Ethanol Free Gas

[MattB4]

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Any gas powered machine built in the last 30 years uses fuel system materials that can handle ethanol. However phase separation can be a problem if the fuel gets water in it and gets cold.

Problem with ethanol laced gas is ethanol absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. It is simply a function of how much humidity and time and eventually ethanol percentage drops and separation of water gas occurs. However this is not the only issue. Water, ethanol and gas combine to create a surface adhering jelly like crud. This is why you just can not separate water from the fuel and be OK.

I do feel sorry for those folks in California that have some real stupid environmental rules. Here in NW AR E0 gas costs only about 20 cents more per gallon.

 

[ultrarunner]

It takes a toll on collector car segment.

Fuel issues were never a problem for me over the decades until reformulated came on the market exclusively.

We just aren’t driving these cars every couple of weeks and reformulated does not age well and also plays havoc with equipment fuel systems on things like generators.

 

[Stan B]

Sometime in the past, I saw a YT video where the guy proved the amount of ethanol in fuel by mixing it with a measured amount of water in a graduated cylinder, agitating it, then measuring the result and doing some math. The ethanol would bind with the water, and separate out to the bottom of the graduated cylinder. I wonder if that method could be adapted to "convert" E10/E15 to E0 by mixing with water, agitating it, then drawing the "purified" fuel off the top, maybe through a water/fuel separator.

Probably more trouble than it's worth, but it would be interesting to use the hygroscopic nature of ethanol - the thing that causes the most trouble during storage - to remove it from gasoline.

 

[dodge man]

My opinion here. I’ve been running gas with ethanol in it since the 1980’s. It’s never been a problem IF you burn it right away, say a couple of months. Like others I have discovered it’s not good long term for small engines. I’m lucky in the fact I can get ethanol free gas local that is 87 octane and about a 20 minute drive get 91 octane ethanol free.

If you are looking for a big increase in fuel mileage running ethanol free I don’t think that will happen unless it’s a coincidence. Project Farm did a good video on ethanol in fuel where he let it sit for months.

 

[LittleBill21]

i have close to 30 engines, I use ethanol in all of them, for prolly 20 years at this point, I don't know why people keep acting like ethanol is some kind of new thing.

drain the tanks at the end of the season and run the motors till they stall and be done with it. never an issue

i have also run 2 year old gas in generators, it has a weird smell but still runs, people really over do it with this stuff

 

[MattB4]

Sometime in the past, I saw a YT video where the guy proved the amount of ethanol in fuel by mixing it with a measured amount of water in a graduated cylinder, agitating it, then measuring the result and doing some math. The ethanol would bind with the water, and separate out to the bottom of the graduated cylinder. I wonder if that method could be adapted to "convert" E10/E15 to E0 by mixing with water, agitating it, then drawing the "purified" fuel off the top, maybe through a water/fuel separator.

Probably more trouble than it's worth, but it would be interesting to use the hygroscopic nature of ethanol - the thing that causes the most trouble during storage - to remove it from gasoline.

Ethanol increases octane and thus the gas it is combined with is of a lower amount. Removing it likely would cause engine operation problems. Many octane boosters and gas dryers use ethanol as a major ingredient. Funny enough a lot of expensive stabilizers that are sold that people think improves their ethanol laced gas is actually just ethanol.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Yep, E0 in all grades is readily available here in TN, obviously more expensive but not bad when you are using less than 4 or 5 gallons a year. I usually use mid grade or premium E0 in my chainsaw and weed eater, E0 regular in everything else. I hear people say it is unnecessary, but if it is available why not use it. Again, zero carb issues in years. My mower sits under a shed roof all winter with gas in it and fires right up in the spring. I have lived places where E0is much harder to get, pretty annoying but not the end of the world. You just need to be a bit more vigilant with how you deal with your small engines.

 

[oosik]

There is one station - here in Cheney - that sells ethanol free supreme gas. I tried it once. Can't say I noticed any difference. Ethanol free gas here - $5.79/gallon.

 

[John_Mc]

Ethanol increases octane and thus the gas it is combined with is of a lower amount. Removing it likely would cause engine operation problems. Many octane boosters and gas dryers use ethanol as a major ingredient. Funny enough a lot of expensive stabilizers that are sold that people think improves their ethanol laced gas is actually just ethanol.

True. Mixing E10 with water, letting it settle out, and draining it off will remove most of the ethanol from the gas, and drop the octane rating by about 2, so if you started with a 91 octane, you'll end up with an 89 octane.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Yesterday I had to drive to Dallas and back. It's a 4 hour round trip. I filled up with Ethanol Free Gas, and this time I noticed a difference. It was quicker off the light, faster getting on the Interstate and the Miles Per Gallon reading on my dash started increasing. By the time I got to Dallas, I was up to 17.5 mpg!!! That's almost 3 1/2 Mile Per Gallon increase, which is just amazing to me.

It would really surprise me if a longer drive on an Interstate didn't improve the mileage.

Well, unless that's how and where you always drive.

 

[ultrarunner]

i have close to 30 engines, I use ethanol in all of them, for prolly 20 years at this point, I don't know why people keep acting like ethanol is some kind of new thing.

drain the tanks at the end of the season and run the motors till they stall and be done with it. never an issue

i have also run 2 year old gas in generators, it has a weird smell but still runs, people really over do it with this stuff

Do you really pull the gas tanks on a fleet of vehicles just to drain?

It sounds like a never ending job especially with many restored show cars from the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

 

[EddieWalker]

It would really surprise me if a longer drive on an Interstate didn't improve the mileage.

Well, unless that's how and where you always drive.

For the last month, I've been working on a Bathroom Remodel about 20 miles from my place that's pretty much a straight shot down Interstate 20. My house is less then a mile from 20. I don't think the improvement of mileage is from doing 80 to 90 mph going to Dallas, then 30 to 70 mph driving around Dallas. I honestly think the Dallas driving would of lowered my mileage because of all speeding up and slowing down there.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Okay, I'm a bad judge when it comes to mileage resulting from normal driving, and didn't know your circumstances.

Here it's 70+ miles to the nearest stoplight, so I tend to get much better mileage in a given vehicle than most. And trips are generally 100 miles or more, one way.

 

[two_bit_score]

And E0 works the best for me for making my engines start easily and quickly, and running trouble free.

Exactly!

 

[dodge man]

With my 2017 F150 with a 5.0 V8 I get around 19 mpg or a little less. If I do a bunch of in town driving that mileage plummets.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

And E0 works the best for me for making my engines start easily and quickly, and running trouble free.

Meanwhile, our Can-Ams (especially) seem to prefer 2-6 year old regular gas. Treated, of course, to prevent stratification.

They're supposed to be run on 91, but then they don't want to start when it gets cold.

 

[two_bit_score]

The Midwest corn lobby and their bought politicians keep the ethanol gas thing going.

True, they do.

But it's not a bad thing to extend gas with ethanol 100% of the time. They should just make E0 to be more available as well.

 

[deserteagle71]

Most, if not all E0 gas I've seen has been 90-91 octane. I would imagine that any engine made in the last 20 years should be just fine with E10.

Only ethanol-free gas available in northern Nevada is 87 octane - and nearly a dollar a gallon more than E10.

My new Honda lawn mower specifically states in the owner's manual to AVOID gasoline with ethanol. It can cause problems with aluminum, and will cause rubber fuel lines to crack and leak.

 

[ericm979]

Honda's gone backwards then. My 25 year old Honda generator's burned many hundreds of gallons of E10 without issue. The original fuel lines are in good shape.

 

[LittleBill21]

i have at least 4 honda engines with 0 issue