What grade of gas?

[jtheise4]

That $1 per week is the best money you can spend. I just spent $83 on a customers carb in just parts. Total repair was nearly $150 on a gas power washer. I have also had to do carb work on his kids go cart. Cheap insurance.

Chris

I'm not looking to start an argument, but using 87, 89, or 91 octane is not what caused the carb to have issues. At least around here, all three would have at least a 10% ethanol blend. The varnishes left behind when the ethanol deteriorates is the cause of the carb problems, not the lower octane rating. Combustion occurs in the engine, not the carb, so to the carb, the different octane ratings are invisible.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

We currently are using 93 alcohol free gas to fill our containers we fill to bring the gas home. At the pump or before we go to town to restock we add 2 oz of Sea Foam per gallon into the containers. Most of the time we add WM Marine TCW3 oil at the rate of 1:500. We add the two cycle oil in the 454 MH and 429 F700 tanks to help lube the intank fuel pumps and leave a film on the metal.

For the diesel tractors (only diesel engines we have) we add TCW3 grade marine two cycle oil at 1:128 ratio to quieten down the injector pumps since the new diesel standards have cut the lubing natural of diesel. It really cuts the chatter.

I have had too many small engine guys tell me to run premium and I guess I am getting too old to change.

 

[schiker]

I think most higher octane fuels also advertise more detergents etc so I think that benefits carbs. But have also heard mid grade gas is a 50/50 mix of high octane and low octane ???

I generally run what ever the min octane rating is in owners manual but I like to run marine grade stabilizer in all small engines 2 or 4 stroke or anything that gas sits in for more than 1 week or 2. I buy gas from high volume clean stations just like I do with diesel. I don't buy from 1 pump zippy marts that see little pump traffic. Most all gas if not all gas around here has ethanol in it so I like the stronger marine grade stabilizer. And just as important make sure your gas can is air tight storage tighten the top all the way and don't just put the cap on the spout or trust the new fangled spouts. Seal it up tight like you were transporting it.

If in doubt throw old gas away and get fresh stuff. Its gotten where there is so much old stale fuel around here the county had to add a collection drum like the oil collection drums at the trash convienance centers.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Good point on Premium. I think Shell V Power 93 states they have 4x of the detergent as required by federal law or something like that.:thumbsup:

 

[Grand_Pooba]

My JD dealer called yesterday about my mower and the problem was water in the gas. Now the question is how did it get there? I get all my fuel from a newer high volume station.

 

[schiker]

If it was gas with ethanol then probably the ethanol attracted the water from the air and the ethanol evaporated leaving the water. That is the problem with ethanol gas and why I highly recommended making sure gas storage was air-tight.

 

[Soundguy]

I think most higher octane fuels also advertise more detergents etc so I think that benefits carbs. But have also heard mid grade gas is a 50/50 mix of high octane and low octane ???.

on our pumps in town, most of them have the gallon counters for the tanks they draw off of.. the 3 grade pumps only have 2 counters.. one for hi test.. the other low.. when pumping midgrade both run.. so I'd say you are correct.

on the 4 banger pumps that sell diesel or kero in addition to gas, the othern' only runs by itself obviously.. etc.

soundguy

 

[Diamondpilot]

I'm not looking to start an argument, but using 87, 89, or 91 octane is not what caused the carb to have issues. At least around here, all three would have at least a 10% ethanol blend. The varnishes left behind when the ethanol deteriorates is the cause of the carb problems, not the lower octane rating. Combustion occurs in the engine, not the carb, so to the carb, the different octane ratings are invisible.

You are 100% correct. In Indiana all on road fuels must have 10% or more ethanol. That junk tears up carbs on these types of equipment. They use them in the summer and let them sit for the winter. I have told him many times to use up the fuel and run them dry but he never does.

Now for the fuel issue. There are only 3 instances where we can get non ethanol fuels. One is aviation fuels. Another is fuels sold at Marina's. The last is fuels delivered by the Co-Op for ag use.

All three of these fuels are sold in 89 octane only around here with the exception of 100LL aviation fuel.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

My JD dealer called yesterday about my mower and the problem was water in the gas. Now the question is how did it get there? I get all my fuel from a newer high volume station.

It got there from the crap fuels we have now. Namely Ethanol. I have seen it add as much as 5 gallons of water to 75 gallons of fresh fuel in 4 months. I hate ethanol.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

Diamond, you really use aviation in small engines? Never heard of it, sounds strange but I'd like to know more. Is it just cleaner burning, more power, or like a detergent for the whole system? And where do you get it other than an airfield. I used to know a place that sold cam2 only pumped into a can, not car.

I've always just used reg with stabil when it gets close to being put up for the season. In my weedeaters and saws I always use the Stihl mix. Not sure if it's true but I was told it had a stabilizer in it already. Never had any major problems. But with ethanol in the gas that may be a YET.

One more thing, in my boat I run 93 and add the BG gas dryer. Has seemed to work great for the last two years. The water attracting ethanol does worry me

I have used it for years. I swear my saw, weed eater, and leaf blower run better on it. Changed 1 plug in the saw in 10 years and non in the others.

In stuff like mowers and 4 stroke stuff I just run gas with marine stabilizer in it even if I am using it weekly. Been bitten too much. For storage I top off all tanks, even my 100 gallon boat tank, my 85 gallon boat tank, and my 75 gallon boat tank and put a double dose of marine stabilizer in them.

Chris