Ethanol free gas, overkill?

[MDFMac]

i love it when some one says. i only run non ethanol gas and put dry gas in it... i have run 91 with ethanol in it for 2 years now with no problems. but it dose not sit for more than a few weeks at a time.

 

[Admin]

 

[HiFive]

I prefer non ethanol gas because it attracts less water and where I live 100% humidity is common. The Heet is for extra water in the gas and a cleaning agent to maintain performance. Never worry about gas in the tank for long periods of time.

 

[MTrockSlinger]

I only run ethanol free fuel in my gas engine power equipment. Handheld trimmers, chainsaws, cultivator, mowers, SxS, dirt bikes, boat engines, etc. If you have all steel fuel lines and no other rubber parts in your fuel system then ethanol would probably be ok but it’s still going to attract moisture and create rust if left sitting for a long period. Any rubber in the fuel system and it will eventually dry rot it out. Happened to me in a mower when they first started putting ethanol in the gas. Never a single issue for many years, used ethanol gas for a season then the next season I went to prime it and gas started leaking out everywhere. Dry rotted and cracked the fuel line. Easy fix but I never ran ethanol gas in that mower or anything else again and not a single issue since.

In my opinion, if you have non-ethanol gas available at your local stations then use it. If you have to run ethanol fuel, then run an ethanol fuel treatment additive just to be safe. It’s cheap insurance.

It’s the same issue with Diesel engines and the “ultra low sulfur” fuel. Ultra low sulfur might be better for the environment, but it’s horrible on diesel fuel pumps and injectors because the sulfur is what gives Diesel fuel its lubrication properties. Will my Diesel engines run the normal fuel by itself? Well sure, but I know it’s better if I run additives that increase cetane levels and add lubricity so my pumps and injectors have a much longer and healthier lifespan. Costs more to run additives in every tank but it’s a lot cheaper than replacing injectors or a fuel pump.

 

[MTrockSlinger]

i love it when some one says. i only run non ethanol gas and put dry gas in it... i have run 91 with ethanol in it for 2 years now with no problems. but it dose not sit for more than a few weeks at a time.

That’s not much time to form an opinion. If you have rubber lines anywhere in your fuel system and end up letting it sit for a little too long then you’ll learn your lesson the hard way. You should at least run an additive like the other guys are doing. Then it will probably be ok.

 

[Remington]

i love it when some one says. i only run non ethanol gas and put dry gas in it...

Some one? Who said there putting dry gas in there tank? Seriously, I missed that.

I guess its better then nothing but literally just “dry gas” Really?
Do they still make it? I use to see that stuff in the 80’s at Kmart.

 

[Dirtstiffs-1000]

Kerosene? Camp stove gas.

In all seriousness, I've been running non ethonal lately and my wheeler motor temp does run hotter as a result.

 

[BigOL3]

I keep reading post about ....... not using ethanol in Pioneer if it is not used within a week ....... lol. Yall must have different ethanol than what I use. Do you think all the ethanol you buy was MADE within a week of you using it??? My P1K5 never sits unused for months at the time, but may sit for a week or more without being used and may have the same fuel in the tank for over a month before being replenished. It is going on 4 yrs old with not fuel problems. For 2 stroke fuel that may sit of longer times before using it all, I run the non-ethanol.

 

[KimberproSS]

I always run pure gas in all my atvs and other small engines, and most of the time in my on road vehicles.

It pisses me off that we subsidize ethanol with tax credits, when we have all the oil we need, and the oil industry pays a lot of taxes and employs a lot of people.

I also wonder if many years from now when they are discussing the era of ethanol production (mostely from grain) for powering our vehicles, someone will point out that when people in this country and other countries were going hungry, we were taking an important food source and turning it into fuel, even though we had plenty of oil and gas.

Sorry about getting political

Not to mention the net carbon emissions is greater with Ethanol that without. Take away the government subsidies and out goes ethanol.

 

[Jade]

In your opinions is ethanol free gas overkill, especially if your machine is out on the trail weekly?

Likely overkill, I used to use normal gas as I was out using it a lot, but then when I stop, I stop for along time...so went back to ethanol free, which I'm glad...cause if work gets busy or I don't get out for awhile...I don't have to worry about it separating. I've had small engines, mowers and crap gunk up just from two or three weeks of not using it.

I'd say it depends on how much your out, since your out weekly...shouldn't be an issue, unless you park it when the snow hits the ground and it isn't as fun to go riding when its 10 below zero outside.

 

[bluemountainbugler]

My 2 cents worth...only because of inflation. Fuels with ethanol are less octane and use the ethanol to boost the octane rating. Example is regular with 87 octane rating is actually 84 octane with 10% ethanol to achieve 87 octane. One thing I know for sure is unless fuel lines and o rings and gaskets are alcohol proof they will dry and crack. I used to have to replace cracked fuel lines and primer bulbs in my small motors until I switched to non ethanol. Not one problem since.

 

[KimberproSS]

In your opinions is ethanol free gas overkill, especially if your machine is out on the trail weekly?

With rubber fuel lines and fuel injection, probably no issue with Ethanol. I run non-ethanol in my power tools (Trimmer, Chainsaw, blower), all two stroke and run intermittently for relatively short periods, but since running non, no issues. In the past, ethanol makes the polymer fuel line brittle and eventually leaks. It also is a good solvent that cleans out the system. unfortunately all that removed junk goes to the carburetor. My assumption is if the machine is run routinely, ethanol is on big deal. If it sits for long periods between running, fuel stored in it, the ethanol will evaporate and leave residue. I've seen this in carburetors where the fuel evaporates our of the float bowl and plugs the jets. In fuel injection, I have not had any issues.

 

[Jdemp]

That’s it exactly.

I keep an old arctic cat (01 carb 250) at my regular residence it moves once a week I use regular pump gas…

I keep my pioneer and old dirt bike at my cabin in WV they move once a month or less I use non ethanol…or if I can’t get it on a ride I use treatment (startron etc).

I also have a 72 Buick riviera 455…it sits a lot I only run 93 non ethanol even though I rebuilt the carb to resist ethanol breakdown.
Really Never had any issues that way…

Ride it once every month or two? Use ethanol free gas. Ride daily or at least weekly? Doesn't matter.

 

[HondaFan]

In your opinions is ethanol free gas overkill, especially if your machine is out on the trail weekly?

After 35 years working in the refining industry, I can tell you that ethanol free does matter quite a bit. There are three issues: potential for forming gums, solubility of water, and mileage.

Unless you turn the tank over frequently - within a week or two, ethanol will form gums that can foul the carb or injection system. Until I started using ethanol free gas on all my small engines, I had to replace the carb on every engine. The fuel injection systems on some machines may be a little more resistant to fouling, but that just delays the problem. You can also put in an additive to help, but you will have to be religious in using it. It's best to just buy ethanol free gasoline and not have to worry.

Any alcohol mixed into gasoline will tend to make water soluble in the gasoline. This puts water into the engine and can create it's own fouling trouble. This is the reason that nobody blend methanol with gasoline - it's water solubility is much worse than ethanol. There is still some risk with ethanol.

Ethanol has a lower energy content than normal gasoline. When you blend ethanol into gasoline, the overall energy content is lower resulting in lower mileage - as much as 10-20% lower. Therefore, the extra cost of ethanol-free gasoline is probably worth it for the extra mileage.

I won't go into all the politics, but the benefits of ethanol blending into gasoline are doubtful at best. There is plenty of data that shows the ethanol/gasoline blend does not burn any cleaner than normal gasoline, so don't buy ethanol blends thinking that you are "green." The only purpose to blend ethanol is to make farmers more money by increasing demand for the corn crop. The political downside of ethanol is that we turn food into fuel, which should never make sense in anybody's politics.

Bottom line - I run ethanol gasoline in my SUV and car. I run ethanol free gasoline in all my small engines including my ATV and my SXS. The cost of cleaning or replacing the fuel system simply isn't worth the small savings to use ethanol blends.

Hope this helps!

 

[NKnelsen]

I only run ethanol free gas if it's in a seasonal motor like a lawn mower or snow blower. My SXS gets 87 and occasional fuel cleaner additives.

 

[IvanGirderboot]

I’d run E-0 if I could find it but I can’t. Colorado was one of the first states to mandate ethanol fuels way back in 1988 If I remember correctly.

There are plenty of E0 gas stations in Colorado. It's all I run in mine.

 

[NielsC]

I don’t run ethanol in the winter.

 

[CumminsPusher]

Run regular now and haven’t had issues. I don’t like it sitting too long though. If we have extra in fuel can after a ride I’ll dump it in car and start over fresh. in winter I’ll usually try to switch to e free because they sit longer.
Buddy was running regular in his toy hauler fuel station and it finally burned him on Pioneer and Honda genny a couple weekends back. He’d just add fuel occasionally though.

 

[Cyborg]

Non-ethanol in our SXSs & ATVs, lawn mowers, and other small engines is worth it in my experience. I’m not a mechanic, but it’s all I use in small engines and I’ve never had a fuel system problem in any of them. I’ve heard plenty of horror stories from buddies that did otherwise.

 

[nm6r]

I wouldn't waste my money on ethanol free. That little bit of ethanol is actually a good thing as it absorb any moisture rather than letting collect in the tank.

 

[Bwentz]

In your opinions is ethanol free gas overkill, especially if your machine is out on the trail weekly?

I've tried both in all my Hondas. Everyone of them run better on ethanol free. So that's what I stick with as much as possible.