Technical > Home Improvement > Stihl power equipment and ethanol "enhanced" gas

reply to Robotics

Re: Stihl power equipment and ethanol "enhanced" gas

reply to Jack_in_VA
I have ethonal 13 stations within 15 miles of my home, and 3 are within 2 miles.
About a year after I purchased my riding mower, it wouldn't start.
I tore off the carborator cover, and notice white gunk in it.
I used a little bit of Sea Foam to clean it up, filled up the tank with fresh gas with a few onces of Sea Foam and it started right up.
Now I just use the ethonal free gas with some Sta-Bil in it.
--
Getting it Done.

reply to MrIcehouse
In response to MrIcehouse's comment about making Ethanol from sugarcane. I have viewed several documentaries about how Brazil became energy independent by supplementing petroleum with cane based ethanol. One of the things that our government does not mention, was described in the documentary is that cane based Ethanol has a higher energy content than corn based Ethanol. There is also Switch Grass which can be used to produce a higher energy Ethanol unfortunately US Agriculture has not converted to Switch Grass or Sugar Cane Ethanol production.

In response to Robotics comment, Aviation gasoline is anhydrous which means it contains no water. Water can freeze up in the fuel system cutting off fuel flow, stopping the engine and causing a crash. Gas pumps designed to pump aviation fuel have a final filter that contains a desiccant like silica gel to remove any residual water in the fuel.

Using leaded fuel in current automobiles will destroy the oxygen sensor and catalytic converter. Both are costly to replace.

Although the government claims that Gasoline with 10% Ethanol is safe to use in modern automobiles, when 10% Ethanol is used in late model automobiles that were not designed with fuel systems to accommodate Ethanol, the fuel system can still be slowly be damaged by corrosion of Aluminum parts and degradation of plastic parts.

Interesting read!

Thanks for posting this.

reply to Jack_in_VA
I've been using E10 for 20 years in my four stroke engines. Cars (83, 86, 90, 96 and newer.), mowers and snow blower from the 70s. No problems.
In my 2 stokes I switched around y2k. Outboards from 66 and 88, weed whacker and snowmobiles from 90, Stihl chainsaw 08. Only one problem. The weed whacker primer bulb dried out and cracked after 10 years.
As a rule I don't use additives other than occasional sea foam or injector cleaner. I do like to drop the sled carb bowls every couple years, but that was always required maintenance even before eth.
Eth has been available at the pump for a couple decades now, so if a five year old product cannot handle eth, then it seems like a defect to me.

reply to Jack_in_VA
The bottom line like I've said for years is ethanol gas is bad for the economy, bad for gas millage and bad for engines.

Good for harpies.

The EPA should think about their charter.

reply to Ken

reply to Mr Matt
Ethanol from corn has exactly the same energy per gallon as ethanol from cane. Ethanol from switchgrass is the same energy per gallon as both of the others.
The energy used to grow corn and process corn into ethanol is greater than that to grow cane, so the net energy advantage goes to cane.

The fact is the auto and power equipment manufacturers have to make the equipment run on what fuel is available/mandated.

reply to Jack_in_VA
How many gallons of of imported oil is 10-12% lower gas milage per year in the us?

I can't figure it out. big billions

reply to Jack_in_VA
over the years. A trillion?

reply to Jack_in_VA
5 trillion?

reply to mityfowl

reply to mityfowl

reply to fifty nine

reply to Jack_in_VA
Ethanol has been in gasoline in the US for a while now. And for quite a while now, many people like yourself with small engines have had trouble with it eating and dissolving rubber fuel lines and gaskets, and with is dislodging deposits in their engines. Your equipment is fairly new, so my question is, why hasn't Stihl accounted for this in their new designs?

Also, I'll 2nd that a marina is the easiest place to find ethanol free gasoline.

reply to Jack_in_VA
There was/is a Stihl recall for certain gas caps. It seems the ethanol destroyed the rings and the caps would not seal. My dealer just asked me how many I needed and he gave them to me. You could tell how much better the new ones seated.

I buy nothing but ethanol free gas for all my small motors. There is a station about 10 miles from my house so I wait and take all of my and my parent's containers there at once and get them filled. I also only use 93 octane.

Stabil and others make an ethanol treatment and I would use it if I couldn't get ethanol free gas. And Lowes and HD sell quarts of ethanol free mixed gas, but I go though too much for this to be economical.

reply to Jack_in_VA
It takes a long time but the EPA and Congress is starting to get called out.

No, it is this years drought cutting back on projected corn supplies which means no surplus corn to make ethanol for gas without driving food supply costs up before an election.
Congress critters do understand they are in the line of fire if that occurs.

So much for upping the ethanol to 15% like some proposed.