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CORNHICK All-Star Author Omaha Posts:597 Points:270,505 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Jun 5, 2012 6:07:48 PM Ignore CORNHICK Report Abuse ok so the thing is I am wondering do any of you use ethanol or do you just use regular gas or what do you use. Also what do you reccommend?

CORNHICK

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Omaha

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Message Posted: Jun 5, 2012 6:07:48 PM

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ok so the thing is I am wondering do any of you use ethanol or do you just use regular gas or what do you use. Also what do you reccommend?

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WhiskeyBurner Rookie Author Illinois Posts:56 Points:700 Joined:May 2013	Message Posted: May 23, 2013 2:04:38 AM Ignore WhiskeyBurner Report Abuse We just use what ever comes out of the 87 octane nozzle at what ever station we buy it from. Being residents of the Chicago Burbs, everything gets E10. [Edited by: WhiskeyBurner at 5/23/2013 2:07:02 AM EST]
FieroGT Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:14,322 Points:2,506,110 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: May 22, 2013 9:58:21 PM Ignore FieroGT Report Abuse Ethanol is a lousy fuel. Lets just forget it.s
Mr1lung All-Star Author Phoenix Posts:811 Points:164,150 Joined:Nov 2012	Message Posted: Feb 10, 2013 8:59:09 PM Ignore Mr1lung Report Abuse nope
skh150 Rookie Author Denver Posts:85 Points:153,150 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Feb 10, 2013 6:36:31 PM Ignore skh150 Report Abuse Nope!
goldseeker Champion Author West Virginia Posts:19,550 Points:2,719,790 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jun 14, 2012 12:01:04 AM Ignore goldseeker Report Abuse "just asked my mechaninc today and he said premium unleaded is the best for small engines everyone" Unfortunately your mechanic.....and loggers too are not metallurgists or polymer chemists. They have an opinion just like everyone else, but that is all it is....an opinion. As for me the "big oil" propaganda that been spread pretty thick over the past 100 years will not wash. I will continue to run ethanol blended fuels in all my small engines, even chainsaws and weedeaters. If I would rejet my carbs, I could even run pure ethanol.
Cummins2500 Champion Author Iowa Posts:3,128 Points:752,375 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Jun 13, 2012 2:08:54 PM Ignore Cummins2500 Report Abuse CORNHICK: just asked my mechaninc today and he said premium unleaded is the best for small engines everyone" What you were told is the same info that was given to my brother by the repair shop who repairs his chain saw and those of many other loggers in the state of WA. One thing I noticed at reb4 link below was that the full life of some of small engines tested was 50 hours, those numbers listed helped me to better understand why loggers say they hate to use Ethanol gas in there chain saws.
rumbleseat Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:22,926 Points:3,530,310 Joined:Oct 2002	Message Posted: Jun 13, 2012 6:45:56 AM Ignore rumbleseat Report Abuse "just asked my mechaninc today and he said premium unleaded is the best for small engines everyone." Sorry, but your mechanic is just spouting the easy line. Mowers are DESIGNED to run on 87 octane, and most will run fine on lower octane. As a matter of fact, if you pull some Briggs and Stratton manuals you will find engines designed to run on minimum 77 octane for L-head engines and 85 for overhead valve engines. By the way, your small engines run best on FRESH fuel. In 99.9% of service stations, that is REGULAR. Many stations sales are 6% premium, 94% regular, so guess which tanks are refilled the most often? In Manitoba all our regular pumps have been E10 for quite some time, the lawn services people, who use their equipment about 40 or 50 times as much as the average homeowner aren't having problems. Some chainsaws have a higher compression engine, they may run a little better on fresh premium, but your mower will never see the difference except in the wallet department. [Edited by: rumbleseat at 6/13/2012 6:48:14 AM EST]
Mattchooness Sophomore Author Dallas Posts:135 Points:18,700 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Jun 12, 2012 5:09:16 PM Ignore Mattchooness Report Abuse Yeah pure gas is getting pretty hard to find.
insightcruzer All-Star Author Oakland Posts:552 Points:191,145 Joined:Feb 2012	Message Posted: Jun 12, 2012 1:26:01 PM Ignore insightcruzer Report Abuse i don't think I've ever seen non ethonal gas anywhere.
mr157ifhz Sophomore Author Gasbuddy Posts:155 Points:3,120 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jun 12, 2012 12:46:37 PM Ignore mr157ifhz Report Abuse He said...I was told....my neighbor's brother....etc. Yep, nothing like second-hand knowledge to set the facts straight. I didn't know that if it wasn't for ethanol in the fuel, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, etc would never have any problems...wow! Learn a new thing every day on this forum. [Edited by: mr157ifhz at 6/12/2012 12:50:09 PM EST]
CORNHICK All-Star Author Omaha Posts:597 Points:270,505 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Jun 12, 2012 1:50:34 AM Ignore CORNHICK Report Abuse just asked my mechaninc today and he said premium unleaded is the best for small engines everyone.
tattoo666TX Champion Author Texas Posts:2,567 Points:344,480 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Jun 12, 2012 1:41:01 AM Ignore tattoo666TX Report Abuse Where I buy my fuel at only sells premium non-ethanol gas. They have people driving 40 miles plus to put it in there cars and trucks. They also have people driving to get it for use in small aircraft. The owner of the shop also does small engine repair. He has been saying for several years what ethanol does to small engines (lawn mowers, leaf blowers, trimmers, etc.) as well as boat motors. He is constantly repairing things that only have problems because of the ethanol. I have also talked with someone that used e-85 for an extended period (about 1 1/2 years) that decided to dump a couple cans of fuel system/injector cleaner in the tank of his truck. Needless to say, after having to drop the tank, clean it out, put a new fuel pump and filter in he said he will never run anything ethanol in it again if he had a choice. I was told that the build up in his tank that turned to a gummy gunk was more likely to be seen in things like boats when they sit not being used for extended periods.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,113 Points:1,822,125 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Jun 11, 2012 11:48:10 PM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse If you have a small engine, may want to heed to the owners manual recommendations. I usually will get winter fuel and try to use that for my lawn mower and snow blower... Reasoning is (i've been told) that the summer blend is higher ethanol content compared to winter). I usually don't go through more than 2 gallons on the worst with my lawn mower (small yard)...
penumbra42 Champion Author Miami Posts:1,825 Points:391,605 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jun 11, 2012 2:44:21 PM Ignore penumbra42 Report Abuse I have experienced issues (primer bulb and fuel line premature deterioration) with E10 in my 2 cycle lawn equipment. I now remove all fuel from the equipment after use, which seems to have slowed the time to failure.
harrisc Sophomore Author Tennessee Posts:177 Points:471,945 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jun 10, 2012 4:30:10 PM Ignore harrisc Report Abuse I haven't had any problems.
mr157ifhz Sophomore Author Gasbuddy Posts:155 Points:3,120 Joined:Mar 2012	Message Posted: Jun 9, 2012 1:05:42 PM Ignore mr157ifhz Report Abuse 'Aviation fuel in my brigs' Right, so to avoid ethanol you use gas with LEAD in it. Brilliant.
timmyC4 Veteran Author Twin Cities Posts:417 Points:60,600 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jun 9, 2012 10:20:09 AM Ignore timmyC4 Report Abuse Aviation fuel in my brigs.
diegotoad Champion Author Maryland Posts:3,412 Points:816,400 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: Jun 9, 2012 9:46:23 AM Ignore diegotoad Report Abuse Keep hearing reports of it destroying small engines but no personal evidence.
Banjoe Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:4,252 Points:614,265 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jun 9, 2012 7:32:00 AM Ignore Banjoe Report Abuse Problems always seem to happen to friends of friends but never first person problems in my experience. Until I see it happen, I'll keep doubting.
Kawibiker Champion Author Illinois Posts:1,175 Points:205,575 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Jun 8, 2012 1:22:20 AM Ignore Kawibiker Report Abuse there are products out there that help with the ethanol.. bike shops sell it.. cuz some bikes also don't run so good on ethanol. also can look for ethanol free gas.. and if it is near enuf to you, you can get some of that and use in your small engines [Edited by: Kawibiker at 6/8/2012 1:23:29 AM EST]
CORNHICK All-Star Author Omaha Posts:597 Points:270,505 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Jun 7, 2012 9:01:54 PM Ignore CORNHICK Report Abuse Yes I just dont use ethanol fuel at all in my small engines I use to but it was making them run really slow and just not right!
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,113 Points:1,822,125 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Jun 7, 2012 8:52:37 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse I agree chemist74...
chemist74 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:13,510 Points:2,395,980 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Jun 7, 2012 8:48:37 AM Ignore chemist74 Report Abuse One could argue that any company still producing small engines that can not work properly with E10 are by definition producing a defective product. As long as engine producers (2-cycle and vehicle) refuse to warranty their equipment at more than 10% ethanol, any group that claims higher levels produce no damage and push for their use should either assume the liability for any damage (no matter how unlikely) or back off.
gaspumpin Champion Author Indiana Posts:1,670 Points:388,480 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: Jun 6, 2012 6:43:18 PM Ignore gaspumpin Report Abuse I don't think that ethonol is good for most engines. It wears them out prematurely.
timmyC4 Veteran Author Twin Cities Posts:417 Points:60,600 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Jun 6, 2012 4:20:31 PM Ignore timmyC4 Report Abuse Bad for gaskets.
Mattchooness Sophomore Author Dallas Posts:135 Points:18,700 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Jun 6, 2012 11:51:15 AM Ignore Mattchooness Report Abuse I know my new 2 stroke Toro weed-eater says to not use any fuel greater than E10. I also heard something the other day that the powers that be want to make E15 the new E10. What are we to do if we can't get E10 any more for our lawn equipment? Matt
Edpap Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:4,330 Points:506,925 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Jun 6, 2012 9:21:27 AM Ignore Edpap Report Abuse Ethanol is a great fuel if you have an engine specifically designed to use it. Most people don't. Even most of the ffv vehicles from major manufacturers are severly lacking because they are not designed to optimize ethanol use. Contact your engine manufacturer. Don't take a chance.
FieroGT Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:14,322 Points:2,506,110 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Jun 6, 2012 6:45:34 AM Ignore FieroGT Report Abuse I don't think E85 is good for small engines.
oldhome7 Rookie Author Iowa Posts:15 Points:3,005 Joined:Jun 2012	Message Posted: Jun 6, 2012 12:29:49 AM Ignore oldhome7 Report Abuse I run e85 in my 81 Deere rider and my 08 Craftsman 4 stroke trimmer. Only problem with the Deere was that I needed to richen up the idle slightly, though I'd love to deck it and find a really thin head gasket so I can up the compression.
SilverStreaker Champion Author Twin Cities Posts:11,939 Points:2,216,540 Joined:Mar 2006	Message Posted: Jun 5, 2012 9:12:44 PM Ignore SilverStreaker Report Abuse gvan, why do you think that they had E10 in the Chicago area in the 80's, or more to the point, in the pumps that you used? Back then, any E10 that would have been available would have been labelled gasohol.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,113 Points:1,822,125 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Jun 5, 2012 9:00:24 PM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse GVAN, actually there are several stations that are evidently selling e0 but it has LEAD... So what do you know...
gvan Champion Author Chicago Posts:21,533 Points:2,836,290 Joined:Dec 2004	Message Posted: Jun 5, 2012 6:17:47 PM Ignore gvan Report Abuse I hear an awful lot of people complaining about small engines being damaged by ethanol. I wonder how many are actual fact. Here's my experience with E10 and my snowblower and lawn mower: 1979 Toro snowblower-a rubber fuel hose had to be replaced a long, long time ago....probably the early eighties. It could have been due to E10. No engine problems. 1981 lawn mower-got rid of it in 2010. No engine problems. There is only E10 available and has been for years in this area.