15% ethanol!?!?

[oldtractors]

I have a 1982 Honda CB900C motorcycle that I had to take to the shop a few years ago. It was hard to start, ran rough, and had no power. The mechanic took the carbs apart and found they were black inside! What had happened was the ethanol that I had been using had disintegrated the rubber fuel components, and they had coated the carburetors with rubber.

Apparently, the older rubber components don't like the ethanol, while the newer engines use neoprene instead... much more tolerant. Ethanol cost me over $300!

I now stick with non-oxy.

You don't think nearly 30 year old rubber had any thing to do with it? So you are saying it took 30 years for the evil ethanol to do its damage to your motorcycle?

 

[1950T]

wonder if im gonna have any trouble getting unleaded race gas because of it? there is 2 stations near me that have vp110 and turboblue110 on the pump. $9.99 a gallon but its good stuff. i run it in the bmw's and my atv.

 

[mmurphy]

What's not true?

Ethanol has been widely used around here for 20+ years and been mandated in at least some form for as long as I can remember.

As far as talking points go, many anti ethanol talking points have already been posted in this thread.

:thumbsup: I have been using some form of ethanol for about 30 years, and to this date I still have not had fuel related problems everyone seems to have using ethanol. I have an old escort I drive 80 mile trip each day. Bought it with 100,000 miles on it, at 250,000 still have not changed a fuel filter, never have changed a injector, and far as that goes on any vehicle I ever owned.
As far as subsidies go, we are paying out to petroleum also.

 

[Wacky]

Well, I for one store and maintain my fuel powered equipment and autos meticulously. So, I know that in the past I have not encountered any unusual fuel related problems until recently myself. I believe, that there is possibly some new additive that is being added or some other issue. Like, for instance, something that bonds with the ethanol, and adheres to the fuel filters and clogs jets. Whatever the case may be, there is a problem. It would be different if there wasn't more people in the country having the same type of complaints.

 

[ShenandoahJoe]

Problem is, since it is likely 10% of what is in your tank, what do you do with it if you can separate it out??

Pour in two parts lime juice, add a splash of vermouth, and serve over ice.

 

[FlaDon]

Pour in two parts lime juice, add a splash of vermouth, and serve over ice.

:thumbsup: We have a winner!

 

[horse7]

There was a place that sold the good old MTBE gas but about a week or so ago they said they couldn't get it any more. I suspect that non ethanol gas will get hard to find soon. I have yet to see a car that doesn't loose 10% fuel economy burning 10%. I don't understand how anyone in their right mind could honestly say burning the same amount of gas and burning 10% ethanol for no reason is better than the ground contamination MTBE causes. Once you figure in all the fuel used by the farmers, the fuel used in the fertilizer, the water needed to make ethanol, etc is just doesn't make sense.

MTBE and ethanol are both oxygenators, intended to reduce air pollution. Why would you favor MTBE (which has serious problems with ground water contamination) over plain old unadulturated gasoline? You don't need an oxygenator to run your whipper snipper, and if one doesn't care about MTBE water contamination one probably doesn't care about having a tad more air pollution by not having an oxygenator.

On the other hand, using ethanol as an imported oil replacer does have some questionable qualities, especially the concept of turning food into fuel.... never mind the oil that it takes to do so.

 

[gauthier]

I just started using hi test in mowers trimmers and saws,,and just bought a bottle of that marine stabil,,don't know if either will help but I've been having more fuel problems with this up to 10 percent ethinal than I ever did the past many years,,don't think its just a problem with something else,been having problems in every thing.

 

[clemsonfor]

:thumbsup: I have been using some form of ethanol for about 30 years, and to this date I still have not had fuel related problems everyone seems to have using ethanol. I have an old escort I drive 80 mile trip each day. Bought it with 100,000 miles on it, at 250,000 still have not changed a fuel filter, never have changed a injector, and far as that goes on any vehicle I ever owned.
As far as subsidies go, we are paying out to petroleum also.

People here are not complaining of problems in their trucks or cars, its the small engines 2 and 4 strokes that are troublesome. For some reason it does not seem to affect the larger stuff, probably the fact that we run more fuel through them. Like you said you drive 80 mile round trip a day in your escort you prolly get fuel every 4 days. Like my saturn i drive a 50 mile round trip and go 5 days on a tank of fuel before i fill up. My ford ranger 1990 yr will go 6-7 days driving the same amount and my chevy will drain one of the saddle bombs in 3 days (16 gallons) making the same treck, needless to say i have never done 3 back to back trips in the K10.

 

[mmurphy]

People here are not complaining of problems in their trucks or cars, its the small engines 2 and 4 strokes that are troublesome. For some reason it does not seem to affect the larger stuff, probably the fact that we run more fuel through them. Like you said you drive 80 mile round trip a day in your escort you prolly get fuel every 4 days. Like my saturn i drive a 50 mile round trip and go 5 days on a tank of fuel before i fill up. My ford ranger 1990 yr will go 6-7 days driving the same amount and my chevy will drain one of the saddle bombs in 3 days (16 gallons) making the same treck, needless to say i have never done 3 back to back trips in the K10.

It is all I use for small engines also. I do not use stabil or any other products to add in tank before letting anything sit for 6 months to a year. I will leave my snow blower topped in the tank and never have drained carb and still do not have problems every one has.
I do wonder if some areas are using other blends of alcohol other then that made of from corn? Minnesota many years ago did gasohol, it was not ph balanced like the corn ethanol is now, and from what I understood had alcohol from many sourses such as wood or what ever could be made from.
And to answer the part of some one saying we are using food that would feed people, sorry that is not true. Corn ethanol has the one third portion returned that farmers feed to cattle which is the only part that cattle can digest. I will not be running out to try a taste of field corn soon either.