I was talking to a friend of mine who is a welder/ truck mechanic. He was telling me how bad ethanol based gas is for engines. Mines a gasser. The only places I can buy it here are too small to get my unit in. So he suggested using a product called, I think, Tek Tron that removes the ethanol. Just wondering if anyone else has a concern about ethanol and do you use this product?
Non ethanol?
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rockin rockwood
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No worries with e-10 gas...10%ethanol. Theoretically it will absorb more moisture while in storage though. This is why you want to fill the tank and use a fuel stabilizer, such as Sta-bil when you put it away in the off months. E-15 is a different matter, but you should stay away from that unless your rig is made for it
PJ Stough
Well-known member
Maddie said:
Have this guy explain exactly how Tek Tron "removes the ethanol"?
Cant Wait
Well-known member
If you had a motor from back in the 90's then yes you MIGHT have problem with E-10 fuel, but with a 2014 there's no issues. Just too many Urban Legends out there about E-10 fuel.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Agree with the others - your engine is fine. The E10 ethanol blend gives slightly reduced fuel mileage vs "pure" gas, but the engine is designed to use it and won't be harmed a bit.
I suspect he was talking about STAR TRON Enzyme Fuel Treatment, one of several fuel additives that claim to "stabilize" gasoline and "prevent ethanol fuel problems", without ever saying much of anything about what those problems may be or how it magically prevents them.
http://www.starbrite.com/en/startron
You, your friends and neighbors have all probably been using ethanol blend gasoline in your cars for 10+ years now. Are engines failing left & right?
My advice: Save your money!
I suspect he was talking about STAR TRON Enzyme Fuel Treatment, one of several fuel additives that claim to "stabilize" gasoline and "prevent ethanol fuel problems", without ever saying much of anything about what those problems may be or how it magically prevents them.
http://www.starbrite.com/en/startron
You, your friends and neighbors have all probably been using ethanol blend gasoline in your cars for 10+ years now. Are engines failing left & right?
My advice: Save your money!
Jim Godward
Well-known member
I was finding more stations with ethanol free gas in Montana before we left. I am now in Oregon and have not found any here so far. 
Cant Wait
Well-known member
The only ethanol free gas I find around here in western NY is the 94 Octane gas.
Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Some areas have it readily available, but the price is usually out-of-sight. Right up there with premium grade.
driftless shifter
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An older carbureted engine may have trouble with ethanol. Think Onan generators. or 80's vintage gassers. Carbed engines have a more or less fixed fuel metering system and are "jetted" accordingly, there were feedback carbs for very few years before TBI came common. TBI can adjust for the ethanol by squirting a bit longer, it knows when to do this by feedback from O2 sensors. Running pure ethan at the track with a street car than run gas to get to the track requires re jetting the carbs, with bigger jets. The other thing that happens to older fuel systems is they have components that are not compatible with ethanol and they deteriorate. Ethanol is also like dry gas or fuel system de icer. at absorbs moisture, it will absorb moisture from the atmosphere during storage.
I think Tek tron may be Techron, A quality fuel system cleaner that I have used for years to clean fuel systems that have sat unused and improperly stored. Startron claims to be an enzyme that digests the jelly goo that ethanol becomes when it absorbs water during storage, I don't know if Stabil combats this gel. Traditionally Stabil worked by protecting gasoline from oxidizing and breaking down during storage. my DUnebuggy used to beg for a tune up every spring on first start up, I learned to leave it alone until the old gas was burned off. This would happen whether I used stabile or not, However when I skipped a season with my boat in 1990 it was in storage for about a year and a half. I added more Stabil the next fall before another winter and it ran ok the following summer.
Maddie I would add the proper amount of Stabil if you store it for more than two months or if you store it in a wet humid climate.
JMHO
Bill
I think Tek tron may be Techron, A quality fuel system cleaner that I have used for years to clean fuel systems that have sat unused and improperly stored. Startron claims to be an enzyme that digests the jelly goo that ethanol becomes when it absorbs water during storage, I don't know if Stabil combats this gel. Traditionally Stabil worked by protecting gasoline from oxidizing and breaking down during storage. my DUnebuggy used to beg for a tune up every spring on first start up, I learned to leave it alone until the old gas was burned off. This would happen whether I used stabile or not, However when I skipped a season with my boat in 1990 it was in storage for about a year and a half. I added more Stabil the next fall before another winter and it ran ok the following summer.
Maddie I would add the proper amount of Stabil if you store it for more than two months or if you store it in a wet humid climate.
JMHO
Bill
John From Detroit
Well-known member
There have been some damming studies at higher E- levels but the jury is still out at E-10.. Frankly however that is only one side of the equasion. the other is that E-10 was created to reduce pollution and lessen our country's dependence on "Foreign oil".. It does neither.
But As to how it affects engines.. I have seen only tests at higher levels of EtOh. and thus they are not conclusive.
But As to how it affects engines.. I have seen only tests at higher levels of EtOh. and thus they are not conclusive.
T
TonyDtorch
Guest
I live out here in ethanol land ( CA ) ... and this gas plays hell on vintage carburetor engines.
I have been using a stabilizer called Sea-foam, it appears to retard some of the problems of ethanol fuel in older "vented" fuel systems.
I have been using a stabilizer called Sea-foam, it appears to retard some of the problems of ethanol fuel in older "vented" fuel systems.
driftless shifter
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E-10 wreaked havoc in the marine industry when it first came out. Destroying fuel systems in some boats.
Bill
Bill
PJ Stough
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driftless shifter said:
I have heard that too, and I believe the problem was that engines built for boats used materials inferior to the materials in automotive engines.
driftless shifter
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Actually fuel systems on boats are safer than cars. Carb vents, for instance, vent into the throat of the carb, prevents fumes from the bowl from settling in the bilge. Some of the high end Boats used fuel bladders in fiberglass compartments, the ethanol dissolved the bladders, fuel lines and
o-rings and such were not ethanol resistant in boat engines for longer than road engines, as there was no requirement for ethanol in boats. Then suddenly there was no marine gas available. Most marine engine gaskets are of a higher quality due to harsh conditions and so many boat engines are cooled by raw water with no heat exchanger. Very bad idea to use automotive parts particularly electrical on boat engines, reason being that as safe a fuel system as required on boats you can still wind up with gas fumes in bilge, Boats go boom if a car starter is used in presence of gas fumes.
Bill
o-rings and such were not ethanol resistant in boat engines for longer than road engines, as there was no requirement for ethanol in boats. Then suddenly there was no marine gas available. Most marine engine gaskets are of a higher quality due to harsh conditions and so many boat engines are cooled by raw water with no heat exchanger. Very bad idea to use automotive parts particularly electrical on boat engines, reason being that as safe a fuel system as required on boats you can still wind up with gas fumes in bilge, Boats go boom if a car starter is used in presence of gas fumes.
Bill
PJ Stough
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Safer does not equal better quality materials that are resistant to ethanol.
driftless shifter
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Not inferior definitely safer, just not compatible with ethanol as ethanol was not required by the gov't for use in boats. Older cars had similar issues when ethanol first came to the pumps, except cars didn't come with fuel bladders but the fuel lines, certain carburetor parts, and fuel pump parts. this was stated in my above post.
the ethanol dissolved the bladders, fuel lines and o-rings and such were not ethanol resistant in boat engines for longer than road engines, as there was no requirement for ethanol in boats. Then suddenly there was no marine gas available.
Sorry that I wasn't more clear.
Bill
the ethanol dissolved the bladders, fuel lines and o-rings and such were not ethanol resistant in boat engines for longer than road engines, as there was no requirement for ethanol in boats. Then suddenly there was no marine gas available.
Sorry that I wasn't more clear.
Bill
catblaster
Well-known member
I was getting ready to do a tune up on my Harleys but filled them up with real gasoline on a tip from a friend and the difference is amazing. No hesitation on starting, idle much smother, and the power is like the difference between swimming in a hotel pool and skinny dipping in the springs. Really didn't think it would make that much improvement. BTW both are ethanol compatible.
John From Detroit
Well-known member
For this post engines come in two types.. Heavily Computer Controled and .. Not.
EtOh is not nearly as "potent" as Gasoline when it comes to powering an engine, plus there are some other issues.
Now a fully computer controlled engine may be able to adapt to this lower powered fuel. but a non-computer engine has to be adjusted to it.. That's all I can say. I suspect the Harley si a straight carburator not a compuer controlled electroinic fuel injection device.. but i could be wrong on that.
Even with computers.. There is only so much adjustment.
My belief, shared by many who have the creds to make the statement, is that by the time you factor in the reduction in MPG, the cost of the fuel to prepare the soil, plant, cultivate, harvest, transport, and process the grain into Alcohol to add to the Gasoline... The "Savings" are negative.
EtOh is not nearly as "potent" as Gasoline when it comes to powering an engine, plus there are some other issues.
Now a fully computer controlled engine may be able to adapt to this lower powered fuel. but a non-computer engine has to be adjusted to it.. That's all I can say. I suspect the Harley si a straight carburator not a compuer controlled electroinic fuel injection device.. but i could be wrong on that.
Even with computers.. There is only so much adjustment.
My belief, shared by many who have the creds to make the statement, is that by the time you factor in the reduction in MPG, the cost of the fuel to prepare the soil, plant, cultivate, harvest, transport, and process the grain into Alcohol to add to the Gasoline... The "Savings" are negative.
driftless shifter
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To agree with John, My dune buggy engine had two, 2 barrel carbs and electronic distributor ignition. The carbs needed bigger jets and a bump in the distributor timing advance for E10. That said, some may try to argue the less power in ethanol because some drag race engines run on alcohol. They run very high, comparatively speaking, compression. They also burn a gob shite of fuel. They choose alcohol because when MPG isn't a consideration they can run much closer to the edge engine destruction with high compression and boost because alcohol burns so much cooler than gas. Don't believe it try boiling equal amount of water on a marine alcohol stove and a Coleman gasoline stove, and see which boils faster.
As far as alcohol absorbing moisture out of the air. It's true, how do you put out an alcohol stove fire? Water is safest and fastest. Because the water and alcohol are readily mixed, removing the fuel from the triangle.
Alcohol is a government pork barrel for agriculture.
Bill
As far as alcohol absorbing moisture out of the air. It's true, how do you put out an alcohol stove fire? Water is safest and fastest. Because the water and alcohol are readily mixed, removing the fuel from the triangle.
Alcohol is a government pork barrel for agriculture.
Bill
