Ethanol free gasoline stations by state/province

   / Ethanol free gasoline stations by state/province
  • Thread Starter
#11  
UH OH. Here we go again. I thought the ethanol issue had been resolved in a lengthy thread last week.:)


http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/related-topics/182252-10-ethanol-heads-up.html

Steve
Didn't realize it had been resolved. I was just posting a link in a forum where I thought the info is needed.

The last thread I found in the chainsaw foum about gas, http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/chainsaws/168284-chainsaw-gas.html, didn't link it, and ethanol free gas is not often a big topic for diesel tractors.

So I apologize for bringing up an issue that was already resolved.
 
   / Ethanol free gasoline stations by state/province #12  
Didn't realize it had been resolved. I was just posting a link in a forum where I thought the info is needed.

The last thread I found in the chainsaw foum about gas, http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/chainsaws/168284-chainsaw-gas.html, didn't link it, and ethanol free gas is not often a big topic for diesel tractors.

So I apologize for bringing up an issue that was already resolved.

Sorry, my post was too negative. The issue isn't resolved and isn't likely to be resolved based on the ongoing discussion in the thread I linked.

Steve
 
   / Ethanol free gasoline stations by state/province #13  
I don't like that ole moonshine gas,you?
 
   / Ethanol free gasoline stations by state/province #14  
I wanted to put in a plug for CountryMark. It's refined about 30 miles from where I live and we have several stations close to me. None are listed on that list and I don't have the time to list them all. Basically, if you see a CountryMark station, they buy their crude from thousands of small producers in the midwest. So, not only is it pure gasoline, but none is shipped in from the Middle East. Here is more info on them CountryMark

I'm in no way associated with them. I just like the idea of buying fuel that was produced and refined right here in the U.S. and (I'm assuming) has no alcohol added to up the octane at any of their stores.
 
   / Ethanol free gasoline stations by state/province #15  
isn't aviation gasoline/avgas ethanol free?

Yes, Avgas is ethanol free. It's also expensive (between $4 and $5 per gallon around here).

One other thing to note if you are thinking of running avgas: It's known as 100LL -- which means 100 octane, Low Lead. The "low lead" is a bit of a misnomer. It's only low compared to the old 100 Avgas. 100LL still has about three times the amount of tetraethyl lead than the old leaded auto gas had.

Some engines can't handle the lead -- it can cause lead fouling. Chainsaws probably run hot enough to scavenge the lead (at least if you don't let them idle a lot). Other engines may eventually foul up.

Catalytic converters will be ruined by the lead. They are expensive to replace. so don't put this fuel in your car. Some chainsaws now have catalytic mufflers - I believe the catalyst in these will also be destroyed by leaded fuel.

You usually run a chainsaw a few feet from your mouth/nose. You don't want to be breathing in the fumes from burning leaded gas, especially if operating a chainsaw is something you do regularly.

On the plus side, the shelf life of 100LL is phenomenal. It can sit in a tank for a year and still be good to go.
 
   / Ethanol free gasoline stations by state/province #16  
Jay, I hear you loud and clear.

Here is Oregon a 10% blend has been the law for yrs, at least a decade. Other than Av gas, I wouldn't know where you could buy gas without containing 10% ethanol. Have a 30 yr old weed trimmer and a chain saw that is at least 10 yrs old. Neither has ever had a problem running a 10% ethylanol blend. Never have had to replace fuel lines or rubber carb parts. Never have had any problems with any engine in any kind of eqiupment that had a problem the gas blend. The 10% blend is a non issue for me other than having a little lower energy content.
 
   / Ethanol free gasoline stations by state/province #17  
...Have a 30 yr old weed trimmer and a chain saw that is at least 10 yrs old. Neither has ever had a problem running a 10% ethylanol blend. Never have had to replace fuel lines or rubber carb parts. Never have had any problems with any engine in any kind of eqiupment that had a problem the gas blend. The 10% blend is a non issue for me other than having a little lower energy content.

Talk to some of the chainsaw shops or loggers in your area. I know the shops around here have seen a large increase in problems with fuel lines and carb diaphragms and the like. Most of the established chainsaw manufacturers went to fuel lines that were more ethanol resistant years ago (I'm guessing anything made in the past 10 years, but I may be off on that by a couple years). The diaphragms may be a different story. From what I've heard it has been tougher to find a good, ethanol resistant replacement material for those.

I'm on a Forestry Forum quite regularly (forestryforum.com) There are a a few guys on there from your area (Oregon / Pacific NW) who have complained about troubles, and even talk about getting gas from neighboring states when they are in the area.

Two things that can cause problems with ethanol gas:
1) leaving it in your saw (or gas can) too long. Ethanol will pull moisture out of the air and combine with it, eventually settling to the bottom of the tank. This is known as "phase separation". The ethanol water mix that settles out is corrosive, and has done a number on some carburetors. Also, since ethanol accounts for about 4 of your octane rating, you are running lower octane gas once phase separation occurs. Depending on what octane rating you started with, this can cause some serious problems with your engine.

2) E10 gas requires a different mixture setting than non-ethanol gas. If your mixture is adjusted for ethanol free gas, and you start running E10 without an adjustment, you'll be running leaner. You might be OK, especially if you were running on the rich side to start with... or you might over heat and lean-seize your engine.

The moral of the story... if you have to run E10 (which I will shortly be forced to do here in VT): get rid of the gas if it's more than a few weeks old. Run your tank dry if you won't be using the saw in the very near future (don't run that last bit out under load, however). Tune the saw properly to run on the fuel you will be using.
 
   / Ethanol free gasoline stations by state/province #18  
Mickey_Fx said:
Jay, I hear you loud and clear.

Here is Oregon a 10% blend has been the law for yrs, at least a decade. Other than Av gas, I wouldn't know where you could buy gas without containing 10% ethanol. Have a 30 yr old weed trimmer and a chain saw that is at least 10 yrs old. Neither has ever had a problem running a 10% ethylanol blend. Never have had to replace fuel lines or rubber carb parts. Never have had any problems with any engine in any kind of eqiupment that had a problem the gas blend. The 10% blend is a non issue for me other than having a little lower energy content.

I'm also in Oregon, near Salem, and there are two stations here that sell non-ethanol gas to people that bring containers. I use it in all my small motors and have had less problems with hard starting and gas lifetime.
 
 
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