In order to keep farmers happy, Trump lifted the ban on higher ethanol blends so we may be seeing 15% blends instead of the current 10% blend. Many cars and small engines are only rated for 10% and higher blends may cause damage and warranty issues.
Higher Ethanol Blends coming
- Thread starter peakbagger
- Start date
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Firewood Bandit
Minister of Fire
I hope this isn't true, and if it is true, I hope we still have plenty of 10% ethanol blend to use. I wish there were more placed to get straight gas around where I am for all my small engines.
CentralVAWoodHeat
Minister of Fire
My 96 F-150 isn’t rated for it but I run it in there pretty regularly, it’s proven to be pretty much bullet proof on the fuel it gets. Old gas, new gas, ethanol, non ethanol’s, it’s had a few gallon of diesel blended in over the years, I run all of the year old gas from my brothers race car thru it, straight ethanol from the Ethanol plant. We get that in 55 gallon drums & mix in a couple small bottles of 2 cycle oil for a lubricant. 297,000 miles & still purring along. All my 15 year Sabre lawnmower has had is E-10-15 ran thru it & I haven’t had any problems. BUT ALL ENGINES & COMPONENTS ARE DIFFERENT & WILL REACT DIFFERENTLY. I haven’t noticed much difference running E-85 thru our Ford Edge on mileage usually about 2mpg but at $.50 - $.60 a gallon cheaper than non ethanol. I believe I’ll keep using it. There places locally here that you can get E-10, E-15, E-35 & E-85. When you get down into parts of Missouri E-85/E-10/Non-Ethanol are all the same price & most places don’t offer E-85.
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Ethanol is the biggest backdoor farm subsidy out there and lot of farmers are upset with the trade war with china as they are sitting on record surpluses and no where to sell it.
If an engine has a knock sensor and can adjust for variable "octane" ratings, the lower BTU content of ethanol can be offset somewhat by the the higher "octane" rating that ethanol has. I think Ford rated a lot of their vehicles for 100% ethanol as they got a credit on the corporate average fuel standard.
I have two stations nearby that sell non ethanol gas and plan to run it in my small engines as long as its available. I have seen and heard of some real horror stories of ethanol in older engines eating the hoses and carb gaskets and gunning up the passages. The local small engine shops have junkyards full of fairly new dead equipment that "just needs a carb" . I dumped a snowblower last year for that reason. It had a lot of small issues but the carb was the breaking point.
If an engine has a knock sensor and can adjust for variable "octane" ratings, the lower BTU content of ethanol can be offset somewhat by the the higher "octane" rating that ethanol has. I think Ford rated a lot of their vehicles for 100% ethanol as they got a credit on the corporate average fuel standard.
I have two stations nearby that sell non ethanol gas and plan to run it in my small engines as long as its available. I have seen and heard of some real horror stories of ethanol in older engines eating the hoses and carb gaskets and gunning up the passages. The local small engine shops have junkyards full of fairly new dead equipment that "just needs a carb" . I dumped a snowblower last year for that reason. It had a lot of small issues but the carb was the breaking point.
Bad LP
Minister of Fire
Jan Pijpelink
Minister of Fire
Within the very near future, commercial gasoline will have iso-Butanol to replace Ethanol. iso-Butanol does not have the disadvantages of Ethanol.
Seasoned Oak
Minister of Fire
I would have rather seen them promote electric cars than add more ethanol to the gas. A further mpg loss.
Jan Pijpelink
Minister of Fire
The US still has the cheapest gasoline of all western industrialized countries. $10 a gallon in Europe.
Yes but the purchase cost of deisels even used here is so much higher unless you are towing heavy allot I just dont see that it pays. And yes the drive train lasts longer for sure but that is rarely what goes here anyway. I have nothing at all against deisels i just cant justify the extra cost personally. The only time they bother me is when idiots modify them so they blow hige clouds of black smoke. All it does is show they are to lazy to properly tune their trucks
So have they figured how to make it smell nice?. Last thing I knew a byproduct was the smell of vomit.
E15 is already available at a few stations near me. I have not tried it but my brother has ran it in a few of the clunkers he has with no apparent damage but has not ran it full time in any of them. He reports some minor loss of power but nothing drastic.
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Seasoned Oak
Minister of Fire
And the repairs are just over the top. I luv em too but i will never own one. Just dont do much towing,which is about the only good reason to buy one.
Don't U just love em when they do the smoke thing and no muffer too. Harley came by me other day and we both stopped. No Muffler, he was so loud it hurt my ears. But hey his days are numbered on Hog in Winter. Besides they don't see them here. Report any that alter emissions to State Patrol. My rig emits flowers, or is it burned piss.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Oddly enough around here in the last few months a number of Ma and Pa gas stations and a few local chain gas stations have begun selling ethanol-free gas. I say "oddly" since for a long time finding ethanol free gas meant going to an airport, marina or buying in the quart cans sold at the local saw shops.
I picked up a couple gallons for the new generator . . . I may start running it more often in the chainsaw, splitter and other small engines that are either older or do not see as much action as say the car or ATV. It is more expensive . . . and I have honestly not had any issue with ethanol to date . . . but if ethanol free is available . . .
Clerk at the local gas station said they have been selling A LOT of the ethanol free gas.
I picked up a couple gallons for the new generator . . . I may start running it more often in the chainsaw, splitter and other small engines that are either older or do not see as much action as say the car or ATV. It is more expensive . . . and I have honestly not had any issue with ethanol to date . . . but if ethanol free is available . . .
Clerk at the local gas station said they have been selling A LOT of the ethanol free gas.
Jan Pijpelink
Minister of Fire
Gasoline, isobutanol and ethanol all smell nice. My personal favorite is light sweet Naphtha, 1,3-Butadiene is a very good second. Jet A1 is third.
At our cabin I cannot find where they sell ethanol free, but here in Fl I can. Guess I will have to take gas with me up there. More places will have to start selling ethanol free. And no small engine likes or can handle even the 10% ethanol. It destroys them all over a short time, usually 10 minutes after the warranty runs out. EPA has the carbs running so lean, you need special tools to even try and adjust them, none seem to last.
The issue with isobutanol is it oxidizes to butyraldehyde and butyric acid.which smell like rancid butter or vomit.
Jan Pijpelink
Minister of Fire
Not when it is mixed in the gasoline.
You need a catalytic process to produce butyraldehyde from isobutanol. It is the butyraldehyde that forms butyric acid from oxidation, not the isobutanol.
Jan Pijpelink
Minister of Fire
I am not familiar with those issues. I am just a simple (petroleum)chemist.
We can talk about the merits/demerits of fuel blends till the cows come home, but lets not take this into a political discussion please. There is already enough of that junk on the web to choke a horse.
Etanol = death of fuel components in small engines- mostly due to infrequency of runs- dang stuff does eventually separate out of the mix, has a affinity to collect water ( like all alcohols) real problem is that when run everything dry for storage it leaves behind a coating that eventually plugs up passages, also eats fuel lines or causes them to harden which of course causes them to crack or break completely even the newest lines are not immune just takes longer. Yep MFG are tuning to make emissions- very lean coupled with ethanol laced fuel running hotter seized engines are a norm now days not the exception. Ever notice that most units now have plastic fuel tanks? besides being cheaper to make they do not rust which was a problem with ethanol laced fuel aborbing moisture in the common steel tanks. Kinda funny MFg went to all plastic carbs for a while- then due to heat issues the carbs were warping so now they are getting to hybrid. Alumn. carbs aren't the answer either still corrode from the residuals of the fuel. Just my observations over the course of time with ethajunk fuel.
As far as 15% or higher ya less cost at the pump but mileage goes down so it is a wash at best. Sorry I just can't find anything good about Ethanaol- didn't work worth squat in the 1930's either. Could be I am off base here but seems to me by the time the whole chain of Ethanol production is looked at it has a cost factor higher than petrol.
As far as 15% or higher ya less cost at the pump but mileage goes down so it is a wash at best. Sorry I just can't find anything good about Ethanaol- didn't work worth squat in the 1930's either. Could be I am off base here but seems to me by the time the whole chain of Ethanol production is looked at it has a cost factor higher than petrol.
