Removing Ethanol from Gasoline

[2458n]

At 32 dollars a gallon I can buy a new carb and fuel line kit every year.

 

[RandyT]

I was concerned about that, too. So I converted one gallon of Premium. It was not hard to do, but I have
not done it again since I used up that one gallon of pre-mix. I do not know how much the octane
number of the low-ethanol gas went down.

I recommend to all the infrequent 2-stroke users I know: buy the $8 quarts that DAVE1949 refers to.

Removing the ethanol drops the octane about 2-3 points. Ethanol can absorb about .5 percent water before it separates out of the fuel. Some of the better ethanol treatments can raise that percentage to about 3 percent before separation.

 

[dave1949]

At 32 dollars a gallon I can buy a new carb and fuel line kit every year.

Can you do that if you are burning two gallons of mix ($64) a year? You need to deduct two gallons of premium at the pump and two small bottles of 2-cycle oil from that $64 also.

I mix my own, but I would say I'm at a marginal point since I usually use only 2-3 gallons in a summer. Plus I suck at dealing with the teeny tiny carb parts in the kits. :laughing:

 

[newbury]

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

Nice list but doesn't list where I've been buying ETOH free for years.

 

[kenmac]

Just bought some pure gasoline... 3.75 per gal..don't know why it's much higher than gas with ethonal

 

[dave1949]

Just bought some pure gasoline... 3.75 per gal..don't know why it's much higher than gas with ethonal

You either subsidize the corn at the IRS, or pay the price at the pump. ??? :laughing:

The ethanol policies and how they relate to corn are out of control IMO.

 

[murphy1244]

Nice list but doesn't list where I've been buying ETOH free for years.

Then add it to the list for others to see.

 

[cowpie1]

It always amazes me how the ethanol subject can cause so many people, so much grief. In my neck of the woods, we have had, and used, E10 since the late 70's / early 80's. I have never run across anyone who had any issues. Sure, the older stuff, once E10 showed up, had to have some filter changes as the ethanol cleaned the gum and varnish from the fuel systems, and even had some carbs and early throttle body injection nozzles take a dump because of the cleaning out effect of ethanol. I have run lawn mowers on E10 for over 3 decades, every gasoline powered vehicle I have owned since the stuff became available, I have never had a fuel related problem, nor have any of friends and neighbors complained about it.

And no one is subsidizing the corn. Anyone around farming knows that corn price subsidies haven't been paid in years. It is based on a basement price for corn, and we haven't been that low since Clinton administration. Darn close, like this year, because we had a serious record corn crop in the U.S. so prices per bushel have tanked.

Ethanol is traded on the commodity exchanges just like oil and gas. It is not subsidized. Some ethanol producers and blenders got some subsidies in the past, but those days are long gone.

I have no problem with folks wanting and using ethanol free gas. I have no dog in that hunt. I just am amazed at after several decades of most of the country using ethanol laced gasoline, to hear the folks who ar opposed, we should be finding stacks of equipment that doesn't run, vehicles by the thousands sitting along the road, etc. Paranoia can be a terrible thing.

 

[mikehaugen]

One thing I don't understand about the pricing is how going from e0 to e10 makes about a dollar difference, but going from e10 to e85 only makes about a 40-60 cent difference... or at least last time I checked.

 

[dave1949]

It always amazes me how the ethanol subject can cause so many people, so much grief. In my neck of the woods, we have had, and used, E10 since the late 70's / early 80's. I have never run across anyone who had any issues. Sure, the older stuff, once E10 showed up, had to have some filter changes as the ethanol cleaned the gum and varnish from the fuel systems, and even had some carbs and early throttle body injection nozzles take a dump because of the cleaning out effect of ethanol. I have run lawn mowers on E10 for over 3 decades, every gasoline powered vehicle I have owned since the stuff became available, I have never had a fuel related problem, nor have any of friends and neighbors complained about it.

And no one is subsidizing the corn. Anyone around farming knows that corn price subsidies haven't been paid in years. It is based on a basement price for corn, and we haven't been that low since Clinton administration. Darn close, like this year, because we had a serious record corn crop in the U.S. so prices per bushel have tanked.

Ethanol is traded on the commodity exchanges just like oil and gas. It is not subsidized. Some ethanol producers and blenders got some subsidies in the past, but those days are long gone.

I have no problem with folks wanting and using ethanol free gas. I have no dog in that hunt. I just am amazed at after several decades of most of the country using ethanol laced gasoline, to hear the folks who ar opposed, we should be finding stacks of equipment that doesn't run, vehicles by the thousands sitting along the road, etc. Paranoia can be a terrible thing.

Corn ethanol policies are complex and vary from one Farm Bill to the next. Just from looking at the first story link I think it would take me several days of digging to begin to understand what really happens. At the very least a guaranteed market has been created and a mandate continues for ethanol--which is supplied mainly from corn. Subsidy or something else, but the costs of that end up somewhere, such as the price of food and environmental impact issues. 40% of the US corn crop went to ethanol production in 2013?

Corn Ethanol Subsidies Are Alive and Well | Taxpayers for Common Sense
Obama's 2015 Budget Backs Costly Corn Ethanol Subsidies - US News