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Post by jhawkr on Dec 30, 2020 10:04:26 GMT -5
Well, 3-6” of snow is forecast for Wichita New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day so it’s time to get my Ariens out of the shed and into the garage. I generally use Top Tier Premium gas 10% ethanol with Stabil and it has a full tank from last year. I’ll repost with how starting goes later.
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Post by walshb 🦒 on Dec 30, 2020 10:24:42 GMT -5
I finally began buying gas without ethanol, after having to replace carburetors on both my leaf blower and weed whacker. And a small electric valve on the John Deere that needs to open to allow gas in. I sometimes add some Stabil in the winter... but I don't always remember to do that!
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Post by jhawkr on Dec 30, 2020 11:21:56 GMT -5
I treat all the gas for my small engines all the time so I never forget. Cheap insurance. The Ariens started on the 1st pull, just like always. I had to fill up the 2-1/2 gal gas can to I switched to no ethanol regular plus Stabil this season to try it out. I think the Stabil is the key though.
Side note: The snowblower is over 10 years old. I’ve never done anything to it except change the oil once. Granted, I’ve only used it maybe 10 times in all those years!
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jellybones
Wholenote
Posts: 181
Formerly Known As: Gelee Bon (en francais)
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Post by jellybones on Dec 30, 2020 13:09:09 GMT -5
We have a local station--a Citgo--that sells racing fuel. I think the octane rating is 110. Do you think using that versus a standard 93 or 89 octane would make any difference in performance or fuel stability?
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Post by modbus on Dec 30, 2020 13:27:44 GMT -5
Doesn't a lot of the really high octane racing gas have lead in it? I know some does have ethanol, and some does not.
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Post by jhawkr on Dec 30, 2020 13:48:16 GMT -5
Octane is added to prevent pre-ignition in high compression engines. Racing gas is not appropriate for small engines designed to run on 87 octane. I was told by the mechanic at the commercial business where I bought my Snapper mower to use Premium unleaded in place of regular because of the inferior quality of regular gas. Also to use Top Tier only. I have done so with good results. But, I use Stabil no matter what grade gas.
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Post by insanecooker on Dec 30, 2020 17:57:21 GMT -5
But, I use Stabil no matter what grade gas. I do similar, but that is so that I can use the gas in my car afterwards as well.
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Post by K4 on Dec 30, 2020 18:16:10 GMT -5
Racing gas is not appropriate for small engines designed to run on 87 octane It will not hurt a thing and is much better than ethanol. Too high of an Octane rating will not harm an engine in anyway. It could be a benefit if you are using your air cooled lawn mower in some tall thick grass, due to the added resistance to knock. The hotter the engine runs, more Octane is required.
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Post by insanecooker on Dec 30, 2020 18:20:01 GMT -5
^^^ yep, this is right: “too much octane” can at its worst be a waste of money in certain applications, but it won’t hurt anything.
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Post by jhawkr on Dec 30, 2020 18:49:31 GMT -5
For the record, I didn’t say it would hurt anything, I said it was not appropriate.
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Post by K4 on Dec 30, 2020 21:09:18 GMT -5
I said it was not appropriate. This statement I do not understand. If racing gas is the cheapest alternative to ethanol how is it not?
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Post by jhawkr on Dec 31, 2020 9:44:32 GMT -5
In my experience, racing gas is not a cheap alternative. Adding Stabil to a good grade of 10% ethanol Premium would be much cheaper. I have never seen ethanol free Premium either. At least not for 20+ years.
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Post by Laker on Dec 31, 2020 10:19:50 GMT -5
I run a mixture of 110 octane racing fuel (for the TEL) and 91 octane ethanol free gas in my old Corvette. The last time I topped it off the 110 was around $8.50 per gallon. I used to also run that in my panhead Harley and my wife could always tell if one of them had been run in the garage; the 110 produces an exhaust with a unique smell to it.
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Post by jhawkr on Jan 1, 2021 7:41:28 GMT -5
I'll bet the old Corvette likes that mixture!
I did a Google search and found there are 3 stations locally that sell no-alcohol premium unleaded 91 octane so I stand corrected on that. I have no idea how much it costs but the no-alcohol 87 octane I bought for the gas can cost .52/gal more that its 10% counterpart.
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Post by modbus on Mar 2, 2021 8:50:12 GMT -5
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Post by damuniz on Mar 2, 2021 10:05:35 GMT -5
There are no gas stations in my area that sell ethanol free gas.
I prefer Seafoam over Stabil because it keeps the gas fresher longer than Stabil. It claims you can keep treated gas in storage up to 3 years.
When I owned a boat I treated every tankful and used it for winter storage. I use it in every tankful of all my small engines over the years. I'm pretty much down to just the John Deere Lawn tractor and a Craftsman snow blower as I've been converting to electric lawn tools (weed whackers/trimmers and such).
Snow blower started right up after a year in storage a couple of weeks ago. The Deere needs a shot of starting fluid in the carb in the spring but otherwise starts up. No carb issues.
Ethanol needs to go the way of the buggy whip.
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Post by jhawkr on Mar 2, 2021 10:24:08 GMT -5
You can find a nay-sayer for anything. I have used Stabil in all my small engines for many years without negative effects. Even non-ethanol gas can absorb moisture from the air and it will go bad with time if not used. Even when I use non-ethanol gas I treat it with Stabil. I keep a 2 gallon can for my small engines so sometimes gas can sit 6 months before it ever goes into a small engine tank. Snowblower, riding mower, walk behind mower, generator, pressure washer, chipper/shredder. I use canned Stihl premix gas in my Stihl chainsaw and weed whacker.
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Post by slacker 🐨 on Mar 2, 2021 11:55:04 GMT -5
I use non-ethonol gas in all my engines....small and automobile. I don't like ethanol. I also treat all small engine gas with stabil...first thing I do is add it to the gas can when I get home from the station. I have never drained or ran my engines dry. I have lawn mower, weed eater, snow blower, chain saw, leaf blower.
So far, all my small engines start easily after storage. My Toro, for example...about 3 pulls and it's running (vs 1 pull "in season").
I see no reason to change anything at this point.
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Post by K4 on Mar 2, 2021 13:18:06 GMT -5
For me race gas works. I have a station that sells turbo blue about a mile away. I buy 5 gallons every spring. The exhaust smells good, so bonus!
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Post by Stratluvr on Mar 2, 2021 19:33:56 GMT -5
I was taught by a landscaper friend years ago to just run the motor until it’s empty. No gas, no gummed up carb.
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Post by Mfitz804 on Mar 2, 2021 19:48:12 GMT -5
I was taught by a landscaper friend years ago to just run the motor until it’s empty. No gas, no gummed up carb. I put StaBil in after my last incident and repair. I still plan to run it dry at the end of the snow season.
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