Ethanol free gas for lawn equip?

[soupcxan]

Just started cutting my own grass again and bought a nice Honda mower. All the gas pumps within +75 miles of Houston are E10. The manual says E10 is ok but will it work better/longer if I use pure gas? The only option I can find is Trufuel at Lowes which is $20/gallon. I figure 1 gal gets me about 8 cuts. Worth it? I'll also get a 2 stroke trimmer in the near future.

Ps. Thanks to the corn lobby for this annoyance.

 

[6miths]

I am told by my power equipment dealer that both Exon and Shell Premium gas locally is ethanol free so that's what I go with. I guess Toronto is a bit far for you though. Hard to believe that you can't get gas with no ethanol in Houston!

 

[Texas Proud]

I am told by my power equipment dealer that both Exon and Shell Premium gas locally is ethanol free so that's what I go with. I guess Toronto is a bit far for you though. Hard to believe that you can't get gas with no ethanol in Houston!

It is not the gas companies that are causing this.... but federal rules... nothing you can do about it but put in Stabil...

 

[MRG]

If it says you can run it your good. Doubt the 2 stoke trimmer will care either. Can't see spending that kind of money for non-etenol. Yes I always run with stabil for equipment.

 

[misanman]

We have stations near to local lakes that offer ethanol free gas for boaters. There is a bit of a premium but worth it to avoid the associated problems.

 

[samclem]

There are some places you can still find real gasoline. Try this web site:
Buy Real Gas.com. It is best to call to confirm that real gas is available at any listed station before making a long drive.
Real gasoline is still available at many marinas (because ethanol has ruined so many fuel systems on boats). I'd try to get real gasoline if you can rather than use fuel with any ethanol in it. Even if your mower can tolerate the ethanol, real gasoline will stay "fresh" much longer, and it won't attract water which can rust out your fuel tank and cause other problems.

Ps. Thanks to the corn lobby for this annoyance.

Yes, and a big raspberry to the people they bought. The program has been an environmental and practical outrage.

 

[ER Fireball]

Yes, and a big raspberry to the people they bought. The program has been an environmental and practical outrage.

Because leaded gas and MTBE was a much superior alternative.

 

[Easypick]

Try local marinas or small airports (planes equipped to run on mogas need ethanol free gas as I understand it)

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Try local marinas or small airports (planes equipped to run on mogas need ethanol free gas as I understand it)

Don't run mogas from the airport...it's leaded fuel and will most likely cause more damage than the ethanol.

Sent From My Motorola Startac. Please excuse grammatical errors.

 

[samclem]

Because leaded gas and MTBE was a much superior alternative.

Strawman/false dilemma argument.
Tetraethyl Lead: Unrelated to this issue. Unleaded gasoline was in mandatory and widespread successful use long before either ethanol or MTBE was added to US fuels. Octane levels were fine.
MTBE: Used primarily as an oxygenate (required by another set of environmental laws). There are plenty of less noxious alternatives (including ETBE).

 

[soupcxan]

The nearest real gas is a 2 hour round trip. So it's either E10 plus a stabilizer, or the expensive pure gas.

 

[pb4uski]

+1 about checking marinas for non-ethanol gas.

Our local boat dealer was recommending using Tron as an additive when non-ethanol was not so available but I heard this weekend that Tron was causing more problems than it was solving so they have moved to another additive that is not available through normal retail outlets but the person I talked with didn't remember the name of it.

 

[aja8888]

Don't run mogas from the airport...it's leaded fuel and will most likely cause more damage than the ethanol.

Sent From My Motorola Startac. Please excuse grammatical errors.

Hmmmm...TEL was banned for use as an octane enhancement additive years ago. Do you know something I don't?

 

[samclem]

Don't run mogas from the airport...it's leaded fuel and will most likely cause more damage than the ethanol.

Sent From My Motorola Startac. Please excuse grammatical errors.

MOGAS from the airport has no lead. It will be used by pilots flying airplanes with Rotax engines and some others that do not need/want lead.

The more common piston-engine fuel at the airport is AVGAS or "100LL". It has lead and should probably be avoided in a lawn mower.

 

[38Chevy454]

MOGAS from the airport has no lead. It will be used by pilots flying airplanes with Rotax engines and some others that do not need/want lead.

The more common piston-engine fuel at the airport is AVGAS or "100LL". It has lead and should probably be avoided in a lawn mower.

100LL is 100 octane and low lead. It will work in the mower and the 2 stroke trimmer. The hassle is *getting* the 100LL. Most airports do not have an easy way to sell you a few gallons, nor do they want to. Since there is no road tax on it, they have different taxes. Also some funny rules on dispensing into containers. It is just more hassles for them that they typically do not want to deal with small purchases. They want to sell a big fill right into an airplane.

I agree the marina option may be better. The reason the whole pre-packaged true gas quart cans are being sold is because the E10 does not work so good in the small 2-stroke powered stuff. The ultra small passages get corrosion from the alcohol. The 100% gas does not cause the problems. Also some of the quart cans are already pre-mixed with the oil for the 2 stroke engines. Your mower does not need the pre-mix oil in the gas. The mower should do fine with E10, just be careful to run it dry at end of the season so the E10 does not stay in the carb and fuel system over several months. That can cause problems.

 

[springnr]

Star Tron at wally world is in sporting goods marine section. Stabil Marine version is another choice. Google and you will find comments on these products.
Attwood 8oz Startron Gas Additive - Walmart.com

For a while I was tracking oil analysis on the turbo and spent time at Bobistheoilguy.com The fellow that formulated Lube Control and FP lived a town or so over so I would stop by his house every now and then to load up. Still have a gallon of Fuel Power, my riding mower has not had any problems with ethanol. n=1
Now that I live a bit over 2000 miles away when the FP is gone I will most likely try the Star Tron.

Ethanol has an affinity for water so fill up after mowing - keep the tank full to stop condensation and moisture build up.

 

[Walt34]

I haven't had any issues with the 10% [-]contaminated[/-] alcohol fuel but I run Stabil all the time. This is with both new and old stuff - the chain saw is ~34 years old. Runs fine.

That said, when I'm done with the tool for the season I run them dry and if it has a carburetor bowl I drain that too to get the last bit out.

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

Echo has recommendations for using E10 in their 2 stroke engines. In addition to using fuel that's less than 30 days old (fuel stabilizer can extend to 90), make sure you keep gas containers tightly sealed (so additional moisture isn't absorbed), and shake the container before using it. Probably not bad advice.

 

[keegs]

I use Marvel Mystery Oil as a stabilizer. It helps keep the fuel line and some internal engine parts clean. I think they recommend a ratio of 4oz. to 1 gal of gas.

 

[imoldernu]

Does anyone have personal knowledge of anyone with an engine of any kind that has been ruined by a gasoline containing ethanol...?

My 1998 Lincoln and 96 Cadillac require Premium, but neither have ever never tasted it. @ 120K miles, no service of any plugs, transmission, or any part of the power train... Still get 21 to 29 mpg on Regular w/ ethanol.

All mowers, blowers, saws, trimmers, boat motors, generators etc, work well, despite not using additives or special treatment. Gas from Last summer worked perfectly well ... one pull on mower... after the worst winter... (stored outside) in history. I don't even empty the tanks. The only care any of these products ever receive is a power wash at the end of the season. Some of these engines are 60+ years old.

God will get me for bragging about this, but all these things work perfectly.
Worst thing that happened this year was that the primer bulb on my gas trimmer cracked due to old age... 21 years old.

 

[keegs]

Does anyone have personal knowledge of anyone with an engine of any kind that has been ruined by a gasoline containing ethanol...?

My 1998 Lincoln and 96 Cadillac require Premium, but neither have ever never tasted it. @ 120K miles, no service of any plugs, transmission, or any part of the power train... Still get 21 to 29 mpg on Regular w/ ethanol.

All mowers, blowers, saws, trimmers, boat motors, generators etc, work well, despite not using additives or special treatment. Gas from Last summer worked perfectly well ... one pull on mower... after the worst winter... (stored outside) in history. I don't even empty the tanks. The only care any of these products ever receive is a power wash at the end of the season. Some of these engines are 60+ years old.

God will get me for bragging about this, but all these things work perfectly.
Worst thing that happened this year was that the primer bulb on my gas trimmer cracked due to old age... 21 years old.

I can't say for sure but I left gas in my "not so old" rototiller over the winter a few years ago and couldn't get it started in the spring. I rebuilt the carburetor and found some small o rings had become brittle and disintegrated when I removed them. I have many small 2 and 4 cycle gas powered tools none of which have given me trouble since the switch to E10.

 

[JakeBrake]

Non-ethanol gas in 87, 89, and 93 octane is fairly common around here sold by independent dealers. The big companies like Exxon, Chevron, Texaco, etc don't have it.

I use 93 octane non-ethanol gas in my lawn mowers, tillers, chainsaws, string trimmers, and blowers.

I use 87 octane 10% ethanol gas in my vehicles.

For my tractors I use low sulpher on road diesel, which is usually sold at the same pump station as gas. This is more convenient for me than the off-road diesel pumps. Around here on road diesel costs about $.30 more per gallon than off road diesel.

 

[samclem]

Okay, here's another source of info on places selling ethanol-free fuel. The map shows places that reportedly have it.

Pure-gas.org map

Notes:
soupxcan: It looks like there are a few places reported near Dallas.
All: It looks like the info is "user reported", so there's a good chance some of it is inaccurate, out of date, etc. Most of the stations I looked at listed a phone number, so I'd definitely call before driving anywhere.

If anyone is interested in testing fuel to see if it contains ethanol, the Experimental Aviation Association (EAA) sells a test kit for this purpose. There have been reported instances of the fuels being different than claimed by the retailer.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

MOGAS from the airport has no lead. It will be used by pilots flying airplanes with Rotax engines and some others that do not need/want lead.

The more common piston-engine fuel at the airport is AVGAS or "100LL". It has lead and should probably be avoided in a lawn mower.

Yeah, that's my mistake..should have elaborated. It's difficult to find mogas at airports. Avgas does have lead...

Sent From My Motorola Startac. Please excuse grammatical errors.

 

[ERD50]

Does anyone have personal knowledge of anyone with an engine of any kind that has been ruined by a gasoline containing ethanol...?

My 1998 Lincoln and 96 Cadillac require Premium, but neither have ever never tasted it. @ 120K miles, no service of any plugs, transmission, or any part of the power train... Still get 21 to 29 mpg on Regular w/ ethanol.

All mowers, blowers, saws, trimmers, boat motors, generators etc, work well, despite not using additives or special treatment. ... .

Premium is specified for some cars with higher compression ratios to keep the engine from 'knocking' (pre-ignition) - but knocking generally only occurs under hard acceleration or hill climbing. So if you rarely drive hard, you can probably get by w/o premium. But serious knocking can do a lot of damage.

I also have had no fuel problems in my mowers with the ethanol gas we have here in corn country. I generally try to start them a few times over the winter though, to exercise them and charge the battery as well. I'm somewhat skeptical of people who claim ethanol is so bad for small engines (though I'm against it for other reasons), but maybe I've just been lucky... for 30 years?

-ERD50