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Ethanol gas

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Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

Does anyone know where you can buy gasoline in the central PA area that doesn't have ethanol in it. I have a couple of machines that can't use it.

What do you all think about ethanol gas ?
 
shullps,

I don't know anything about gas and I've heard all kinds of criticism about ethanol, but one thing that I have noticed is that I have not had one bit of trouble with water settling in my gas tank on my tractor since I've been using ethanol. I understand that the alcohol holds the water in suspension so it doesn't settle out. For better or for worse, that has been an advantage of using ethanol.

YMMV.

Tom in TN
 
It's the worse thing anyone has ever tried in the history of time. It ruins the environment, shortens the life of engines by 1/2, it causes starving children in Africa, it's all controlled by Monsanto anyhow.

--->Paul
 
If ethanol gas is so bad how come my 2006 Buick Lucerne book recommends it. That myth about ruining engines is anti ethanol propaganda. I've used it in pickups for over forty years and never had a problem. I'm talking about the ten percent stuff.
 
I have no specific information agout PA gasoline but have been told that MOST premium grades do not contain ethanol. For this reason, I always buy premium gasoline for my small engine fuel, both 2 and 4 cycle.

Dean
 
Sounds like another person who doesent know the facts. exports are record high and huge carryover so where is the shortage. We have been using it for 30 pluss yrs no problems in cars tractors ect. 600 products are made from corn and still no shortage.
 
Here in Va. our humidity is most of the time very high. This past summer it stayed above 85% for months and most of the time it was 90-98%. Every time I got a chain saw out it wouldn't start unless I mixed up some new gas and oil. So every time I had to dump what I had mixed. If it sit for more than 2 weeks the gas wouldn't burn.

The local store changed brands of gas this summer in August. They have a sign up now "ethanol free gas". Well what do you know I haven't had to dump anymore gas since. It's called Tiger Fuel. Don't know if they distribute that far north but they are in Charlottesville Va. And everyone that buys gas at our local store says they get more miles to the gal. on ethanol free gas and it's the same price as other brands.
 
Henry Ford said: "It"s a much nicer fuel". He said that one hundred years ago. Henry Ford new a hell of a lot more about engines and fuel than I ever will, so there it is. "It"s a much nicer fuel".
 
Correct av fuel is leaded and alcohol free. Its pretty rare but some av. fuel is what they call "mo gas" that is alcohol free motor vehicle fuel a lot cheaper than regular 100ll av gas.
 
This post just reminded me to order more ethanol tomorrow. The barrel ran dry today. My old tractors won't run without it. Jim
 
i put up with the little quirks it has because it grown& produced in the US not some middle east dessert an priced at there mercy
 
We use ethanol in the wife's 2008 car and my 2002 pickup. Never had any problems; mostly because we go threw a tank of gas in a week.

With that said I will NEVER use ethanol in my boat are lawn equiptment because I live in a very humid area.
So I do not have to write a book here on the subject just look up phase separation caused by water and you will understand why.

On a side note..........
I drive a gas tanker and have for over 20 years. We have never had problems like we see today.
One of the racks where I load gas at the under side of canopy is painted white to reflect light but it has turned black since they started selling ethanol mixed gas. While a pressure washing fixes the problem short term it comes right back in a few months.
It is like a black mold is growing on the canopy and the only reason they can come up with as a cause is the ethanol vapors because they never had this problem in the past.
 
Sure wish I could find some of that "super" ethanol that you guys have been using all these years. My tractors, chainsaws, lawnmowers, cars and pretty much every gas burning engine I have runs like crap on ethanol, plus I lose about 25% mileage/fuel efficiency. Ethanol is the biggest scam to come along in a long time, makes big oil look like saints. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but keep drinking the kool-aid boys.
 
Neither have I, Brian. I've used ethanol for over thirty years. In fact, I try to get ethanol in the tank to get things cleaned out as soon as possible. Get them clean, keep them clean. No gas lines freezing, either. Mike
 
I have to wonder if the areas people are supposedly having all the ethanol problems is the same areas that people marry their sisters and first cousins? It works fine for us and has since the 70's.
 
my gas supplier had to start bringing gas with ethanol in the late spring. i have several gas chore tractors that i need every day. i'm getting very tired of trying to keep the 560, 200 and a 656 running with the ethanol gas. my experience is not at all unique.
plus as noted before, any small engine fuel mix needs to be used up within 2 weeks or it will cause problems with the engine. if there was a source for ethanol free gas around here, i'd use it.
 
If ya'll need some extra Ethanol, it's kept right here at the city limits of the little town I live near. Fortunately, it is about 10 miles away from our place, and there was a lot of fuss about the tank being installed. Guess the Big City Folks didn't want it too close to them :-( There is a nice "Tank Farm" and most of the fuel bought and sold in about a 75 mile area comes from here, and we have ALL the different Brands being pulled from the same places... The pumps are setup to blend whatever the buyer has ordered, to that "oil companies" specs.....
 
I get about 1 to 3 mpg less with ethanol. It has caused the price of corn to go out of sight. It's costing the ranchers a fortune to feed their cattle. It causes more emmisions to make than gasoline. Where is the savings?
 
Been burning the 10% blend since it came out. Have it in everything I own or have owned. Never had a single problem with it. I started burning 20% in my 2000 Dakota and the mileage actually increased. I just filled up tonight and paid $2.67. I have a 99 Dakota that I have in storage. Last year I ran it for about 10 minutes and put it back in the shed. It had 10% blend in it. I took it out of storage this fall and drove it for a month before putting it back in the shed. The gas in it was 2 years old and the truck started and ran like when it was new. So much for it only lasting 2 weeks or months. My JD collection sits all year and only gets run once a summer and never a problem with old gas in them. I have even run E85 in some and they ran just fine. I don't know what you guys are experiencing but it is not happening to my vehicles. As a side note, Rusty Wallace from Nascar was at a local ethanol plant today announcing that Nascar was going to run 15% blend in their series next year. He was excited about the extra power and mileage the cars where going to be making. You suppose Nascar tested this stuff before going to it? I'd bet they did. Don't the Indy cars run on ethanol also? I haven't heard of any problems with them. How many of you guys complaining grow corn. Why do you suppose it is as high as it has been the last years? Every farmer I know has some contracted to the ethanol plants because they get a premium for it. Is it subsidized? Sure, but when was the last time the government paid LDP's on corn? Not since ethanol started expanding.
 
Our local Kwik Trip stations are starting to have a special pump labeled to use for small engines, boat motors etc. I believe that it is the premium stuff.

I have never had a problem with the ethanol in my vehicles or tractors but wouldn't say the same about my small engines. They have been a pita.
 
Local plant buys the methane gas from the city landfill that they were just burning off. It saves them money and the city makes money on something they just burned off. They also burn wood scraps there. How many refineries can do that? Also, the carbon dioxide that is produced is sold to the gas companies, among other industries, and they pump it back into the ground to get the gas and oil out of the old oil fields.
 
What's in it for Nascar to run an inferior product? Teams will be doing testing with it shortly.
 
E-85 is run in all my gravity feed Gasser CASEs thru the summer haying season ,, turn in the air,, open Power a turn or 2 ,, Use the Choke till warm , they willSTART and run fine in 60 plus temps ,, go back to reg Gas in Winter monthes to avoid headaches on daily runners ,, best not use over 40% E-85 in fuel pump fueled motors ,,I suspect E-85 turned some rubber gaskets in the fuel pumps into the vicosity of caulk ??,,, after i ran full dose E-85 all summer in the FORD grain truck...
 
I am OK with Nascar using ethanol but to me it looks about the same as them trying to be politically correct with trying to get the right proportion of minorities and women in there as drivers.
 
Do the math- if you lose only 1-3 % on mileage, and ethanol is 40-70 cents under gasoline, you are still way ahead! Our E85 van drops about 11%, but still pays even at a 40 cent price difference. DDGS is the by-product of making ethanol, and is an excellent, high protein feed for beef and dairy. Corn prices swing on way more than ethanol use...start with speculators, just like in the stock market. World-wide production and demand are the big movers.
 
All I can tell you guys that "love" ethanol. It makes me a lot of money in repairs. I get twice as many carburetors to rebuild now that they blend ethanol. I also can never use any two cycle mix that is over a few weeks old as it will not run in my chain saw or string trimmer.

I had a can that had some two cycle mix that had been mixed on Labor Day weekend. I know this because I had mixed it for the grand kid"s go cart. I had left the fuel can in the shed with the go cart. It will barely burn. You can pour on the ground and it will not light with a match. Take fresh gas, same spot, and it will flash.

I hate all of the stale gas I get each year in my older equipment that is still gas powered. The ethanol supporters here in Iowa have made it about impossible to get gas without it in it.

If it is so "good" why then does it need all of the tax subsidies??? All those ethanol plants around here aren"t paying a lick in property taxes either. I say let the customer buy what they want not what government pushes on you. Those that like it can buy all they want I just want to be able to buy my gas without it.

I will not even go into how much it is costing me in higher feed prices.
 
I live in IOWA also and just where are the stations that sell only ETHANOL here in the eastern part you have two blends and some now are having three. Just what do you mean started using its been esed here for 30pluss yrs and i have been using it for that long now when am i supposed to have trouble One tractor has been on the WMT ride for 10yrs 175mi per ride pluss other uses when is it supposed to die.
 
In NY ethonal gas is mandated. You cannot get any without,and there is no break on the price of it either. Mileage is down on all 5 of my vehicles by about 10%
 
When was ethanol fuel first introduced? I think alot of people have it mixed up with the gas we call unleaded. It sure has been alot less than 20 years since we got ethanel here is southwest Iowa. I run it daily in my drivers, and use the unleaded in tractor and small engines. What is the spread in your area between unleaded and 10% ethanol? Its always a dime here.
 
Anyone have info on that black mold it causes? I drive a fuel truck and all my gas gas customers have this mold on their tanks now, near the vent and around the fill. I have asked my company for info on it for health reasons since I m breathin it while delivering and no one knows anything.FYI we use 10 percent around here and have only had it abou 2 1/2 yrs.
 
Ethanol is alcohol(alcohol "slang names" moon shine white lightning) with an additive. Alcohol is made from what ? (think about it) The reason the additive to begin with was added to the alcohol (at the refineries) was to cause alcohol to have a colar to it and create a foul taste to keep people from steeling it. Uncle Sam said because of the additive it could not be continued to be called alcohol hence the name ethanol. Gas companies have used it for many many years mixed with gas. A cut of 10% increases the octane rating hence prem grade or as it use to be called high test. For many years they didn't have to let people know it was in the gas then Uncle Sam said it had to be posted and the amount mixed had a max amount allowed. Then in mid 70's lead was removed. It takes about 3 gal of alcohol to go the same distance as 1 gal of gas so the use of alcohol (ethanol) will lower mpg. Most gas companies cut all the gas so no matter what grade you buy it is the same except the price. By the way just for the record I know this to be a fact about the gas being the same from one grade to the other because since 1978 I have ran tankers hauling alcohol, gas, diesel, crude oil etc. and was in the gas business starting back in 1971. Your problems with the gas does not stem from the use of ethonal unless the gas is cut with a high %. You may be having problems with the gas you are using and avalible in your area but it is something else other then ethonal. Now methonal is another ball game. I have left gas in equipment, tractors, etc. for as long as three years without any problems then again I have had a few problems but it wasn't the fault of the gas or the ethonal. Many other factors that come into play here.
 
Anybody that says they love ethanol are ignorant fools. Most will begrudgingly admit their mileage is reduced, but they usually way underestimate it. Studies have proven 20-25% less efficiency. Don't get me started on how the high price of feed is driving lots of small livestock producers out of business. DDG's are basically high priced filler, all the amino acids, starches, and other goodies an animal gets from eating whole shelled corn are gone when they squeeze the ethanol out.
 
Hi buickanddeere: There is a little difference in aviation gas.. it is a little too early this morning for my memory to work but one thing is that aviation gas does not vapor lock like auto gas can with quick changes in altitude that aircraft engines are subject to quite often. Another thing is that it does not clean old oily parts like regular auto gas will. ( yes, I know, shouldn't use gas to clean parts..) not quite the same blend as auto gas.. ag
 
Have you been watching NASCAR the last couple of years? Compared to what it once was, They are now definently running an inferior product. Those half empty stands prove it. Running ethanol won't make any differance.
Jack
 
Funny every time some one starts a tread on ethanol all the nuts come out of the weeds i thank most of you guys missed your chance to invest in it and are now sour graps i got my stock and have great return
 
I never had a problem with any of my chain saws until I started using enthanol gas. It messes up the neophrene fuel pump in the carburetor. They told me where I buy the repair kits to drain the tanks after being used. Hal
 
Ethynol has been a boom for the small engine manufacturers. It has ruined thousands of air-cooled engines. I won't go into the details of how it happens. Just be advised keep fuel stabelizer in the fuel that you use in your small engines and don't let it set more than a couple of months.
 
Actually over the years around I've been one of ethanol gas' biggest supporters. Figured I'd try something different for a change. :)

Guess I missed one of the rants - E10 casuses mold to grow all over too.

;) ;) ;)

Ya can't fix stupid. Ethanol has been working well here in MN for decades, been mandated for about that long, has it's pluses & minuses, works well here in our harsh climate with both extremes of high humidity & extreme cold.

Gotta laugh at some of the anti- folk, they must all work in oil fields and are getting scared. :)

--->Paul
 
I don't know about you guys but I will be running my 78 f 150 on E85 soon and I can't wait to get more power and better mileage out of it. (new high compression engine with all new fuel lines and gas tank).
 
I've never had any trouble with ethanol blended gas. What I like about it is. Every barrel of oil that is replaced with ethanol is a barrel of oil we are not buying from people that want to kill us.For that reason only I think the blend of ethanol should as high as possable.We are past the point of needing something cheaper then gasoline.
 
Ethanol is a total waste of money.

Energy is supposed to have a return-ratio of at least 5 to 1 to be worth bothering with.

Ethanol has a return ratio of 1.1 to 1. So, it basically takes almost as much fuel to make it, as it returns. A total scam and a waste of oil and food.

Coal has an 80 to 1 return.

When the US first started using oil, it had a 100 to 1 return. Now? 30 to 1 and dropping for imported oil, and 10 to 1 for oil produced here (and dropping). To waste oil making ethanol is sick-thinking. To waste potential food making ethanol is also sick thinking.
 
Where do you suppose the fuel comes from to make ethanol, directly and indirectly? Oil and coal.
Using ethanol saves us just about nothing. In fact, I suspect in reality, it gives us a net loss.
 
I don't get this "use it up in 2 weeks or it's no good" thing...

Next door neighbor had a tree fall in the yard. I pulled out a can of E10 2-stroke mix that'd been sitting easily for a year, filled up the old Mac 10-10, and proceeded to gnaw away at that tree for three tankfuls.

I used up the remaining fuel blocking the trunk up. With each tank the saw would start better, and run smoother.

I regularly leave my Cub and Super A sit all winter with full tanks. They fire right up in the spring, never missing a beat.
 
Yes, and we spent as much time and money of other resources and technology, we'd save a heck of a lot lot more.

Seems to me that since we are living off of finite resources, shouldn't we focus on something with the best possible returns, and not the worst?

Also, those 1.1 to 1 figures are absolute best-case scenarios. I suspect they are fudged a bit, and ethanol in reality is a guaranteed loss.

When corn prices go up, food prices go up, more people probably start living on welare, get free oil for heat, and turn up their thermostats.
How many people work more jobs and commute more, thus using more oil, to make ends meet to pay the higher bills?
How many farmers directly benefit from higher corn prices, condidering that it also raises the prices of feeds? Farmers who produce corn might make a few bucks for awhile, at the cost of those who have to buy it instead.
 
I always wonder what figures are included in those calculations- ethanol detractors used to say there was a net loss in energy to produce it, but come to find out, they were including the solar energy that grew the corn- which is obviously incorrect, because solar is there for the taking, and has no cost when a plant is growing from it. I notice no one adds the solar energy when calculating the cost of growing a bushel for feed.

I think a better manner of accounting is simply a head-to-head comparison of which use of corn (or whatever feedstock) has the most value in the final product. This only works if you take out the subsidies, of course. But if the value of ethanol from a bushel of corn is worth more than the beef or milk you can produce from it, so be it. And of course, the "value" of the ethanol is directly related to the cost of gas and diesel.

I do agree that corn is probably not the best feedstock in the long run- sugar cane (and maybe beets, in the north?) are probably more efficient. Brazil seems to be doing OK with cane ethanol.
 
Just because cattle lick it up doesn't mean it's full of nutritional value. My dog loves to eat cow shat, what does that mean? Why did you have to call me a moron, is that the best you can do?
 
I disagree. I run 10% in my lawn mowers and my snow blower for years. My first snow blower was 16 yrs old and I bought a new one then and it is now 12 yrs old. Neither one ever had a motor problem. And I use NO stabilizer and my gas tank stays at least a third full from one season until the next.
 
DBOLL. Couldn"t resist a reply. Are you saying your area supports Cousins marrying cousins ,having children with 8 toes on one foot and 15 on the other? Then they all go around singing "I"M MY OWN GRANDPAW". IS that what your saying? Just want it clarified for your response.LOL.
LOU
 
You will get less milage and it will cost you more even though the price is less. Why is the price less? Because me and the rest of us taxpayers have to pay for you rich Bas----- to drive.
 
The supply and demand of corn basically has nothing to do with the price. We carry over millions or billions of bushels each and every year. We have plenty of corn to be used for food, feed, and fuel. Besides, the corn used for fuel can and is used for feed. Speculators drive the price up or down depending on their pocket books. Regardless, corn is a renewable resource that WILL be grown no matter how and where it is used. If we keep using the fossil fuels solely they will at some point in time run out.
 
The supply and demand of corn basically has nothing to do with the price. We carry over millions or billions of bushels each and every year. We have plenty of corn to be used for food, feed, and fuel. Besides, the corn used for fuel can and is used for feed. Speculators drive the price up or down depending on their pocket books. Regardless, corn is a renewable resource that WILL be grown no matter how and where it is used. If we keep using the fossil fuels solely they will at some point in time run out.
 
I bought a 81 chev pickup in 82 and that is all I ever used in it. And the coop dealers had it quite a while before I started using it. Here it is the same price unleaded gas at most stations.
 
When I attended Iowa State (class of 1988) I worked in Ankeny and the station I usually bought from sold E10. That was 22 years ago.
 
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