Over time I have changed my mind about ethanol being ok to it being terrible.
For example every lawn mower required extensive carb repairs to get going in th the spring even if I turned off the fuel line and ran them dry.
I had to buy 2 new carbs this past year. I finally have taken to mixing in water to a 5 gallon can, shaking it and splitting out the ethanol and the motors ran great on the pure gasoline, no problems.
Even during the year I used to have problems with carbs clogging with ethanol gas.
So when I got our Sportsman 500 running, I put in ethanol free gas I made doing the water trick and drove it around and it works great.
Starts easily, runs good.
I also have been using that gas in our two generators, they run great. Both gens have overhead valves, so newer style engines.
Used to have to work on those carbs also, carbs would clog up when they sat so when you absolutely had to have a gen, you could not get them to run.
The problems are floats stick on the hinge, needle valves stick, main jets clog. and general interior white pot metal corrosion
I think that even running till they stop with fuel line off, residual fuel is in the carb and it mixes with humid air causing the corrosion.
And I think ethanol gas is actually somewhat wet with absorbed moisture even if not phase separated and causes corrosion due to acetobacter living in the fuel turning the fuel acidic.
So just having the fuel sitting in a carb exposed to the air it causes corrosion.
Fuel injection solves a lot of this as the emissions devices help prevent constant exposure to humid air. I have started up cars that sat for years with ethanol fuels and never has been a problem.
A 2 way fuel tank cap in a car is normally closed except when tank pressure rises to 2 psi, it opens to vent out vapor. And it opens to vent in air when fuel is drawn from the tank, so for the most part, it is closed.
For example every lawn mower required extensive carb repairs to get going in th the spring even if I turned off the fuel line and ran them dry.
I had to buy 2 new carbs this past year. I finally have taken to mixing in water to a 5 gallon can, shaking it and splitting out the ethanol and the motors ran great on the pure gasoline, no problems.
Even during the year I used to have problems with carbs clogging with ethanol gas.
So when I got our Sportsman 500 running, I put in ethanol free gas I made doing the water trick and drove it around and it works great.
Starts easily, runs good.
I also have been using that gas in our two generators, they run great. Both gens have overhead valves, so newer style engines.
Used to have to work on those carbs also, carbs would clog up when they sat so when you absolutely had to have a gen, you could not get them to run.
The problems are floats stick on the hinge, needle valves stick, main jets clog. and general interior white pot metal corrosion
I think that even running till they stop with fuel line off, residual fuel is in the carb and it mixes with humid air causing the corrosion.
And I think ethanol gas is actually somewhat wet with absorbed moisture even if not phase separated and causes corrosion due to acetobacter living in the fuel turning the fuel acidic.
So just having the fuel sitting in a carb exposed to the air it causes corrosion.
Fuel injection solves a lot of this as the emissions devices help prevent constant exposure to humid air. I have started up cars that sat for years with ethanol fuels and never has been a problem.
A 2 way fuel tank cap in a car is normally closed except when tank pressure rises to 2 psi, it opens to vent out vapor. And it opens to vent in air when fuel is drawn from the tank, so for the most part, it is closed.
