Ethanol free fuel

[Ura-Ki]

It's all a sham and "bad" science! It costs less per gal of gas, because there is actually less gas! It makes less power because it lacks the Cetane rating of gas ( like octane but different) and is highly corrosive to non treated parts! It is also really good at washing lube off of parts that need lube, so it increases wear and tear much more! Because it makes less power, engines have to work harder to make the same power that we desire, because the engines are having to work harder, they increase emissions by quite a bit, and because the fuel washes out the lube, your engine oil gets polluted much more and lasts way fewer miles! I have seen reports of auto manufactures claiming a 30% decrease in life span, a 40% increase in repair/replacement costs, and the added cost to produce a product is up 13% which gets passed on to the buyer! They get you at every turn! Then you have folks like me that have old rigs. I have had to replace entire fuel systems because this fuel literally destroys them! My Jeep has been through three Carbs, and two replacement fuel sending units! They don't make aftermarket parts to deal with these issues for old rigs like mine, so we have to improvise! The worst thing is this fuel cost me a $6000 Out Board!!!

 

[Martini_Up]

Some in our government have suggested increasing the amount of ethanol in our fuel and most of the auto manufactures have stated their auto's won't run on it, period.

Ethanol from corn, what a joke! As some have already stated here, it takes MORE energy to produce it than it creates.

Think about it. What sense does it make to spend 3 gallons of fuel to produce 1 (or whatever the ratio)?? It is not a perpetual energy equation in fact quite the opposite.

This is not green. This does not help the environment. Follow the $$ and it's easy to see who is benefitting and it isn't the consumer in any way.

 

[U8395279]

There is a PureGas app you can use to find those stations

And here it is:

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

.

 

[JRuby]

i put clear gas in all my small engines. infact when im low in fuel in my truck (98 f150) i empty the 4wheeler or lawnmower gas into it. i get better fuel economy and power. i dont recommend putting clear gas in newer vehicles though.

just a heads up: clear gas when mixed for two stroke engines runs cooler than ethanol gas (because most people dont adjust their carbs)and wont melt down your chainsaw either. my buddy went thru two chainsaws before believing me. clear gas in general doesnt gunk up carbs or eat fuel lines like ethanol. im a firm believer.

I buy ethanol free gas at Road Runner in scappoose for my 2 cycle engines with the belief that its keeps them from gunking up. Even at 4$ a gallon its alot cheaper than stihl premix.

 

[Mikej]

Stabil actually does something. Its about 5% BHT which acts as a sacrificial molecule and prevents oxidation.
Seafoam is just a placebo. Light oil, naphtha and IPA. It MIGHT pull some water out of gas but it doesnt do much of anything else.

You mean all those "Sparkly Go-Fast Boat" owning, bass fishing boys from the Southeast didn't really keep their V-6 Johnny-Rudes running longer with Sea foam for the last 40 years? Well, what ever is in it, it keeps me from needing to service the carb on my edger, and two mowers, and chainsaw and.....

 

[wired]

You mean all those "Sparkly Go-Fast Boat" owning, bass fishing boys from the Southeast didn't really keep their V-6 Johnny-Rudes ( Big Mercs and Jonnyrudes) running longer with Sea foam for the last 40 years? Well, what ever is in it, it keeps me from needing to service the carb on my edger, and two mowers, and chainsaw and.....

yep. That stuff. Its about as effective as fuel line magnets. Its a placebo. If it works for you and you believe it works go for it. Ive built hundreds of two stroke racing engines . Sea foam is good for unsticking rings from pistons if you soak them for a while but you could do that in any light oil. Pouring it in the gas tank does nothing besides make your exhaust a little smokier.

 

[Mikej]

Only problem with that I've always thought is, how many racing engines ever get close to 1000 hours? Racing engines always seem to wear themselves out well earlier.

 

[wired]

Im an ME who minored in Chemistry and Im the plant engineer in a Chemical plant. Ive been builing boat engines for 35 years and Im good friends with some of the top engine builders in the country. Use a good semisynthetic oil at 40:1 and dont drive on the ragged edge like I do and it will last you forever. Stabil works for a reason. Seafoam doesnt do much of anything for a readon.

 

[CoastRange57]

I had over 25 small gasoline engines in my construction fleet at one time. From small two strokes up to 38 hp water cooleds. We started running 50:1 synthetic oil gasoline mixes in all our gasoline engines 2 and 4 stroke and it helped quite a bit. We were constantly trying to keep them in tune and the alcohol destroyed rubber or plastic fuel lines. So much we keep plenty of extras on hand out in the field. We had lots of problems with cylinder head temps being way too hot.

The Space Age in Cornelius has it and the Shell in Banks does as well. I bought a new Stihl blower from Precision in Banks on Thursday and they highly recommended running ethanol free gasoline in it. I did go get 5 gallons and will run it in my small engines.

Now as far as the B20 diesel at the Space Age in Cornelius, that is pure crap. Friend borrowed a friends tractor and put some of the sh*t in it and clogged the filters in less than 15 minutes of operation. Drain the whole system, change the filters. I put some B 15 in my Freightliner with the big cam 400 Cummins in it a few years back because that was all I could get where I was in inner SE Portland. I replaced a fuel filter in Eugene and another one along side I 5 on the Sisykou Summit. Fun.

Even with non ethanol fuels manufacturers are recommending only 30 days of stored mixed fuel. The extra cost of non ethanol fuels is well worth it in my opinion. If I still had that many engines to worry about, I would have a dedicated pickup tank with non ethanol fuel in it even if it was $ 5 a gallon.

 

[Caveman Jim]

We call it, "CLEAR" fuel.

If you can find a place who will sell it for off-road only, it is quite a bit cheaper (no road taxes applied).

I use it in all my yard equipment, boat, generator, quads, snowmobiles, etc...

Boat dock where launch had it for $3.80 / gal.

I've seen it at the station close to an OHV park for $3.45 / gal.

The 76 station in N.Wilsonville has it for.... $4.69/gal. What a rip-off.

I call it GAS because the other stuff is Ethanol fuel, which is crappp....

 

[Cryobot]

Some additional details:

Moisture in the air enters through the fuel tank vent and gas cap

Water condenses on the cool surfaces of the tank above the fuel

Ethanol naturally attracts water

Ethanol free gas oxidizes and starts to create gum and varnish in roughly 60 days

E10 can start to deteriorate in roughly 30 days

Ethanol is a solvent that dissolves gum, varnish, rust, dirt deposits and non-metals

Ethanol resistant non-metals break down more slowly

Ethanol-water settles at the bottom of the tank

Bacteria feeding on the ethanol excrete acetic acid that corrodes metals

Water mixing with standard gas additives create gum deposits

Gum, varnish, and deposits clog the fuel system

Ethanol-water at the bottom of the tank gets sucked into the engine and causing starting issues

Fuel stabilizer grabs oxygen in the gas, slowing it from turning into gum and varnish

Fuel stabilizer slows the bacteria growth

Keeping your tank full will prevent tank condensation

E10 used frequently can keep your tank dryer and cleaner

 

[PBinWA]

The problem with the Bio-diesel blends and clogged filters is well known. The Bio-Diesel will "clean" the crud out of your tanks and lines (especially if you haven't used it before and your truck is relatively well used) and the crud is what clogs your filters. OR if you are using it in really cold weather then you need to add a decent winter additive - I usually run Power Service in my diesels - especially in the winter. Bio-diesel will gel much quicker then regular diesel.

 

[mjbskwim]

We have 3-4 places in our little town
But I'm guessing the quad and chain saw to person ratio is fairly high here

 

[wired]

We have nothing like that at least where I'm at in Washington. No straight gas that I know of. I prefer 100LL AVGAS in my lawn mower if I can find it. Runs cool and makes the mower run smooth as silk.

I'm thinking about building a 438 inch injected small block Ford at 13:1 optimized for E85 fuel. If you can't beat them, use their goofy alcohol fuel in ways they don't approve of.

 

[Cryobot]

We have nothing like that at least where I'm at in Washington. No straight gas that I know of. I prefer 100LL AVGAS in my lawn mower if I can find it. Runs cool and makes the mower run smooth as silk.

I'm thinking about building a 438 inch injected small block Ford at 13:1 optimized for E85 fuel. If you can't beat them, use their goofy alcohol fuel in ways they don't approve of.

Puregas.org shows two gas stations that sell ethanol free in Yakima.

 

[Mikej]

We have nothing like that at least where I'm at in Washington. No straight gas that I know of. I prefer 100LL AVGAS in my lawn mower if I can find it. Runs cool and makes the mower run smooth as silk.

I'm thinking about building a 438 inch injected small block Ford at 13:1 optimized for E85 fuel. If you can't beat them, use their goofy alcohol fuel in ways they don't approve of.

THAT baby ought to cut the grass eh?

 

[HB of CJ]

My old 1978 Volvo 242GT 2 door did NOT like alcohol at all. Seemed it dissolved the lining on the entire fuel system starting at the gas tank in the back and working its way forward to the fuel injection system.

Sold that piece of sh . . . t. Then only later did I learn that many gas stations sell for a high price high octane alcohol free gasoline. Too little, too late. Some friends run the stuff in their hot rods. They are happy.

 

[wired]

What the alcohol really does is dissolve the varnish that has been deposited in your fuel system and puts it into your filter , jets, injectors etc. If you started out running the stuff its not really an issue with cars but if you have something that sits for long periods its not for you.

 

[PaulB47]

The problem with the Bio-diesel blends and clogged filters is well known. The Bio-Diesel will "clean" the crud out of your tanks and lines (especially if you haven't used it before and your truck is relatively well used) and the crud is what clogs your filters. OR if you are using it in really cold weather then you need to add a decent winter additive - I usually run Power Service in my diesels - especially in the winter. Bio-diesel will gel much quicker then regular diesel.

I used to run 100% biodiesel in my old Passat; people following me would get hungry because it smelled like a fast food restaurant. The only time I got a clogged filter was when I was running the nasty stuff from the bottom of my 250 gallon tote that had been stored a long time and had no biocide in it. It finally wouldn't drive up the hill to Oakridge, so I turned it around and drove it all the way back to Hillsboro - not changing the filter until I got home.

However running that old crap did a number on my injection pump, as I expensively found out later. If you store biodiesel, MAKE SURE YOU USE A BIOCIDE!

That was back in the days of the batch manufacturers. There was a guy east of Hillsboro that I got it from. Needless to say, the stuff sold at major gas stations is going to be A LOT higher quality.

Running clean biodiesel is not going to plug your filter, even if you run B100. That's kind of an old wive's tale if you ask me. If you worry about it, run your first tank just before you are about to change your filter anyway. After that, it's done. I also carried a spare filter (actually one of my old used filters) just in case, but I never needed it on the road.

I don't see any problem with the B5 or B10 that you can get at the pump these days, though, and actually prefer it. It's great for lubricity in this day of ULSD fuel. There is never going to be any problem with gelling with that small percentage, not in this climate. But I do agree that Power Service is good to use also.

 

[HB of CJ]

Ah ... K Jet. The younger Cousin of Lucas, the Prince Of Darkness. The car did sit for years before I bought it. Should have known better, but I did not. I sold the 1978 242GT Volvo to a ... ... Volvo collector. Have not seen that car around for years now. Still running? Restored? Rebuilt? Crushed? Dunno.