Ethanol

[6 Fingered Man]

Has any one heard of the ethenol content in gas harming 2-Strokes. I smoked a couple top ends recently and it was sugested that it might be the ethanol content in the fuel from mobile. I might have to go back to powermist.

Any one had any issues?

[Sheppo]

Has any one heard of the ethenol content in gas harming 2-Strokes. I smoked a couple top ends recently and it was sugested that it might be the ethanol content in the fuel from mobile. I might have to go back to powermist.

Any one had any issues?

It's not just the Ethenol, it's the fact that Ethenol doesn't deal with moisture very well. It also has been doing a great job plugging jets in carbs. If you've lost a fe top ends, check for water in the gas, ( huge issue in snowmobiles ) OR that your jets are plugged or partially plugged and your leaned out.

[6 Fingered Man]

Funny, the yamaha that had been running fine was dead lean when I pulled the plug after. I went 2 sizes up on the main and pilot hoping to cure that but have not ran it since the new top end. There was no water in the gas. I am very carefull with my gas, never let it sit and actualy measure out every mixture.

[BMFR6]

haven't lost any engines, but have lost some fuel line in chainsaws. not so much the ethanol but all the detergents in the new gas. eats right through rubber bits/pieces

[6 Fingered Man]

So you dont think it could be the cause for somthing like this?

[Sheppo]

not alone. How were the jets you pulled out? clean. semi-plugged or plugged

[6 Fingered Man]

Clean, bouth of them. I replaced 178/50 with 185/52

[Sheppo]

Clean, bouth of them. I replaced 178/50 with 185/52

were you running it in the cold ( winter ) with warmer weather jets? Maybe it was too lean in the cold weather. I would go back to powermist. I have started burning cam2 in my 2 stroke I don't want to blow it up. I would also monitor your jetting for the weather. I am sure you are aware 2 strokes are notorious for needing jetting changes as the weather changes.

[6 Fingered Man]

Yah, I was riding in the cold. It was my first shot at winter riding this season and left the summer jetting in bouth bikes Had them out 5 or 6 times each. I had thought the issue was all jetting till the ethenol was brought to my attention.

[RandyO]

haven't lost any engines, but have lost some fuel line in chainsaws. not so much the ethanol but all the detergents in the new gas. eats right through rubber bits/pieces

uh?

they've been putting detergents in gas for 40 or 50 years, its the ethanol, its a solvent, that not only eats rubber bits and pieces, it also cleans and scours old buildups in the fuel tank only to clog filters & jets

ethanol in the gas doesn't affect new stuff that has never had and old fuels as much as old stuff that has been coated with varnish over the years

[Kurlon]

ethanol in the gas doesn't affect new stuff that has never had and old fuels as much as old stuff that has been coated with varnish over the years

Actually, ethanol is doing a good number on plastic tanks on a bunch of bikes, swells them right up.

[6 Fingered Man]

That solves that, any good place in southern nh to get race fuel??

[Doc]

Did you use synthetic oil?

Bad news in an old bike. MCN just had a write up about it.

[6 Fingered Man]

No, Standard oil. Its an 04 and I believe it has never had synthetic in it.
Not sure though. Got it used start of last season

[csmutty]

The gas is actually better off with the 2 stroke oil in it. the oil from what I have heard has helped the ethanol from separating. I haven't had a problem in my 03 Rm125 at all and the gas in it is probably 6 months old or so. I would check the crank for up and down play and the jug for wear before I would blame ethanol personally.

[Sheppo]

Haffners in Hudson NH has Cam2

[SSearchVT]

The ethanol does make the engine run a little leaner then it would on non-ethanol fuel. Pre-mix also breaks down faster.

If you were riding in the cold with summer jetting - that alone could smoke a motor. Add in pre-mix that is older then a few weeks - chances go up. Add in pre-mix that has been sitting in the tank (not shaken up) for a while and it goes up even more.

[stoinkythepig]

Does ethanol reduce power? My boat is a little slower at WOT than it was pre-ethanol. My calculations show a 7.5% drop in HP.

[Slyder]

Kinda late reading this but a friend had ethanol blended fuel in his snowmobile years ago. And he put isopropyl to it. On a spin across the lake...BOOOOM. 1 cylinder with a huge hole in the piston. Another cylinder with a smaller hole, and the third with no hole.

[SSearchVT]

Does ethanol reduce power? My boat is a little slower at WOT than it was pre-ethanol. My calculations show a 7.5% drop in HP.

Ethanol contains less BTU's then gasoline - so it falls inline that a gasoline/ethanol mix would produce less BTU's then straight gasoline by volume. If your boat is carburated then no adjustment is made for the fuel type. So a drop in power would be expected.

[stoinkythepig]

It's fuel injected (7.4 MPI), but unlike a car, it runs open loop since there's no place to put an O2 sensor in the wet exhaust. In open loop, there's no change in fuel mixture based on burn, might as well be a carb...

[richw]

I am not reading this all

Chemistry speaking the alchohol may reduce the solubility of the oil in the gas. It will increase the ability of the gas to hold water. Water being present will further reduce the ability of the gas to dissolve the oil.

Water in the gas might increase corrosion

I am blowing smoke but organic type oils might be less effected

Castor Bean Oil the original 2 stroke oil
smells like victory

KLOTZ benol is one

[jbose]

im new here guys, but a couple of summers ago when the gas started having 10% ethanol in it, i blew my 2005 yz 250 up within 10 minutes of switching from race fuel to standard 93 octane gas... it got so hot so fast the it smeared the melted piston up and down the jug and actually melted the two top o rings, etc. needless to say, i never ran anything but VP red or VP C12

[JoeT]

Actually, ethanol is doing a good number on plastic tanks on a bunch of bikes, swells them right up.

My tank is Carbon fiber and I had to replace it last year. The ethanol "ate" through the carbon fiber.

I replaced the tank and sealed with a product by Caswell

http://www.caswellplating.com/aids/epoxygas.htm

Ethanol cost me close to $3000 last year ($2000 for the CF tank, $800 for paint) plus the sealer, and lost riding time.

Stop turning food into fuel!!!

[TheIglu]

I've never had any problem with anything gas related.

Try running a richer mixture of 2-stroke oil.