SilverStreaker
Champion Author
Twin Cities
Posts:12,075
Points:2,244,080
Joined:Mar 2006
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Message Posted: Jun 23, 2011 12:23:57 PM
RAB2010, you should check to see if your lawnmower is still under warrantee. There is no excuse for an engine manufacturer to make an engine that won't run on modern fuels.
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RAB2010
All-Star Author
Kalamazoo
Posts:509
Points:66,720
Joined:Mar 2010
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Message Posted: Jun 23, 2011 9:09:32 AM
I have a lawn mower that is not that old, and it will not run on ethanol blends.
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goldseeker
Champion Author
West Virginia
Posts:19,755
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Joined:Sep 2005
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Message Posted: Jun 22, 2011 1:52:15 PM
Pgerassi, you hit the nail on the head.
I have used ethanol blends in my small motors for over 12 years now. I have a 30 year old Echo chainsaw that runs justs fine on E10.
I find that stabil and other additives are nothing more than snake oil. They claim to do what ethanol already does.
E15??? I doubt that you can buy it anywhere. There are only about 250 blender pumps nationwide. Of course you can splash blend E85 to get E15 or any other blend you would like.
[Edited by: goldseeker at 6/22/2011 1:53:16 PM EST]
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pgerassi
Champion Author
Milwaukee
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Message Posted: Jun 22, 2011 1:29:34 PM
Any contamination is due to bad gasoline, not ethanol in the blend. I personally have seen water in ethanol free gasoline wreck engines. The condition is called hydrolock. Water separates and the gasoline is in the top layer and the bottom layer is water. When the fuel pickup pulls in the water, it isn't burned nor turned to steam. Thus when the piston moves during the compression stroke, it locks up because water is essentially incompressible, locking the crankshaft. The engine has to be disassembled to release the pistons. And because the momentum is usually high when this occurs, much damage is done to the block, valves, pistons and such due to the shock of stopping instantly.
Ethanol prevents this due to it being able to absorb water and turns the water into steam during combustion making it leave the engine during the exhaust. Also if contamination is your problem, its the fuel filter not blocking the crap that gasoline leaves in the fuel tank (gum, varnish, particulates, etc.). That is why gasoline sold at the pump needs detergents, stabilizers, and such. If the first two are missing, the carburetors will quickly clog. This happened even in the 1940's, 50's, and 60's when ethanol was rarely ever added to the leaded gasoline.
So you should check your fuel filters (they go bad you know). Then check your gasoline. Ethanol won't do this except when switching to it as it will clean out your tank of the crap gasoline leaves there. It should wind up in the fuel filter (my 1974 Mazda fuel filter even would stop water from getting to the engine as once with bad gasoline, it had over a pint of water when I replaced it because the engine stopped running).
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bdbob
Sophomore Author
Portland
Posts:101
Points:104,175
Joined:May 2011
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Message Posted: Jun 22, 2011 9:45:10 AM
Ethanol tends to be hydoscopic. When the E-blend is stored for any length of time it tends to draw a small amount of moisture. Us a fuel stabilizer for storing fuel for your small power equipment.
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jacksfan
Champion Author
Lincoln
Posts:2,556
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Message Posted: Jun 21, 2011 9:31:01 AM
"I am suspecting that a lot of the gas now has about a 15 per cent mixture of ethanol."
Your suspicions are wrong. I'm not sure there's any E-15 even on the market yet. Stations don't have the pumps nor the tanks for it. It's a ways away from being readily available, unfortunately.
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MertieMan
Champion Author
Lexington
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Message Posted: Jun 21, 2011 8:57:10 AM
This is also happening in 4 stroke engines as well, and most new mowers have a warning label affixed to the gas tank stating to not burn any gas with over a 10 per cent mixture of ethanol. I am suspecting that a lot of the gas now has about a 15 per cent mixture of ethanol.
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OceanArcher
Champion Author
Mississippi
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Message Posted: Jun 21, 2011 7:53:12 AM
Humpf -- I would GLADLY drive 10 miles to fill my 5-gal can for use with my small engines (probably fill up too, while I was there)
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PhilT08
Champion Author
Buffalo
Posts:2,108
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Joined:Oct 2008
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Message Posted: Jun 21, 2011 7:49:46 AM
I have always used gas with 10% ethanol in my mower and weed trimmer without any problems. I would use 100% gasoline in them but I am not driving 10 miles just to buy 2 gallons for my yard equipment.
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kst8er
Champion Author
St. Louis
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Message Posted: Jun 20, 2011 3:54:15 PM
not sure about the engines, but my fuel lines disappeared after a season using 10%
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