Ethanol..please make it go away.

dgates80

Land of the lost
Concur. Doesn't do what it was claimed to do, and has caused untold damage to small engines. Time for it to go away!
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
has caused untold damage to small engines.

I could not begin to count the costs I've incurred. I have boat engines that I simply won't run any more...had to put them away. The costs of the damage from running them with ethanol gas were just to high. On the other hand, I have three power washers now..all obtained free from people who gave up on getting them running again due to the ethanol damage. At least the carbs on those are cheap to replace.
 

black dog

Free America
I'm sad to say that 4 miles north of me is a Ethanol Plant, 24-7-365.....
Every morning a mile or so of tractor trailers are lined up to unload and railcars leave every afternoon and late evening full of methanol. At night its lite up like DC Stadium.
It's this huge white glow in the distance..
12 miles to the west is a wind farm. Sometimes you can drive by and there will be 20 knots of wind and the blades are standing still. When each mill produces what it needs to for the month it stops spinning and producing power. It's a horrible boondoggle..
 

Vince

......
Concur. Doesn't do what it was claimed to do, and has caused untold damage to small engines. Time for it to go away!
Just finished cleaning the carbs on my tiller and snowblower due to that dayum ethanol. It gums up the needle valves and causes the engines to surge. :doh: And yes, I run Seafoam in them, but it doesn't help much.
 

Agee

Well-Known Member
Product now on the market, specifically for smaller engines (require gas/oil mix) that is a pre-mixed and supposedly stable enough through time not to require fuel stabilizer in the off season. A bit pricey, but no ethanol, no need for stabilizer and holds its usefulness for longer than one season, a good deal for some...
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
you can get Ethanol Free gas ...

Bullcrap....in practical terms.

The fact that I can (and do) buy ethanol-free gasoline at marinas for the boat that I keep in a marina does nothing for all the rest of my boats. motorcycles, cars, trucks, generators and various other power equipment since I have to fill those up from land gas stations.
 

Bonehead

Well-Known Member
Can't you just buy a gas can full of the E free fuel when you need it ? Or do the marinas not sell the fuel that way i.e. only into a boat tank ?
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
Can't you just buy a gas can full of the E free fuel when you need it ? Or do the marinas not sell the fuel that way i.e. only into a boat tank ?

You can...but it's a real PITA and I won't aggravate the marina staff to that extent. It's a long walk to the end of the gas dock just to fill a 5 gallon can (and I would be doing that with many cans, every week). And ...marina gas is roughly one dollar per gallon more than land gas is.
 
H

Hodr

Guest
I could not begin to count the costs I've incurred. I have boat engines that I simply won't run any more...had to put them away. The costs of the damage from running them with ethanol gas were just to high. On the other hand, I have three power washers now..all obtained free from people who gave up on getting them running again due to the ethanol damage. At least the carbs on those are cheap to replace.

I gave up messing with gas lawn mowers and went electric. Cord management is a bit of a pain, but other than that the thing actually works really well. I am considering a battery powered one that I can leave in the shed attached to a trickle charger powered from a solar panel (I built a few from broken cells as a keep-busy project a couple years ago that I don't have a use for currently).
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
I gave up messing with gas lawn mowers and went electric. Cord management is a bit of a pain, but other than that the thing actually works really well. I am considering a battery powered one that I can leave in the shed attached to a trickle charger powered from a solar panel (I built a few from broken cells as a keep-busy project a couple years ago that I don't have a use for currently).

Electric is not an option for me, unfortunately. Plus, I have to haul gasoline for more than a dozen different consumers. I thought about installing my own 275 gallon gas tank and having it filled with non-ethanol. I already have the tank...but it turned out the cost to install it legally (waterfront) and the cost-per-gallon to have gas delivered, it didn't end up looking so good.
 

Bonehead

Well-Known Member
I think that in the long run the gas price is cheaper than a new carburetor every year. It doesn't seem to help even if you run the equipment dry before layup.
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
I think that in the long run the gas price is cheaper than a new carburetor every year. It doesn't seem to help even if you run the equipment dry before layup.

I'm sure you are right. Not to mention the value of the reduced aggravation; I've had some real !@#$##@! moments with various inanimate internal combustion powered items over the years thanks to the effects of ethanol.
 

Larry Gude

Strung Out
I'm sure you are right. Not to mention the value of the reduced aggravation; I've had some real !@#$##@! moments with various inanimate internal combustion powered items over the years thanks to the effects of ethanol.

One of the simplest and best machines ever, the carb of a 2 stroke dirt bike, my YZ 250 to be specific, Keihin, was rendered 'paperweight' last winter because I forgot, A, to run it dry and/or b put the stuff in it. An experienced, expert dirt bike wrench could NOT get the jets out they were so gummed up. Said it happens all the time. New one? $750
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
One of the simplest and best machines ever, the carb of a 2 stroke dirt bike, my YZ 250 to be specific, Keihin, was rendered 'paperweight' last winter because I forgot, A, to run it dry and/or b put the stuff in it. An experienced, expert dirt bike wrench could NOT get the jets out they were so gummed up. Said it happens all the time. New one? $750

I've gotten fairly "good" at saving the carbs in most cases, but its a stupid amount of work that pisses me of no end. I'm doing the 4 carbs off a Yamaha 60 outboard as we speak...did the 3 off a Yamaha 40 OB not too far back, the 4-barrel off one of my Broncos for the second time...just rebuilt the fuel pump on my '67 Bronco again and the carb needs rebuilt for the third time in four years..replaced the carb on my welder/generator for the second time just last year... I could go on for hours. Ethanol is the most devastating mess ever inflicted on the gas-burning public.

And that does not even touch on the number of boat fuel tanks that ethanol has rendered useless withing remarkably short time periods, most of said tanks built in the boats and requiring a ton of $$$ to remove and replace.
 
I've been real lucky. I use an additive AND drain the carbs after each use, and the worst I've had over the past 20 years was to pull the bowl off the carb on my lawn mower, remove and clean the jet, and re-assemble.

BTW, the thing I found works the absolute best for cleaning the dried up crap and varnish out of carbs is........ 90% rubbing alcohol. Strips the junk out better than any carb cleaner I've ever used.
 

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
Bullcrap....in practical terms.

The fact that I can (and do) buy ethanol-free gasoline at marinas for the boat that I keep in a marina does nothing for all the rest of my boats. motorcycles, cars, trucks, generators and various other power equipment since I have to fill those up from land gas stations.



I did not say it was EASY ... I said it was possible ... get the 'Pure Gas' App for your smart phone :razz:
 

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
I already have the tank...but it turned out the cost to install it legally (waterfront) and the cost-per-gallon to have gas delivered, it didn't end up looking so good.




what about a surplus M-35A1 Tanker 5000 Gal
 
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