ethanol gas

I'm restoring my first tractor, D17 series IV.  Do I have to worry about using today's ethanol gas in it?

No problem in our D17 IV.

About 2 years ago my company started selling this stuff. I don't jump on board with every new snake oil that comes along so I didn't push it on my customers. My competitors got it in the stores and the stuff has been selling through repeatedly. Now I'm seeing it in marine, lawn equipment and powersports stores. Walmart carries it too. The people who use it swear by it. I called the vendor and got a couple free bottles coming to try it out. Retails for about $8 a bottle.

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I have to agree with what MBwcenll said. Ethanol can draw moisture, and can harm engines if it sits for a while. Ethanol is just alcohol, and can even seperate and turn to jelly over a period of time, or so I've heard. I really don't like it. I really don't think the B runs right or as strong as it could with it in because ethanol only contains 60% energy of an equal amount of straight gas. I just don't like it. You deffiently don't want to have your engine sit for at least a month with it in its system, as I KNOW of engines that have been ruined from it. As far as I know, regular stabilizer does nothing to prevent the ethanol from harming the engine, it's formula was never changed from when it was developed for regular gasoline. I hate it, but thats just my opinion.

I have run my CA on E85 with no problems. It also works well in my old small engines. For something that sees infrequent use, I would not allow the E85 to set in the carb bowl due to moisture condensation. Found that out with one of my small engines. Water condensed in the carb. All of the others that I had drained had no issues.

I guess I'd like to know what was "ruined" on the alleged failed engines??? I've used 10% gasohol for 30 years and NEVER had 10 cents worth of trouble.....I've had six Ford F150's and have logged 1 million total miles on them with ZERO trouble. I do not use it in my lawn mower.

Ethanol is hygroscopic-  it absorbs moisture out of the air. It is also a compound which does not 'dissolve' in gasoline, it is in 'suspension'... if you take a sample, and let it sit in an open jar, alongside another sample of straight gasoline, and then do same with closed jars, you'll see a clear difference... the open samples- You'll see each sample 'layer' out, each differently according to the contents.  Gasoline will evaporate, and eventually you'll be left with a little water and varnish (the additives and contaminants that don't evaporate). Water, trapped at the bottom, will be protected from evaporation because of the content layers above.  Ethanol will absorb (and bind) with a considerable amount of water, so you''l actually have several sub-layers there.  Finally, some 'layers' will burn differently from others.  A gallon of some type of fuel will contain one quantity of heat energy per volume/wt unit, while another, will be more, or less.  Comparing gasoline and diesel (hydrocarbon) fuels, there will typically be much more heat energy per unit than comparable quantity of a bio or ethanol (carbohydrate) fuel.  This isn't a big deal to many, but realize that when an engine runs, the heat-energy is not only what causes internal combustion to work, it also defines the flame-speed and expansion rate inside the engine... this means that the engine's combustion performance is affected.  In our old agricultural engines, it will go mostly unnoticed until you're really working a field hard.

There's a myriad of issues dealing with ANY motor fuel.  The caustic nature of fuel blends means that SOME blends will attack system components.  The moisture absorption properties means that some of what you have, will not be substantially flammable, and the mixture of components (hydrocarbon vs. carbohydrate fuels) will vary.  Finally, the water trapped below, won't burn at all...  and of course, it can freeze.

The #1 rule is:  For best results, don't let ANY fuel sit for any length of time.  Next:  Make good use of that sediment bowl... empty it frequently.  Next:  If the engine isn't running right, DUMP all the fuel, and fill with fresh.  The latter suggestion comes from a situation where a bulk tank had settled enough so that the fuel in the tank was essentially ALL ethanol/water.  It is this condition where ethanol-blend fuels get blamed for substantial 'while running' engine damage.  IF you adhere to Rule #1, it will never be a problem.

Some carb gaskets and O rings were made from materials subject to damage by ethanol but that isn't really a problem with todays fuel systems or replacement carb kits. Sometimes the older fuel systems were "damaged" by the ethanol blends disolving crap in system and letting pile up causing blockages, etc.

Great to read objective, carefully written material on this question. Thanks