Protecting Gasoline

[Axxe55]

for some reason small engines especially two-strokes seem more affected by the ethanol blebs of gasoline.

 

[Hoji]

Find a gas station that has alcohol-free gas (most QT and newer Murphy stations have it now), fill it up with that and add the StaBil. I had a 6 year-old Honda Rancher w/less than 30 hours on it, and I ran that fuel religiously w/o ever a problem. That's all I run in my small engines, and I have ZERO carb problems. It's that damn alcohol blend that causes the problem.
If push comes to shove, drop me a line - if we don't have one of our long-standing trustworthy members close to you, I have a man I TRUST up there that would do it for you if asked.

This. 100x this.

 

[vmax]

for some reason small engines especially two-strokes seem more affected by the ethanol blebs of gasoline.

I think 2 reasons

the fuel tanks are vented more and allow more pressure equalization, therefore more air/moisture
And they still have carburetors..needle valves and really small orifices that get gummed up easily

 

[Dawico]

I think 2 reasons

the fuel tanks are vented more and allow more pressure equalization, therefore more air/moisture
And they still have carburetors..needle valves and really small orifices that get gummed up easily

While these are true time plays into it as well more so than with other engines.

Most two stroke engines sit for longer periods of time unused than vehicles. Weed wackers, chain saws, etc. get used for a bit then put away for a while until needed again.

They let that ethanol sit in the small ports and solidify (or whatever it does to plug them up).

 

[Dawico]

Regular Stabil doesn't help fight Ethanol. Newer bottles say this. They do make a formula that does though. It's not red but I can't recall what color it is. Blue or dark gray I think.

 

[TxPython357]

If you can at least top off the tank after putting stabil in you should be good to go for a year or so. May have to start it every now and again to keep your battery charged up.

 

[vmax]

They let that ethanol sit in the small ports and solidify (or whatever it does to plug them up).

The process that happens is called phase separation
The ethonal is splash blended into the gasoline as it it loaded into the delivery truck on the way to the store.

It is a fairly stable mix, but alcohol will draw moisture in. So over time..either short or long periods..when enough moisture is drawn in, the alcohol gets too heavy and starts to pull away from the gas in various degrees as it becomes unstable.

If you take a quart mason jar with ethonal blended gas and add a half cup of water and shake it and let it set for an hour and you will see exactly what happens

The lightest parts are a gummy film and more viscous than gas and this is what gets into the small passages intended for gas and causes problems

The only good thing about running ethonal blend is that it you keep it cycled through a tank regularly , your tank wont have any water build up.

The alcohol mops it up in tiny amounts and keeps it going thru the.system

In these small amounts, there usually isnt a problem and you are even unaware this is happening

 

[robertc1024]

the fuel tanks are vented more and allow more pressure equalization, therefore more air/moisture

Yep. All modern vehicles have a semi-closed gas tank and suck the vapors into your intake to reduce pollution. If you take an empty, closed can and put a small hole in it and leave it outside for a while, water will collect in it. As it gets cooler, it will suck in air and water vapor. When it gets hotter, it will push out the air, but not all the water vapor. Eventually, the water vapor will condense - I suspect the same of small engine tanks.

 

[DenverGp]

Interesting observation on ethenol:

My son had a modded pontiac grand prix GTP that was converted over to run on E-85. It got an upgraded fuel pump, injectors, had to adjust the PCM for the proper Air fuel ratio, etc. Ran great, was running 11 sec quarter miles up at Bandimere in colorado (5800ft elevation).

Son moved away for a while, so it stayed parked in my driveway in colorado for about 2 years, with a 3/4 full tank of E-85. Never got started, Just sat for 2 years. I was trying to figure out what to do about draining the fuel tank, disposing of the old gas, etc.

Battery was obviously completely dead over 2 colorado winters. Took the battery out, put it on a battery charger for a week, and after a few attempts, finally seemed to take a charge. Left it on the charger for another week, then slapped it back in the car.

Pulled the fuel pump fuse and cranked the car for 5 minutes or so (hoping to get a little oil moving around). Then put the fuel pump fuse back in, and cranked it. Took about 30 sec, it started up then died. Restarted, and it seemed to run just fine. Drove it around the block, seemed normal. Put it onto a car haul trailer, and brought it down here to Tx. Drove the tank of 2 year old E85 almost empty, then refilled with fresh E85, couldn't tell a difference.

I'm a lot less worried about fuel "going bad" these days.

 

[Tnhawk]

Interesting observation on ethenol:

My son had a modded pontiac grand prix GTP that was converted over to run on E-85.....
Son moved away for a while, so it stayed parked in my driveway in colorado for about 2 years, with a 3/4 full tank of E-85. Never got started, Just sat for 2 years.... Drove the tank of 2 year old E85 almost empty, then refilled with fresh E85, couldn't tell a difference

I'm a lot less worried about fuel "going bad" these days.

The 10% ethenol doesn't do well when left in small engines from my experience. If I let my generators set more than a few weeks they are difficult to start. This may be due to the higher humidity than in Colorado. Hasn't been a problem this year as I've needed to use the generators during several outages.