ethanol blend vs ethanol free gas in small engines

[turbodog]

Take that free gas! Just don't use the final cup or so... that's where all the water settles at. That's _IF_ it has a lid, if not, run far away.

 

[Poppy]

Take that free gas! Just don't use the final cup or so... that's where all the water settles at. That's _IF_ it has a lid, if not, run far away.

Man I love the people at this site... always looking out for me!

I'm new to this house and still making friends.

I recently got a PBA card (get out of traffic ticket free) for my daughter, and invitations to beer and wine, with music around a fire pit, gatherings when the weather breaks. I'm all in!

I found it interesting that in of the four neighbors that I have only gotten to know, on the surface, each of them has a snow-blower. Only one has one that runs! Well another has one that runs but runs so poorly that it is easier to shovel.

Who wants to bet that their problem is a gummed up carburetor?

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

 

[orbital]

+

I have a Deluxe 28, not the EFI, but I do have an SHO :devil:
yes, it's electric start.

Always get an electric start if possible.

 

[Poppy]

+

I have a Deluxe 28, not the EFI, but I do have an SHO :devil:
yes, it's electric start.

Always get an electric start if possible.

I have a 20 year old 28" YardMan 10 HP Techumseh "Snow King" engine.

I have to agree about getting electric start!
I don't know if mine is getting harder to pull start because the engine and stuff is getting tighter, or I am getting older. I worked on mine this fall, and it started after two or three pulls. If it needed more than that I would have gone for an extension cord.

Last year if not for the electric crank, it wouldn't have gotten used when the temps dropped below ten.

 

[orbital]

+

You always have good posts Poppy..

with electric start, you have a back-up plan if your pull cord breaks in a snow emergency situation.
Very few things in life are as helpful (and it's not that much more cash)

 

[Tasky]

In automobiles, I gather that ethanol causes a narrow handful of specific problems in older cars.

I don't know about snowblowers and how small their engines are, but a lot of motorcycles run with carbs and ethanol fuel is despised.
Basically it degrades all the rubber bits, like carb diaphragms. You can patch-repair ones that split through general wear relatively easily, but replacements (necessary for chemically disruptive ones) are getting difficult/expensive to find and custom fabricated ones are even worse.

 

[Poppy]

About 8 years ago I gave my 7 HP B&S Simplicity snowblower to a life long friend.

When I bought it, it was 17 years old, and I ran it every year from 1986 to 2014?
He never used it, because he had a little 4HP single stage unit, and even more often he used a shovel.
This year he decided to get them both running.

He pulled the carb on the 7 HP unit, this is what he found.

LOL... I think this competes with scout24's worst carburetor. I've never seen one this bad.

 

[turbodog]

WTH is that? Galvanic corrosion?

 

[Poppy]

my guess would be aluminum oxide.
IIRC this unit had a vertical tube leading to the carb throat.
Rain, and evaporation, followed by rain and evaporation for 8 years may be the catalyst.

Maybe.

 

[turbodog]

my guess would be aluminum oxide.
IIRC this unit had a vertical tube leading to the carb throat.
Rain, and evaporation, followed by rain and evaporation for 8 years may be the catalyst.

Maybe.

Aluminum oxides almost immediately and then more or less stops. If something disturbs the oxide layer a new one will form. This really looks like something else was at play. I've seen aluminum exposed to the direct rain for years that didn't look this bad.

So this is a ~1970 model engine? Surprised it still runs at all.

 

[Poppy]

Yes, 1970 engine. I was told that it was garage kept, and serviced every year until I bought it. Then it was left outdoors, near the back door steps. Every once in a while, as I walked by, I'd give the pull start, a pull, just to keep the engine free. Every two or three years, I'd spray the carb up with gumout to get it running. Most years, I'd hit it with a shot of starter fluid, and it would start right up. It didn't have a primer bulb.

I'd wager that the engine has cast iron sleeves. Considering that it hasn't been touched for the past 8 years, once he gets it running, who knows how well it will run. I suppose the sleeves may be all pitted. He is waiting for a new carb to come in.

Here is a video of the model with most of the covers removed so the chain drives may be oiled.



[FONT=Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]Briggs and Stratton 7HP model 170402[/FONT]

[FONT=Roboto, Arial, sans-serif]Replacement carburetor $18.99 next day delivery... unbelievable.[/FONT]

 

[turbodog]

It says 'simplicity', but that snake's nest of belts/chains is anything but.

 

[Poppy]

I have some stored fuel and think it is time to use it up and replace it with fresh, stabilized fuel.

How often do you replace your's.

 

[turbodog]

Just whenever I happen to use it up. Sometimes that's a month, sometimes over a year. Don't use as much these days so it's typically 9-12 months.

 

[Poppy]

Although I am using more than I used to, I am storing more than I use in a year, so that I have some on hand in case of a emergency. I didn't really do that before. Yeah, I'd stock up if there was an impending storm, but then use it up and not replace it until there was another. So fuel on hand was typically less than a year old.

I pretty much emptied the gas tank in my car today, five hours of driving, will do that. I think I'll put fresh gas in my storage containers, and stabilize the gas in them.

 

[turbodog]

...
I pretty much emptied the gas tank in my car today, five hours of driving, will do that. I think I'll put fresh gas in my storage containers, and stabilize the gas in them.

I used to use sta-bil in my cans, but quit that over 10 years ago. Only use it in engines over the winter as the gas caps are not airtight. I will mention again my cans are in excellent shape... so if yours are not then expect bad things I guess.