Gas 10% ethanol

Habusailor

Habusailor

Senior Member
I always run non-ethanol gas in my 35, but what about my 49? I know about the possibility of rubber parts being broken down but what about the valve lubrication? Should I add a lead substitute?


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I run non-ethanol in my flathead and all my small engines, I just don't trust the alcohol. Your valves won't miss the lead.
 
Ethanol gas acts the same in any carbureted engine. It's a horrible source of fuel pushed through by the agriculture lobby.
 
I use Yamalube every time I fill up with ethanol gas - it combats the harmful effects of ethanol and helps keep the rings free. Just a capful each time. My boating buddy turned me on to this stuff and if you could look into my glass fuel bowl you would see that it is crystal clear ....
 
TomT/Williamsburg said:
I use Yamalube every time I fill up with ethanol gas - it combats the harmful effects of ethanol and helps keep the rings free. Just a capful each time. My boating buddy turned me on to this stuff and if you could look into my glass fuel bowl you would see that it is crystal clear ....
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Good to know.
 
Non-ethanol to far away to make it worth the trip and worse yet pay the extra 50 cents per gallon. Been running 10% ethanol in all my cars and small engines forever without a problem. Had my '47 fuel pump and carb rebuild to withstand the alcohol. Even so, in my '47 I add a little MMO and 8 oz. of StarTron enzyme (other members here use it) to the gas which reports to neutralize the alcohol. Hey ! We'll never know and to each his own.
 
As far as for being used as a fuel, ethanol isn't a bad fuel but it takes a lot more of it to do the same job as that of a petroleum distillate based fuel such as gasolene so the fuel system has to be adjusted to use E85 or other high alchohol content mixes. The problem with using ethanol is the fact that it absorbs moisture. Modern automobiles have semi-enclosed fuel systems so they have less problems with condensation in the fuel tank. Our older cars are open vented so humid air can enter and condense out depending on atmospheric conditions. When ethanol becomes saturated with moisture, it turns into a gummy semi solid residue that sinks to the bottom of the tank and it promotes corrosion and deterioration of the fuel system.

If a person drives the car regularly enough to use the fuel before it has a chance to deteriorate, it will pose few problems with the engine and fuel system. If the car sets a lot, then it becomes a problem. Use non alcohol fuel if it's going to set around a lot or drain the system completely for long term storage.
 
Seth Swoboda said:
Ethanol gas acts the same in any carbureted engine. It's a horrible source of fuel pushed through by the agriculture lobby.
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That's not entirely true. Carbureted engines act fine with ethanol provided that the carburetor is assembled with alcohol-compatible components and the mixture is adjusted accordingly.

I drove a 1962 Chevrolet daily for a number of years after the turn of the century. It ran fine with the E10 that's common in Iowa.
 
Seth Swoboda said:
Ethanol gas acts the same in any carbureted engine. It's a horrible source of fuel pushed through by the agriculture lobby.
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X10.

The stuff is crap I don't care how you try to legitimize it and yes, it is for the benefit of Big Ag. Follow the yellow brick money road Toto it will lead you to the Emerald City of ConAg, Monsanto, Cargill, ADM, Case IH, John Deere, New Holland, etc. That is your answer. And, the truth.
 
Jeff/Illinois said:
X10.

The stuff is crap I don't care how you try to legitimize it and yes, it is for the benefit of Big Ag. Follow the yellow brick money road Toto it will lead you to the Emerald City of ConAg, Monsanto, Cargill, ADM, Case IH, John Deere, New Holland, etc. That is your answer. And, the truth.
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if I want something that runs on corn, i'll get a horse!!
 
like some others here, I have run 10 % for years in my old cars and never had a problem with it. The gas I put in in November works in April. Nothing gummed up or no rubber parts going south. No additives, like Sta-Bil either.



While it may not be the best choice, that's pretty much what we have here and it works ok.
 
Hey guys, thanks for the replies regarding use and non use of ethanol laced gasoline. I didn’t want this to get to be a discussion of the philosophy of the ethanol industry. Let’s stay away from those discussions and leave that to the Face Book crowd! I always appreciate the great feedback from a lot of great members of this blog. Consider my question closed


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Habusailor said:
Hey guys, thanks for the replies regarding use and non use of ethanol laced gasoline. I didn’t want this to get to be a discussion of the philosophy of the ethanol industry. Let’s stay away from those discussions and leave that to the Face Book crowd! I always appreciate the great feedback from a lot of great members of this blog. Consider my question closed


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You asked a question and received some answers. Not sure how facebook came into it :rolleyes::confused: It's a thought, sometimes it's bigger then a basic choice.


I prefer to use non-eth in my old stuff and lawn engines. From my experience the old v8s run better yr to the next yr. or maybe its my lazy fuel maintenance.

Run eth just burn it up and store with non eth. My 2cents.


Now my old McCormick-Deering throttler engine, once hot, will run on 50/50 dirty gas from a 50 yr old tank splashed with some old oil.
 
I grew up on a farm so I'm prejudiced against that prejudice. The use of food for fuel is not a brilliant idea and I'll grant you that but it's not the average farmers fault. The Energy Independence and Security Act has a way lot more to do with it than any ag lobby. Look that one up and read it.


We never grew much corn in KS since it requires a lot of irrigation. Most of what is grown there goes to the feed lots to fatten up the critters for the meat you buy at the super market.


Using alcohol is wasteful since it takes a lot of electricity just to distill the stuff. It's likely coal fired power plants that provide the electricity so figure that in. The corn was already being grown for cattle & hog feed so all the government act did was make the corn more expensive. Farmers in the US never have gotten parity prices for their crops so don't blame them if they make more money from their crop.


If you like to eat, take care of the farmer that grows your food. This is something that always made America stand out in the world. Most folks here have enough to eat. There are a lot of other countries that wish they could claim that.
 
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rotorwrench said:
I grew up on a farm so I'm prejudiced against that prejudice. The use of food for fuel is not a brilliant idea and I'll grant you that but it's not the average farmers fault. The Energy Independence and Security Act has a way lot more to do with it than any ag lobby. Look that one up and read it.


We never grew much corn in KS since it requires a lot of irrigation. Most of what is grown there goes to the feed lots to fatten up the critters for the meat you buy at the super market.


Using alcohol is wasteful since it takes a lot of electricity just to distill the stuff. It's likely coal fired power plants that provide the electricity so figure that in. The corn was already being grown for cattle & hog feed so all the government act did was make the corn more expensive. Farmers in the US never have gotten parity prices for their crops so don't blame them if they make more money from their crop.


If you like to eat, take care of the farmer that grows your food. This is something that always made America stand out in the world. Most folks here have enough to eat. There are a lot of other countries that wish they could claim that.
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Ethanol is not distilled with electricity, too expensive.
 
Rotorwrench I agree. As a retired farmer I was always told at the mill that the reason corn prices were low was because of too much corn. I looked up distilling and found that with new processes there is a net gain. The corn used for distilling is the same corn used for livestock feed. The byproduct of distilling is brewers grain. A very good livestock feed.
 
All I can add is what I have experienced. While the alcohol gas may be OK for short term storage, for anything longer, it's a chance I don't want to take. A few years ago I decided to resurrect a couple of my vehicles that had been sitting for 3 years. My '68 Corvette had been run exclusively on non-oxygenated (no alcohol) gas. I primed the carburetor, and it fired right up and purred like a kitten. My Yamaha snowmobile on the other hand, had been run on whatever was available on the trail, and I'm sure the last couple of tanks through it were corn gas. It would not start, and I had to take it completely apart and clean and reassemble the carburetors (all four of them).

I know it's a bit of an "apples and oranges" comparison, but I think it's indicative of what can happen. I know I'll never put a vehicle in storage for any length of time with a tank full of alcohol gas. I will add that I have never had a problem running the stuff, but I wouldn't take a chance on long term storage.
 
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