Ethanol the constant battle...
- Thread starter Chevhead78
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If you think that stabil is snake oil, Check this out. I have a generator that I purchased brand new in 2005
and have maybe 8 hours run time on it since then. It sits on standby in the garage in the event of power outage
during storms. I can fill it full of fuel and put in 2 oz of Stabil marine and let it sit untouched for 2 years.
Pull it out, set the choke and 1 pull fire it up and run it with ZERO issues. I have done this on several occations
without any issues. My Neighbor has purchased 2 lawn mowers in that same time frame and his both had
carb issues for winter storage and he does not use any fuel stabilizer at all. He thinks the gas is fine
and is not effected by age. BS it is....
and have maybe 8 hours run time on it since then. It sits on standby in the garage in the event of power outage
during storms. I can fill it full of fuel and put in 2 oz of Stabil marine and let it sit untouched for 2 years.
Pull it out, set the choke and 1 pull fire it up and run it with ZERO issues. I have done this on several occations
without any issues. My Neighbor has purchased 2 lawn mowers in that same time frame and his both had
carb issues for winter storage and he does not use any fuel stabilizer at all. He thinks the gas is fine
and is not effected by age. BS it is....
STA-BIL definitely works, my work truck which is a 2011 F650 started stalling out of blue sporadically when I would come to a stop and progressively worsened over the next couple days but no check engine or water/oil separator lights came on then I realized this all started after filling up so I stopped by Autozone near the shop and picked up some STA-BIL, I put in the recommended amount which was not much and within a couple of miles I could tell it was running better and by the end of the day all the symptoms were gone and never returned, needless to say I have not gone back to that station since.
Like I said, I've never had ethanol related issues. I have a Stihl chainsaw that sits 11 months a year with e10 in it, 2 lawnboy lawnmowers that sit 6 months a year with gas in them, 2 small Cub Cadet garden tractors that sit 4 months a year with gas in them, and my diesel Allis Chalmers D21 tractor that sits at least 3 or 4 months a year with fuel in it. When I want to store them, I disconnect the batteries if equipped. When I take them out of storage, I change oil and reconnect the batteries. I don't have any other storage procedures for them other than maybe a shot of ether, and they all start without issues. I won't use Stabil because I'm not going to try and solve an issue that I don't have. Based on my firsthand experience I believe ethanol can cause issues but is largely exaggerated and most claims against ethanol aren't based on evidence but rather assumptions.
I've worked on small engines that were left during their off season with fuel in them, Mostly with E10 is is hell on them little carbs. As for your Stihl does that have oil added to it? I bet it does and that does act as a stabilizer. Hell even the motor in my pic, has had issues with E10 with the needle and seats in the carb. Been replaced and it was due to ethanol drying them out.
My 94 Blazer runs like sh*t with 87(E10) but yet when I run Premium without ethanol(91) it runs great and I get 20% better fuel economy. And yes I spent the time calculating every single gas fill up, and its been consistent 14-15 without ethanol and down to 10-12 with. Wife's old '97 Grand Am was the same boosted between 17-20%. For years I wondered why we only got 22-24mpg on the highway and switched up the fuel to no ethanol and 30-33mpg. Yeah I'll take it. However her new '02 Trailblazer makes no difference if its with or without ethanol.
Oh and the little motor in my Monte gets some 110 fuel added to each tank to boost the octane.
There are people clamoring that Ethanol is the greatest thing, however there are better ways to make it then with corn. I say lets go full tilt and start adding Methanol to the fuels, talk about a octane boost for the performance.
I have been around ,motorcycles, boats, cars, trucks, lawn equipment of 4 stroke and 2 stroke versions for well over
35 years and have to admit that none ran as well when stored for ANY period of time unless stabilizer was used.
I have found the Stabil marine to be the absolute best at preserving fuel over long periods..
No smoke and mirrors here. Florida is hot, humid and rainy. And any motorized items that do not get
the treatment fail to work when you need them too. Other items treated all work as they should.
I'm tired of replacing broken equipment. Just a drizzle of this stuff in the gas tank makes all the difference.
I purchase 2- 32 bottle's of stabil marine in 2011 and still have 3/4 bottle left even itself stores without being
degraded....
35 years and have to admit that none ran as well when stored for ANY period of time unless stabilizer was used.
I have found the Stabil marine to be the absolute best at preserving fuel over long periods..
No smoke and mirrors here. Florida is hot, humid and rainy. And any motorized items that do not get
the treatment fail to work when you need them too. Other items treated all work as they should.
I'm tired of replacing broken equipment. Just a drizzle of this stuff in the gas tank makes all the difference.
I purchase 2- 32 bottle's of stabil marine in 2011 and still have 3/4 bottle left even itself stores without being
degraded....
True on a carb you will need to retune it if you are running a different fuel. An A/F meter does work well provided you know to do the conversion of stoich for E5,E10,E15, or straight fuel since they are different and the gauge is calibrated to pure gas stoich. Without the calculations your A/F will ethanol is incorrect.
Since I have EFI on my Regal I can adjust my targets on the fly and it keeps them where I want them.
I'm not saying ethanol is a good thing, I'm just trying to say it's not the antichrist like some guys make it out to be. Also I refuse to jump on the fuel/oil additives bandwagon. I believe all of it- STP, Stabil, Techron, Gumout, Lucas Oil, etc is all a marketing sham that exploits things like ethanol and ZDDP to make owners feel that these products are necessary to properly take care of their engines. It's all placebo-effect-based stuff that is supposed to make car owners feel good for buying an unnecessary product to make them feel like they are taking care of something. I get especially suspicious when people tout these kind of products like they are the Messiah (Cough, Cough... Carroll Shelby, Z-Max). I put Top Tier rated gas in the gas tank and API-SN oil in the engine and forget the magic engine potions.
A big factor is if the gas tank is open or close vented. My Farmall is open vented and the gas phase separates in a month, I can see it though the sediment bowl. The gas in my Regal stays good for over a year with the evap system making the tank closed vented. Evap systems are a good thing and keep gas fresher.
It comes down to limiting how much water gets into the fuel.
This page contains a fairly in depth explanation behind the chemistry that can cause corrosion:
http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/...-e10-fuel-becomes-harmful-to-gas-tanks-or-eng
This page contains a fairly in depth explanation behind the chemistry that can cause corrosion:
http://chemistry.stackexchange.com/...-e10-fuel-becomes-harmful-to-gas-tanks-or-eng
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