present with it but I suspect that's more a factor of manufacturing tolerances than anything else.

It doesn't appear to be quite the same as lamp oil; the CAS description for the "hydrodesulfurized kerosene" they use suggests it has tighter limits on the amount of sulfur present. Probably an EPA rule.

 

[stockcarguy]

Hi everyone seeing the talk on ethanol in gas , let's put it simply if you have the money to pay the repair shop every year cause you rather be a ebinizer scuggz and by pump gas for your outdoor stuff then don't cry of the high price for repairs or spend some money and bye ethanol free gas for our outdoor equipment it's simple maintaince and using what the manufactures recommendation for fuel to maintain your outdoor stuff

 

[KWDAILYD]

Some of us don't have a choice with the ethanol. It's the only thing available within 80 miles of me. Small airports and marinas that I have checked with will not sell the straight gas to pump into a gas container. I buy the premix Trufuel 50:1 straight gas for all my two stroke engines that i start using towards the end of the season that you can buy by the quart at some of the big box stores. I use Joe Gibbs Racing Carb Defender along with Sea Foam for winter storage and run the carbs dry on my 4 stroke engines. I think basically all the carb defender does is help keep the ethanol from attracting moisture.

 

[stockcarguy]

Kwdailyd isn't there a Home Depot or a lowes near you ? If so you can go there and buy ethanol free two stroke mix already mixed in the ratio's of 40/1 and 50/1 and the ones Home Depot have is tru fuel on the 40/1 & 50/1 ,and echo brand on 50/1 ,lowes has tru fuel in the 40/1 & 50/1 and husqavarnas brand at 50/1 hopefully you didn't know they had the pre mix stuff already in the stores

 

[M21BMR]

I agree with some of the other posters here. I have a similar situation in my area, where there are a few stations that carry ethanol free, but it is significantly more expensive per gallon. I don't think twice about paying the extra for ethanol free fuel. I buy ethanol free fuel for all my OPE (lawn tractor, push mower, blowers, chainsaws, trimmer, etc.), and I add sta-bil to my can before I pump the fuel.
If ethanol free fuel is available in your area I'd use it in small engines. In reality how many gallons a year do most of us use for that purpose? Likely at most 10 gallons, meaning that the extra cost to run ethanol free fuel would cost most people $15 or less per year.
I have a hobby of repairing OPE, and I attribute quite a few fuel system problems to ethanol. Sometimes it amazes me when I find an old Homelite saw that has sat with fuel in it for likely 10 or more years, the saw will often run by simply draining the old fuel and replacing with fresh gas.
Maybe it is not all the fault of ethanol, but in carbs that have sat up a long time in newer engines, I often have found quite a bit of rust, etc on some of the internal steel parts in the carburetor. I've had quite a few carburetors that I just could not get to run right even after cleaning and putting in a carb kit.

 

[russkat]

I've had great luck using ethanol free fuel, never tried a treatment.

 

[Bolens 1000]

One thing to keep in mind is the treatments no mater the brand are not a cure for ethanol all they do is help break down the water molecules and help them burn more efficiently, your essentially still burning crppy fuel and the engines made prior to the ethanol will still run hotter than if you were to use non ethanol fuel.

I buy non ethanol when possible , in the two stokes I have switched to all tru-fuel mixed fuel so you dont have to worry about gas going bad or eating your fuel lines ect.
For the average user it pays to use the Tru-fuel , now if your a landscaper going through a gallon of 2 stroke a week then it dosent pay.

 

[stockcarguy]

Bolens and every one you can buy the ethanol free fuel in bulk as in one gallon cans and five gallon pails depending on manufacture it will come already mixed at 50:1 or 40:1 mixture ready to go

 

[stockcarguy]

And I found this year at the end of the year that lowes sells tru fuel four stroke gas in gallons and I paid 20 bucks a gallon and did my last mow running ethonal free threw my tractors fuel system

 

[rayjay]

I recently discovered a Valero station less than 5 miles from home that has 90 octane E0 for $2.89 a gallon. I bought $25 worth .

I still use a gas stabilizer even in E0. This isn't 1960s gas even if it doesn't have ethanol.

 

[slapshot11]

I'm like zuren, I live near a Mobil station that sells no ethanol 90 octane premium for $4 a gallon. (Chelsea, MI). I have never had any luck with Stabil, in my opinion, it's useless. I have had great luck with Ethanol Shield and Mechanic-In-A-Bottle, both made by the same people. The MIAB works really well for cleaning out a fuel system, I've had (and many friends as well) many good outcomes with the stuff found at Menards and Tractor Supply...

 

[Curly69]

I'll lay my .02 worth. I use stabilizer in everything gas.
If I don't use stabilizer and drain everything gas in the fall the spring his filled with cleaning carburetors and fuel lines.
Last yr I was sick and didn't get around to it and this spring the only thing that ran was a craftsman mid mount mower. Push mowers and chain saw along with weed eater had to be repaired. I had to by a carb for the weed eater it just wouldn't run right and the inside of the carb was filled with rust and just junk.

 

[01G]

Make your own ethanol free gas.

If you search youtube for "remove ethanol from gasoline" you find lots of stuff like this.

A simpler verstion of the ethanol remover.

Best,
Paul B

 

[*Gmoney*]

I just add 4 ounces of ATF oil to every 10 gallons of gas during purchase and run in every engine that is non cat. No more plugged carb jets, no rust in fuel tanks or carbs.

 

[stockcarguy]

Gmoney that actually work using atf fluid in two strokes

 

[MARK (LI)]

So...is the recommendation to use ethanol free in all OPE...or just 2 cycle equipment?