[ale] [OT] - Ethanol-free gas in the Atlanta area?

Sat Sep 21 21:33:03 EDT 2013

I have been using exclusively 10% ethanol since it become available in the
early eighties.

I bought a brand new 1987 chevy celebrity and put 170,000 miles on it.  I
always ran 10% ethanol from top tier gas stations.  When I donated the car
to some charity it still got great gas milage and did not use oil. I had
the fuel injectors cleaned NO MORE than once.

Since that time I have owned several cars and always run exclusively 10%
ethanol.  I have never had any engine problems.

I really believe that running ethanol is not a problem on any car designed
to run it.

I will say this....
I had a convertible that would sometimes sit in the garage for a few weeks
at a time.  When it sat for over a week it would take a few cranks to start
it.  If I used sta-bil, it could sit for months and start on the first
crank.

On Sat, Sep 21, 2013 at 3:47 PM, Courtney Thomas <
courtneycthomas at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> On 9/21/2013 10:41 AM, Ken Cochran wrote:
>
>> I'm surprised there hasn't been mentioned on this list
>> (until now :) that ethanol gasoline is most efficient at
>> a different air-fuel ratio (umm, it needs to be richer
>> I think).  I've always found it to run poorly (if at all)
>> in carbureted engines or even very old fuel-injected ones
>> (i.e. pre-early-'90s engines that can't adjust their fuel
>> mix ratios accurately/electronically).  And we really can't
>> adjust the carburetors to compensate because the mixing jets
>> are/were usually factory calibrated & not adjustable (except
>> maybe for idle).  Examples are *any* kind of outdoor power
>> equipment (mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, older (carbureted)
>> outboard motors, older (carbureted) inboard marine engines,
>> and of course antique vehicles.  Ethanol gasoline works ok in
>> modern fuel-injected engines (albeit with decreased effiency
>> - they adjust themselves to enrich the air-fuel), and as
>> has been mentioned on this list, used enough that the fuel
>> "flushes through" & isn't stored for very long.
>>
>> Also, I don't believe I've seen *any* metal fuel system
>> component (other than a fuel-injector itself) on any vehicle
>> made since the mid-'90s (probably before, too).  I might
>> speculate that this material change was for weight & lower
>> manufacturing cost but there's also corrosion resistance
>> (ethanol gasoline is corrosive to metals from what I've seen).
>>
>> Thought I'd toss that out I guess...  :)
>>
>> -kc
>>
>>  Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 07:56:57 -0400
>>> From: Michael Potter <michael at potter.name>
>>> To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts <ale at ale.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [ale] [OT] - Ethanol-free gas in the Atlanta area?
>>>
>>> +1 Sta-bil
>>>
>>> On Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 6:28 AM, Sean Kilpatrick <kilpatms at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>  **
>>>>
>>>> Yes, absolutely. Gasoline mixed with ethanol degrades quickly (think
>>>> weeks, not months.) The ethanol causes crud to form in aluminum carbs
>>>> and
>>>> rots out the rubber fuel lines in small engines, especially two-strokes.
>>>> The carbs on these engines MUST be drained dry after each use to prevent
>>>> damage. I speak from bitter experience. :(
>>>>
>>>> The solution is simple: use ethanol-free gasoline and add Sta-bil to the
>>>> gas. A treated 2 gallon tank will last all summer.
>>>>
>>>> Sean
>>>>
>>>> ------------------------------**------------------------------**
>>>> ------------
>>>>
>>>> On Friday, September 20, 2013 02:48:11 am Jeff Hubbs wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> But is ethanol-free worth going out of one's way for for use with
>>>>> lawnmowers and/or 2-stroke lawn equipment, especially when such
>>>>> equipment sits idle for a few weeks or months at a time?
>>>>>
>>>>>  ______________________________**_________________
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>>>>  --
>>> Michael Potter
>>>    Tapp Solutions, LLC
>>>    Replatform Technologies, LLC
>>> +1 770 815 6142  ** Atlanta ** michael at potter.name  **
>>> www.linkedin.com/in/**michaelpotter<http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpotter>
>>>
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>>
>>  Ken,
>
> I have a couple of old Mercedes, a U.S. 1982 380SL, and a 1984 Euro 500SL,
> that are injected and have been using the ethanol stuff since it is the
> only practically available fuel
> here in Alpharetta, to my knowledge, but have not noticed any problem for
> about 10 years now, but frankly, don't know if the fuel air mixture is
> electronically compensated.
> They are both V8s by the way.
>
> What should I be on the lookout for, as I want no other and intend to be
> buried in one of 'em  :-)
>
> Finally, any preventative suggestions ?
>
> Appreciatively,
>
> Courtney
>
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-- 
Michael Potter
  Tapp Solutions, LLC
  Replatform Technologies, LLC
+1 770 815 6142  ** Atlanta ** michael at potter.name  **
www.linkedin.com/in/michaelpotter
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