Ethanol rears it's ugly head

[fatdad]

Here in Florida where I live we have E-10 or gasoline with a 10% ethanol blend. Here is the problem, first and foremost ethanol is a great moistier absorber and that does not go very good here in Fl. There has been a growing problem in the boating industry here with ethanol in the fuel causing all knids of fuel system issues. Anything that is not driven or ridden on a regular basis will eventually develope fuel system issues. My suggestion is to use Stabil on a regualr basis to help lengthen the life of your fuel. A friend of mine has a couple of ATVs and I have had to clean his carbs because of the fuel issue and he uses a product called sea foam, I had him switch to Stabil and that seems to work better. I noticed alot of fuel system issues on the forum including my own and this could be part of the cause.

 

[reiobard]

i have not experienced anything wrong with Ethanol. but have heard lots of horror stories, i wish they would go back ....

 

[MarinaFazer]

dang, this reminds me of a thread on my Jeep Cherokee forums about running Ethanol or even coverting to Flex Fuels...it really depends on the parts used in the engine...

what about running the boats/bikes/ATVs once a week or something?

 

[bmccrary]

I was reading something in the latest issue of the AMA magazine. Supposedly some places were going to allow you to select the amount of ethenol in your gas, I am assuming like dial inducator or something. However the lobbiest for the AMA pushed some buttons and got the EPA to get envolved. (Which, btw I find odd. Normally the motorcycle crowd and the EPA, do not get along) But anyway they put a stop to that and put a cap on the amount of ethenol in gas at 10%. Any more ethenol has led to problems in the emissions systems of vehicals.

I try to avoid the ethenol at all cost, but sometimes you cant help it.

-bryan

 

[coursonap]

Even vehicles that are made to run on E85 do have problems if the fuel system in not cleaned at the normal service intervals. It leaves a white powdery residue. There are a few mechanics in my family and I have talked to them about buying a flex fuel vehicle they said to stay away from them. The fuel system has to be claeaned so often or things will not work right because of the build up, that the ethanol leaves, and the cheaper cost of the fuel doesnt make up for the fuel mileage they get compared to a normal gas and ethanol blend like 10%.

 

[racerws]

Sea Foam was made by Johnson Outboards to be used as a cleaner.
It is great for cleaning gum from carbs, but it is not a preservative.
Sta-Bil is a fuel stabilizer and does have a limited amout of cleaning
ability also.
I try to use Sta-bil all the time and run Sea Foam at the beginning of
motorcycle season, just to get rid of any gum up that may have happened
during the winter months.
A friend of mine uses Marvel Mystery oil to un clog his carbs. but it is
not a fuel stabilizer either.
Ethanol is not good for our bikes. I do think premium fuel has a little better
shelf life than regular unleaded also.

 

[youngGun]

I avoid ethanol at all costs! my fizz runs like crapp when i use 10% ethanol blend fuel in it, not to mention i get better milage on straight gasoline. IMO ethanol blend gasoline is a joke. Its tough an most all vehicles fuel systems and i get less milage running it, to top it off its the same price as regular gasoline. I thought biofuels were supposed to be cheaper and better.....:spank:

Ill stick with straight gasoline :Flip:

 

[Fz6Sa]

A major issue with biofuels is what several leading economists call "The Mail Reason For Climbing Foodprices". Since making the Biofuel takes up a lot of field area worldwide, the production of eateble crops have gone down drasticly, and are continuing to do so. Here in the EU farmers are paid extra to produce Biofuel Crops, so thats of coz what they do. The world does in general need more food from the western world (With the Globalwarming thing destroying crops all over asia and in Africa), so its just not the right time to lower the output of eateble crops.

I do realice that it should be more eco-frendly, however that won't hep us if we die out as a race from starwagtion ..........

Due to the above, I NEWER put Ethanol in any fueltank, - niether on my bike nor in any of our cars.

 

[antijoy]

How are you guys (in the US) avoiding the ethanol? Across the river in Oregon, they had started putting it into all gas at 10%. Then I avoided it for as long as I could in WA, but now it's at every pump. I thought I heard it was because it had been federally mandated that all US gas have 10% of the subsidized crap fuel added. Is that not true? I heard it from one of the guys at the Costco station, they were one of the last to switch.

 

[bmccrary]

Over here on a the east coast the ethenol fuel isnt at every pump still. I am sure there will be some law at sometime that sneaks its way in some bill that makes it a mandate, but as for now, no. I am not sure if the ethenol acts as a stabilizer for the fuel, if it does then it might make since why its in the fuels out west as your demand per pump is far lower than that here in Charlotte.

As my grandfather once said, "The next war will be over oil and the last will be for food."

Changes need to be made, but I do not think that the ethenol is the right answer.

-bryan

 

[bmccrary]

Ethanol: Myths and Realities

The article mentions that the ethanol can be produced from sugar cane as well. However due to the nature of the bagas (spelling) the ethanol must be converted immediatly after harvesting or else the potential energy within the chemical drops.

Also, with ethanol being just alcohol, it draws in ANY moisture around. Just like the old truck if you had water in your gas. A capfull of rubbing alcohol in the tank would do the trick... I am wondering now if that is part of the issue with engine esp boats running ethanol.

-bryan

 

[wolfc70]

Ethanol: Myths and Realities

The article mentions that the ethanol can be produced from sugar cane as well. However due to the nature of the bagas (spelling) the ethanol must be converted immediatly after harvesting or else the potential energy within the chemical drops.

Also, with ethanol being just alcohol, it draws in ANY moisture around. Just like the old truck if you had water in your gas. A capfull of rubbing alcohol in the tank would do the trick... I am wondering now if that is part of the issue with engine esp boats running ethanol.

-bryan

Yup, ethanol absorbs water. Great for getting water out of your fuel system in winter. Not so great in the summer when humidity is high. The fact that gasoline evaporates faster in warmer weather than the ethanol compounds the problem.

I think that alternative fuels are great, BUT, ethanol is not the miracle that some say it is. Mainly due to infrastructure issues - gas pipe lines are cleaned/flushed with water, which ethanol absorbs- and it removes oils from rubber fuel lines drying them out.

 

[cv_rider]

I think that alternative fuels are great, BUT, ethanol is not the miracle that some say it is.

Ethanol is a miracle for farmers in Iowa, who have disproportiate say in US politics because they are the first primary state in the presidential election. Many a presidential candidate has foundered or revived their bid in Iowa.

I've heard that ethanol would be a economic fuel source IF we were allowed to import it from Brazil. Something about Brazillian ethanol is much cheaper/better than Iowa's corn-based ethanol. But importing Brazilian ethanol never made a presidential candidate popular with Iowans, so we are stuck with that crap and the rising food costs associated with it. Asinine. That's what you get when the gov't overregulates and prevents the market from working it out.

 

[craig007]

Longer chain alcohols like butanol don't absorb water. This is the holy grail...works well in engines (but they don't know how to make it biologically). Ethanol works OK at low concentration. 10% seems OK....higher...not so good.

Most US ethanol is made from feed corn. People don't eat this stuff. You can make ethanol from real food like wheat or sweet corn, or sugar beats, or sugar cane. The second holy grail is to make it from corn stalks, weeds, fast growing trees, forest waste, wood waste. It can be done, but it is very expensive.

 

[bmccrary]

Ethanol is a miracle for farmers in Iowa, who have disproportiate say in US politics because they are the first primary state in the presidential election. Many a presidential candidate has foundered or revived their bid in Iowa.

I've heard that ethanol would be a economic fuel source IF we were allowed to import it from Brazil. Something about Brazillian ethanol is much cheaper/better than Iowa's corn-based ethanol. But importing Brazilian ethanol never made a presidential candidate popular with Iowans, so we are stuck with that crap and the rising food costs associated with it. Asinine. That's what you get when the gov't overregulates and prevents the market from working it out.

It would be the same stuff from Brazil, only cheaper. Cheaper because their labor laws are far more lax and will work for nothing. However the money would go right back into transportation, since transporting it has to be done by special tankers...

Bring back the 4000 pound cars with the fat block motors and 4 barrel carbs! Large metal bodies with sharp lines and straight exhuast. If we are going to kill the environment, lets do it in style :rockon::rockon::rockon:.

-bryan

 

[wolfc70]

Corn ethanol is good for farmers, and the ethanol lobby. I just wish it was not so wasteful. I live near a ethanol plant, and the amount of semi's hauling out the used mash is staggering, one every 5 minutes. The amount of water this place uses is also staggering, anywhere between 700,000 and a 1,000,000 gallons per day. The other issue is the smell, if you get closer to the plant it really is intolerable. It kind of smells like stale beer.:rant: