So fkin pissed off....ethanol gasoline strikes again

[1958 F.W.D.]

So....speaking of our thread about ethanol formulated gasoline........A few weeks ago I went to use my Homelite string trimmer.....It's about 3 or 4 years old. Not one of the expensive ones but not one of the cheap ones, either. The supply fuel line popped off where it connects in at the primer bulb. So I figure "eh I'll snip a bit off and just put it back on." WRONG. Went to snip it and the line was split laterally down the length. And brittle. And falling apart. GRRRRRRRR So I went down to the local lawn mower parts shop and showed the guy what I needed, figuring I could just get a length of replacement hose off the reel for a buck and be on my way. WRONG. They don't have it. Can get it, take 2-3 days and will cost $5.75. Uhhhhhhh no.

So the guy was nice enough and showed me that they have been using Polish-American Engineering and inserting a short piece of smaller diameter line onto the brass nozzle, and then a larger diameter line around that to run back down to the fuel tank. He gives me what I need, $.75 I am out the door. Fixed it, runs great.

Yesterday I go to fire it up, and the g-damned return line disintegrated this time. All because some fucking hippie doobie-smoking piece of shit thinks we should have this garbage in our fuels. It's going to be a lot harder to replace the return line. Do I say "fuckit" and fix it, or do I say "fuckit" and buy an Echo this time (little better quality of a unit but still....Ethanol gasoline and all that.......) I could run pure gas in it.....But to get the pure gas it's a 10+ mile ride one way......

[HarryS]

I have had the same problem with Echo. the only good part of that is I was able to get the replacement line, but still a PITA. I swore of the the stuff and now drive about 30 miles one way with gas cans and then add a little Marvel Mystery Oil. I feel the same as you about the expletives that are responsible for this stupidity. They need to feed people with that corn.

[41chevy]

Tygon (spell?) Fuel line at any Hobby Shop that sells Radio Control Gas Cars or GoPeds. About 2 or 3 Dollars

[1958 F.W.D.]

HarryS Yes I suppose it's time I bite the bullet and start buying pure gas.

Have you ever let any quantity of it sit around for a while? Whats the max you would let it sit? I want to put some in my gen set (which I light up once a month for an hour) but not if it will go bad.......Does it tend to laquer like ethanol gasoline?

[HeavyGunner]

I put either sea foam or stabil in every gas jug I fill. That way no matter what every thing I have has fuel treatment in it and I've not had a gumming problem or parts failure in years. I also try and run the machine out of fuel at the end of the season it's used in (like trimmers and ice augers) drain the bowl then pour in a little bit of sea foam into the gas tank and start it and run it until it dies then drain the bowl again.

[HarryS]

I haven't had a problem with the non ethanol gas going bad. I think the longest I've let it sit is about 6 months. I don't do that on purpose but time has a way of going faster than my good intentions.

[1958 F.W.D.]

I put either sea foam or stabil in every gas jug I fill. That way no matter what every thing I have has fuel treatment in it and I've not had a gumming problem or parts failure in years. I also try and run the machine out of fuel at the end of the season it's used in (like trimmers and ice augers) drain the bowl then pour in a little bit of sea foam into the gas tank and start it and run it until it dies then drain the bowl again.

Yes I always treat my gas with Ethanol-Formula STA-BIL (the orange shit....) Yes I do that with the mowers, trimmers, snow blowers, etc.

The gen set though......I'd like to leave a gallon or two in it, so I was wondering if anyone has had issues with pure-gas going bad as fast as ethanol gasoline. I'll try a gallon or two (treated) and see what happens.

[tjc transport]

i got so pissed off at ethenol crap ruining 3 string trimmers i gave up on them and got an electric one.

ethenol gas gets a double dose of stabil, and a double dose of marine stabil. i still have 2 1 gallon containers of this mix in the garage as a "test bed" that is a little over 2 years old and still good.

but i usually use it after no more than 12 months.

i always have at least 10 gallons in the garage to power the 2 10 KW gensets and the gas welders. a;; units running will make just about 32 KW. if power goes out i use around 5 gallons per hour if everything is running, but i usually only run 1 10 k unit at around 1 gph.

and the gen sets always get the fuel disconnect and carbs run dry to prevent varnishing of the fuel bowls.

Edited September 6, 2015 by tjc transport

[farmer52]

Randy,

Don't use the orange Sta-bil, use the GREEN MARINE Sta-bil. I treat all my gasoline at the higher "storage" rate, 1oz for each 5gal. Knock on wood, no issues. Also, there is a bill (H.B. 471) in the PA House to stop adding ethanol to gasoline. Contact your local House representative and ask him/her to support H.B. 471.

[theakerstwo]

Sounds like you need to move into town.I understand about this gas and it grips me why we have to have it.

[41chevy]

Sounds like you need to move into town.I understand about this gas and it grips me why we have to have it.

Massive Federal subsidies to farmers (see: Big Business) to grow corn for ethanol $$$$$$$$.

Only country in the world who has people hungry (seniors mostly) and grows food for fuel.

FWD Ethanol starts to degrade at the refinery and in transport by about 15%, add fuel distributors to gas stations another 15 to 20%. Add areas with high humidity and your close to 50% degraded after 40 days.

[mike69mackman]

The lace I buy fuel treats their high octane with startron so I run their 93 octane in everything I own and haven't had problems in years.

[HeavyGunner]

We can still find some gas stations that advertise NO ETHANOL IN OUR PREMIUM, I try to always fill my gas jugs for small engines there. Either way I add a lot of additives that way I'm covered if some gas does have some ethanol. I wouldn't leave any gas in my genset if it were me, simply because if it goes bad now you have to pull the tank and clean it. Maybe keep your gas for your gensets in jugs and every time you need to fill the gas jug for the mower or snowblower take one of the gas jugs set aside for the genset and use it for your mowers and fill a fresh one for the genset. That way you could always be rotating your gas and hopefully with additives keep it fresh in case you need it.

[kscarbel2]

[1958 F.W.D.]

We can still find some gas stations that advertise NO ETHANOL IN OUR PREMIUM, I try to always fill my gas jugs for small engines there. Either way I add a lot of additives that way I'm covered if some gas does have some ethanol. I wouldn't leave any gas in my genset if it were me, simply because if it goes bad now you have to pull the tank and clean it. Maybe keep your gas for your gensets in jugs and every time you need to fill the gas jug for the mower or snowblower take one of the gas jugs set aside for the genset and use it for your mowers and fill a fresh one for the genset. That way you could always be rotating your gas and hopefully with additives keep it fresh in case you need it.

This is true. Right now whenever I have old gas I pour it into the FWD- that Waukesha will burn piss with a high enough octane rating

[Ezrider]

iv had problems with almost all my seasonal gas powered stuff this year. more so than in years past and ethanol isnt exactly new anymore. had atleast 4 plugged carbs this spring. when taken apart all brass in the carbs had turned green.

[1958 F.W.D.]

Ran up to the Sunoco in Allentown Pa that is listen on www.pure-gas.org and got 15 gallons of non-ethanol 87 octane. One gallon for 2-stroke mix, 2 gallons into the generator, and the rest into the FWD. Treated it all with Sta-Bil. $3.29 a gallon. Ran the mower, the trimmer and the blower today after work, cut the grass. The difference is day and night....Especially the small 2-strokes (trimmer and blower you Detroit Dumb-Asses....) no sputtering, no farting, no burping....no smelling like it's running rich, no excessive smoke...........Curious to see if the FWD runs any better. Want to burn off all the ethanol in that before winter hibernation.

[HarryS]

My old pick up was a F 350 with a 460 gas burner and had about 180K. It was tired and no matter what you did to improve performance made no difference. I was on my way to Des Moines and made the first gas refill in Ohio. About 50 miles after that the truck was like it had just had a rebuild, ran great until I got back home and back to the ethanol, then the performance dropped off. This was about 7 or 8 years ago.