Thoughts on recreation fuel

[wp6529]

I have friends who are on the ethanol-free bandwagon and spend a good deal extra on it. I just use the regular 87 ethanol pump gas on all the gas stuff here and I don't have any issues.

Perhaps in the early days of ethanol I replaced a few feet of fuel line and primer bulbs but since those replacements with the newer materials all is just fine.

I just pulled out a little 22" mower that had been sitting in a trailer (N. TX -5F to 105F) for like two years, topped up the gas and oil and it started on the second pull and ran fine.

 

[Blackhole49]

If it is used on a regular basis, I see no need. If it is going to sit for extended periods, absolutely. I buy between 100 and 150 gallons a year and happily pay the $1.00 a gallon extra. Between old tractors, old cars, boats, generators, snowmobiles, weed whips, leaf blowers, chain saws, etc., I have it in over 30 engines. I been doing it for about 10 years and have gone from 8 to 10 gummed up carbs a year to ZERO. Cheapest insurance I can buy. I also buy Seafoam by the case and use it in place of Sta-Bil. Your mileage may very.

 

[Leroy]

Never heard the term recreation fuel

 

[560Dennis]

White gas for Coleman

 

[John T]

BEAUTIFUL old car congratulations, Pontiac ??? I had a 49 Chevy with the 216 and a 53 Pontiac. Ive used BOTH Sta Bil as well as Sea Foam for long term storage which worked great to keep carbs and fuel system fresh un gummed or un clogged over the winter. Sometime I added low ash two cycle oil to the gas prior to storage which also worked fine To each THEIR OWN methods and additives, whatever worked best for YOU.

John T

 

[Blackhole49]

Yes, 49 Pontiac Silver Streak with the straight 8. Nice cars and trucks.

 

[John T]

Pontiac had flat head straight 8 while Buick had OHV straight 8 right?? I think the early Flxible busses used the Buick OHV 8 ??

John T

 

[Jeff in ND]

Whenever I visit the farm in MN (live in ND) I bring some 91 non-ethanol to have on hand there for mowers, chainsaws, etc. Its available at most stations here i ND but hard to find in MN. I know where to get some recreation gas in a town 20 miles away from the farm. Red pump and its higher than 91 and also really $$. Most stations do not have it.

E10 just does not work in chainsaws in my experience. Can't keep them running. I always drain them after use too.

Those tractors all used non-ethanol when new as that was all there was.

 

[Dave G9N]

(quoted from post at 03:58:46 10/23/23) I have never seen recreational fuel in MN, we have E-10, and 91 with and without ethanol. I use E10 in all our 4 stroke engines with no problems, but I do buy 91 non-ethanol for all 2-stroke engines, but not over 5 gallons a year. I don't use Stabil, but occasionally some Seafoam. All of our equipment sits for 5 months and start and run with no problems.

eafoam is also marked as and has a good reputation as a gasoline stabilizer.

Recreational fuel is just another name for ethanol free gasoline. Some gas stations market ethanol-free 90-octane gasoline as "recreational fuel" or REC-90.

Click this link: list of stations that sell ethanol-free gasoline in the U.S. and Canada
then click on MN. There must be over 100 stations listed in MN.

Reid Vapor Pressure is not for stability. EPA established a two-phase reduction in summertime commercial gasoline volatility. These rules reduce gasoline emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) that are a major contributor to ground-level ozone (smog). The EPA link fails to mention vapor lock (link), which is not an emission related issue per se.

Methanol is not added to gas unless you add cheap dry gas or denatured alcohol yourself. Methanol is corrosive to aluminum and can cause clogging of fuel injectors, which is one of the reasons why it is not added by the gas companies. Isopropyl alcohol is used in the more expensive dry gas because it does not corrode aluminum and is not taxed like ethanol. Ethanol is added to gas by the producers.

Some people have had better experiences with E10 than others. YRMV. Not everyone under all circumstances is as lucky. There is an increased likelihood of fuel related problems when using gasoline with 10% ethanol. The seals and hoses in older equipment were not always resistant to alcohol because there was no reason to select for alcohol resistant materials. Oil and gas resistance is different from water and alcohol resistance and it is more difficult to formulate a seal that resists both. I bought a cheap chainsaw and used E10 with the correct amount of oil added. It ran only once. Better quality saws are more tolerant of ethanol.

Alcohols: graphic

 

[DR. EVIL]

I've been using RECREATIONAL gasoline since before I bought my diesel pickup and took delivery of it in June 1996. I used it in my air-cooled lawn mower engines and all my oil/gas powered engines in chain saws, weed eaters, and leaf blowers, plus used it in my '54 Farmall Super H and '51 M. The SH gets started about 4-5 times a winter, the M maybe once or twice. I used to blend in a quart or so 100+ octane leaded race gas with each gallon recreation gas for the one Kohler that was pretty high compression.
The idea is that it can sit in storage in boats, jet skies, etc without going bad. KWIK-TRIP is who sells the recreational gas in Wisconsin. They add a cleaner to all their games, I use it exclusively in my gas pickup. And now that I don't put 100,000 miles a year on a diesel pickup they sell #2 diesel fuel too.

 

[buickanddeere]

E10 and E15 burn leaner than pure gasoline . This can cause overheating and detonation . Which breaks piston ring lands, breaks rings and scores sleeves

 

[buickanddeere]

Yes a critical point . A full fuel tank has fewer condensation and oxidation problems Vs half a tank of fuel .

 

[buickanddeere]

Low hour seasonal equipment here is full will 100LL for storage . Or drained completely .

 

[Ultradog MN]

I buy the non ethanol 91 octane gas for use in my small engines.
But this thread reminds me it's time to put all those engines to bed for the winter.

 

[AL Moyer]

I just put some aviation fuel in most of my stuff for the winter nap, not a real problem because most of the things stay in the hanger with the airplane !

 

[jm.]

Aaron This discussion comes up on here regularly, some folks just swear e10 causes them trouble.
Over 35 air-cooled 2 or 4 stroke engines here on this hill. some sit maybe a year at a time. I will
admit if I pick up say a chain saw that I know has not been used in awhile I might dump it and fill
with fresh mixed E10 but just no ethanol related or proven problems. I have came to the conclusion
that it might be location or what heat extremes one has. Here in Tennessee we usually do not see the
hot of the west or the cold of the north so guess we are lucky.

 

[Russ from MN]

Jeff, almost every station in my part of MN has 91 without ethanol!

 

[DWF]

Where I live in Barron County which is in NW Wi, I can get regular 87 octane whithout ethanol which is what I run in all my small engines. It is not available at all stations, but most Cenex stores carry it and premium too. The 87 is quite a bit cheaper than premium.
DWF

 

[tractorguy2]

I have a 250 gallon barrel in the back yard that I fill each March with E10. I use it in my tractors and six lawn mowers. Never had any trouble yet. The second week of November I will start putting mowers and tractors away for the winter. I don't fill them full or use any additives. Tuck them away and let them run till the carburetor bowl is empty.

Right now my barrel is just over 1/4 full. I will use that fuel in the Ford 4000 for snow plowing. Right now the 4000 has about two gallons left from last winter which would be fuel from March 2021. I started it today and it worked fine. In March I will fill the barrel again.