Replacing a carb is easier than cleaning one and very cheap 

On 12/28/2023 at 5:49 AM, gimruis said:

 

That's the number one problem with seasonal engines and ethanol.  Gummed up carburetors.

 

Seems simple to me.  If the engine sits around for months at a time, don't let it sit there with fuel that has ethanol.  If you use the engine on a regular basis (like a vehicle) all year round, ethanol is ok.

 

If you don't have access to ethanol free gasoline...well, bummer.  Use fuel stabilizer.

That has been recomended since corn fuel came out, but most folks don't follow instructions so they have issues.  In some areas non E fuels don't get sold often enough so that gas goes stale in the ground tank.  Watch where you buy your fuels, no matter what you use !!

On 12/28/2023 at 10:07 AM, TnRiver46 said:

Replacing a carb is easier than cleaning one and very cheap 

Yes sir, the forums are filled with complaints about folks buying cheap knock offs that don't work.  Just cleaning rarely works well,vif your gonna take it apart then get a quality rebuild kit and do it right.  Or follow the guide lines on E fuel usage and storage and you won't need to rebuild or replace..

20 hours ago, airshot said:

If pure gas causes no issues, why was "gumout" ever invented ??   Your money, your choice, best of luck to you.

I don’t know why it was invented. Never used it. I’m not telling anyone what to do. I’m just saying what I know works for me. I’m not getting endorsements for any of it. You do you. I’ll do me. I haven’t had problems with pure gas. 

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Replacing a carb is easier than cleaning one and very cheap 

That makes sense.   When I realized that my pressure washer would not start because of E10,  I checked the price of a new carburetor and was shocked that it was less than $40 before shipping.  It took me about 30 minutes to clean the old one.  I guess the hourly rate of the person doing the cleaning would determine which is cheaper.   

Bringing this one back specifically for the 'gas can' user crowd as a PSA ~

 

A-Jay

30 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Bringing this one back specifically for the 'gas can' user crowd as a PSA ~

Ya - knew that.

Station I go to has three different color nozzles...they don't sell E-85, across the street does

Black - this is your E-10 no matter the grade

Green - this is diesel - separate hose...so no 'leftover' gas in the diesel line

Yellow - this is ethanol-free - again, separate hose, so no E-10 gas gets mixed in.

About 25 years ago I was making the rounds at Christmas in my Jeep Grand Cherokee and the thing was barely running.  It’s was in need of a tune up and was missing and back firing.  I pulled into an Exxon station and filled up with their highest octane gas.   I got about a 1/4 mile down the road and the thing was running like new.  When the time came to fill up again I pulled into a different Exxon station and filled up with the same high octane fuel.  I got about 1/4 mile down the road and the vehicle started missing and backfiring again.  
 

I’ve always been a little suspicious that I’m getting in the can what the pump says it’s pumping.   I’ve tested several gas stations but haven’t found one yet that had ethanol in their ethanol free gas.   There are very few stations around here that pump their ethanol free gas through the same hose has their E10.  I would pump a gallon in the truck before putting any in the can if necessary.

8 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

 

Place I routinely use has a stand alone pump of E-Free.

But if I were somewhere else and in a pinch,

I'm wasting a couple of gallons into the GMC. 

A-Jay

Great info.  The station I was going to start using for my non ethanol (Royal Farms) has it as an option all on the same line from the same pump as the other fuels.  The other station I saw that had it, the ethanol free was a separate pump that only had ethanol free in it and it wasn’t even on the island with the other pumps, it was a stand alone pump.  Luckily the fill tank on the boat is on the same side as the truck so I could pump a couple gallons in the truck then switch to the boat but I wonder if it really makes a difference if you are pumping 15-20 gallons vs 1.  I would assume so.  

It will only make a difference if your mind makes you think it will !!  

22 hours ago, TOXIC said:

I wonder if it really makes a difference if you are pumping 15-20 gallons vs 1.

Personally I wouldn’t sweat the E10 left in the hose that’s going in a 20 gallon tank.   Now E85 hose gas going in a 1 gallon can would be a lot of ethanol,  especially considering this gas is probably going in a seasonal small engine.