Do you run two stroke carbs dry?

[whistlepig]

Really, to me anyway, the drama for fuel didn't start until ethanol. Gasoline worked very well until we fixed it.

 

[ericm979]

Gas was going bad and gumming up carbs before they started putting ethanol in it. I cleaned out a lot of motorcycle carbs back in the day.

 

[LD1]

I don't really see too many ethanol related issues in modern stuff.

And in the older stuff, not so much fouling or gumming issues....rather the rubber isn't compatible with ethanol and turns then to mush. A modern rebuild kit and no issues.

 

[goeduck]

Ran dry...seals and diaphragms tend to dry-rot and become a rebuild involving replacement parts rather than just a cleaning

Should not 2 strokes have residual oil in the carb?

 

[MossRoad]

Should not 2 strokes have residual oil in the carb?

50 drops of gas to 1 drop of oil is pretty diluted.

 

[goeduck]

50 drops of gas to 1 drop of oil is pretty diluted.

Should not take much. Oil creates a very thin film, that is why a 2 stoke only needs 1 drop of oil to 50 drops of gas. If that level of oil protects the engine, it should protect the diaphragms in the carb. :thumbsup:

 

[Industrial Toys]

TOTALLY confused with the range of response. Except ETHANOL = BAD, and gut tells me to leave fuel in. Heck, it's even the easier of the two. How often does that happen?

 

[RandyT]

Ethanol gets blames for a lot of stuff that it doesn't cause. The Alcohol is a solvent which should help to remove deposits from the carb. The main issue with ethanol is the water that is associated with it which causes corrosion and in some cases can form algae growth similar to diesel algae. The main issue is the crappy gas that is it combined with breaks down and caused the issues and then ethanol gets the blame. Since ethanol adds 2 octane points your 87 octane fuel is 85 octane without the alcohol.

So how many of you guys are running 85 octane fuel in your equipment? Or a better question is how many are running 87 octane fuel in a piece of equipment that specifies 90 octane or above?

 

[LD1]

Should not 2 strokes have residual oil in the carb?

Dont have a good answer for you other than the many old saws I tear apart, the ones that are dry usually need a total carb rebuild. Everything gets dry and cracks. The ones left wet....sure they get varnish smelling and gummed up, but always run again after a cleaning as the seals and diaphragms arent deteriorated

 

[HarryVanderpool]

I've never had fuel related issues with any of my equipment and I've been running 87 octane 10% ethanol since the mid 80s.

That goes for 4 stroke stuff, too. Maybe I just use things often enough that it doesn't cause issues. I do put stabil in my generator. I run it about 2-3 times a year with a load on it for about 1/2 an hour. Then I just top off the tank again. It's 24 years old and still works fine.

This is exactly our experience. I could have written this, word for word.
Our generator is 26 years old.
We fill all of our 12 Jeep cans with regular pump gas with ethanol and Sta-Bil in the fall for emergency and never have any problems.
Our two main chainsaws are 1980s vintage and start right up whenever needed.

 

[goeduck]

This is exactly our experience. I could have written this, word for word.
Our generator is 26 years old.
We fill all of our 12 Jeep cans with regular pump gas with ethanol and Sta-Bil in the fall for emergency and never have any problems.
Our two main chainsaws are 1980s vintage and start right up whenever needed.

Why do you put Sta-Bil in if ethanol in the gas is okay?

 

[goeduck]

Ethanol gets blames for a lot of stuff that it doesn't cause...... The main issue is the crappy gas that is it combined with breaks down and caused the issues and then ethanol gets the blame.

Spoken by someone from the #2 corn producing state in the country. I wish we could get corn states off of the gravy train.

 

[HarryVanderpool]

Why do you put Sta-Bil in if ethanol in the gas is okay?

Sta-Bil use has nothing to do with ethanol:
STA-BIL(R) Fuel Stabilizer - How It Works - YouTube

 

[lostcreekranch]

Sta-Bil use has nothing to do with ethanol:
STA-BIL(R) Fuel Stabilizer - How It Works - YouTube

"Sta-Bil use has nothing to do with ethanol:"

Sta-BIL 360 Marine does. I've been using it for almost 5 years in everything including Corvette, Polaris Ranger, and all 2 stroke equipment. Totally eliminated all gasoline related issues.

STA-BIL 36 Marine Fuel Treatment & Additive | Gold Eagle Co

 

[MossRoad]

Spoken by someone from the #2 corn producing state in the country. I wish we could get corn states off of the gravy train.

Don't go there. Indiana is a big ethanol/corn state, yet I hate ethanol. Not as a fuel though. It works fine as a fuel. What I hate is the inefficiency of producing the product. The BTUs wasted in growing, harvesting, transporting, and converting corn into alcohol is obscene. The absolute best use of BTUs would be for everyone to burn propane in their cars and trucks, and burn corn in their houses for heat. That's the least loss of BTUs. I dislike subsidies. Compete or get out.

 

[MossRoad]

"Sta-Bil use has nothing to do with ethanol:"

Sta-BIL 360 Marine does. I've been using it for almost 5 years in everything including Corvette, Polaris Ranger, and all 2 stroke equipment. Totally eliminated all gasoline related issues.

STA-BIL 36 Marine Fuel Treatment & Additive | Gold Eagle Co

What gasoline related issue were you having in your Corvette, Polaris Ranger and all your 2 stroke equipment?

 

[lostcreekranch]

What gasoline related issue were you having in your Corvette, Polaris Ranger and all your 2 stroke equipment?

The vast majority of my issues were fuel lines, etc on 2-stroke equipment.

Corvette has a steel gas tank and Sta-BIL 360 Marine creates a fuel tank vapor that prevents ethanol induced corrosion inside fuel tanks.

I have a 300 gallon diesel tank for two tractors and diesel Zero turn, but don't want to store gasoline long term. I use 5 gallon fuel jugs and buy enough for roughly one month's needs. I add the Sta-BIL 360 Marine to all the cans before getting them filled in town.

We don't have a close supply of non ethanol contaminated gasoline here ... closest is almost 60 miles away at Buc-ees .

 

[RandyT]

Don't go there. Indiana is a big ethanol/corn state, yet I hate ethanol. Not as a fuel though. It works fine as a fuel. What I hate is the inefficiency of producing the product. The BTUs wasted in growing, harvesting, transporting, and converting corn into alcohol is obscene. The absolute best use of BTUs would be for everyone to burn propane in their cars and trucks, and burn corn in their houses for heat. That's the least loss of BTUs. I dislike subsidies. Compete or get out.

Totally agree. Me personally, the only ethanol issues I see is having to dump the water out of the fuel tanks of my chainsaws every time I want to use them. Never find water in any other equipment other than my chainsaws, and dad never sees the water issue with his chainsaws, and then are stored 5 feet from mine. And I wouldn't complain if they stopped growing corn, It messes with my deer season every fall.

 

[goeduck]

Don't go there. Indiana is a big ethanol/corn state, yet I hate ethanol. Not as a fuel though. It works fine as a fuel. What I hate is the inefficiency of producing the product. The BTUs wasted in growing, harvesting, transporting, and converting corn into alcohol is obscene. The absolute best use of BTUs would be for everyone to burn propane in their cars and trucks, and burn corn in their houses for heat. That's the least loss of BTUs. I dislike subsidies. Compete or get out.

Well that ^^^ is interesting. Do not go there, but you then mostly agree with me. The country needs to get corn states off of the ethanol in gasoline gravy train. No one will convince me that the economics of that makes sense, as you state so well.

 

[5030]

Interesting thread. I like Midwest Dent Field corn myself. I use it to heat with in the winter time. Good heat, terrible in gasoline.