Ethanol Free Gas

[JackC 616]

If you are tired of dealing with carburetor problems due to ethanol like I am, here is where you can get ethanol free gas for your Wheel Horse tractors and other equipment with carbutetors.

http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp

[SousaKerry 500]

dang none near me in MI

Do you really see that much of a difference?

[smoreau 658]

Google pure gas and it will show you the closest ethanol free gas station

[smoreau 658]

Or type in www.pure-gas.org

[AMC RULES 36,940]

http://pure-gas.org/

[JackC 616]

<<Do you really see that much of a difference?>>

I have had to clean two carburetors in the past month and another tractor needs it.

One local dealer told me that 90% of the work they have been doing lately is cleaning carburetors.

It may be partly a function of what refinery produced the fuel, weather conditions like heat and humidity, and how long the fuel has been sitting for the ethanol to absorb moisture.

My 520HC ran great and then all of a sudden did not. There was about a tablespoon of light brown powder in the float bowl and some of it was clogging the float needle valve input.

The ethanol does not create problems if the fuel is consumed quickly like it is in cars and trucks that are used regularly.

The problems occur when the fuel sits for a long time like it does in seasonal equipment. One dealer told me the ethanol starts breaking down after three weeks. The stabilizers extend that time but do not always solve the problem.

I have more than a few tractors so they all get to sit for long periods with fuel in them without being run.

[MalMac 1,328]

JackC I have been fighting the exact same problem you have described. Super bad in my 520s. Switched to using 94 octane and so far no more brown gunk that kept messing up the carbs. I don't know if it is ethanol free or not but it looks and smells more like gas use to even is a little darker instead of being plain clear like the lower octane.

[joel_400 59]

Try a marina...the one my girlfriend works at doesnt use ethanol. The boaters dont like it anymore than us, but they have more money so when they complain somebody listens. Haha Its more expensive for sure but how much do you really use in a year? I doubt enough to really hit your wallet that bad as compared to the problems associated with ethanol. Just a thought.

Joel

[littleredrider 408]

All but my truck uses 93 octane. Couple tractors have set for months and started right up. Same for my four wheelers....

[Sparky-(Admin) 19,439]

Bummer, Connecticut isn't on the list.

Mike........

[Duff 206]

Expensive, but most regional airports with a flight service station should have Avgas LL100 which seems to be a darned good fuel for all our small engines. JMHO....

Duff :thumbs:

[JackC 616]

Ethanol can combine with water and drop to the bottom of your tank.

Your engine draws from the bottom of the tank and it will then be drinking poison.

Even worse if it is a 2 cycle engine.

http://www.gloucestertimes.com/sports/x645218902/Ethanol-Fuel-Dangers-Marine-Engines

[kloe0699 12]

A place near me just started selling "real gas" It's $4.45 a gallon but I am willing to pay that for my tractors.

[baerpath 517]

For my show tractors we run leaded racing fuel. Cost more up front but, after sitting a year or two they fire right up and the exhaust smells good lol

Duane

[smoreau 658]

You can remove the ethanol from gas if you don't have a pure-gas station near you. Its actually very simple. Ethanol is actually corn liquor, Moonshine, with a additive to make it non-consumable. To do this I recommend to do it in 1/2 gallon sizes as its easier to do. use a 1/2 gallon container that you can cap, but must be transparent so you all the fuel in it like a milk jug. Fill it about 3/4 to the top with fuel, add about 1 cup of water, and cap it. then shake it up real good and let it sit for about 10 min. Then just pore off the top layer. that is pure gas and the water on the bottom has all the ethanol mixed with it. sense ethanol is alcohol. it will mix with water and not gas. so it will all settle to the bottom.

[buckrancher 2,672]

in new york fastrack gas stations have started selling ethanol free premium

Brian

[tunahead72 2,332]

Thanks to JackC for starting this thread. I wandered into the pure-gas.org site a while back, and was immediately curious, but never took the time to actually start a topic here, so thank you!

I haven't tried any of the stations they list there yet, but I probably will soon. In the meantime, I'm still reading and learning...

:popcorn:

[dcrage 621]

A technical comment about Scott's (smoreau) suggestion of extracting ethanol by shaking it with water

This "extraction" is controlled by a common property of chemicals call the "octanol/water partition coefficient" (I am using octanol as a close substitute for gasoline) -- Doing a quick web search and some back of the envelop math with my calculator tells me that you won't come close to getting all of the ethanol out with a single water wash -- My calculations say that if you mixed equal parts gas and water; approx. 1/3 of the ethanol would end up in the water layer

The typical 'chemist' way this clean-up would be done would be several repeated extractions as Scott proposed

Just reconsidered my use of octanol as a substitute for octane (gasoline) -- Ethanol is going to be more soluble (probably quite a bit more soluble) in octanol (an alcahol) than in octane (gasoline) -- So that means that Scott's clean-up method is looking better on my 'back of the envelop' calculation

[krazy_horse 59]

Mrs K. Horse and I went over near Lake Tobesofkee near Macon and bought two five gallon cans full at a total cost of $40.90,ninty cent charge for using the debit card. I also put in STABUL and treated the gas with SEAFOME. I think they sell the no gasohol there because a lot of boaters use it. Not cheep to run our tractors and they say its going up.

[sorekiwi 761]

The last few weeks I have been running my tractors on ethanol free gas. The 520H is the only one I have worked hard (mowing), but I am sure that it does run better on this gas than normal (ethanol added) gas.

I think it has better power, a better idle, and better fuel consumption.

The downside is that it costs $4.19 a gallon around here, as oppossed to $3.69 for regular gas.

I prefer my corn on a cob at the dinner table!!

[JackC 616]

The 91 octane fuel at Fastrac in Amsterdam and Broadalbin, NY is now ethanol free. The Mobil station in Mayfield, NY is out and will not have it back for about 2 weeks.

[tunahead72 2,332]

The pure-gas.org site relies on input from readers to keep their information up to date. You can add a new station to their list, change information about a station that's already on the list, even delete a station that no longer carries ethanol-free gas.