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Message started by Starlifter on 06/05/10 at 19:09:21

Title: Erhanol bad news?
Post by Starlifter on 06/05/10 at 19:09:21

When in upstate New York last week (in the cage,) I noticed that every gas pump in the stations where I stopped stated 10% eltanol.

The Clamer says that ethanol harms the engine...what if you need gas and that's all that is available??

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/05/10 at 19:13:38

Get some or push it..

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by Paladin. on 06/05/10 at 21:00:34

684F5A4957525D4F5E493B0 wrote:

When in upstate New York last week (in the cage,) I noticed that every...The Clamer says that ethanol harms the engine...what if you need gas and that's all that is available??

I have not used gasoline for years. California is different than why comes for other States, and is about $.50 more per gallon.

When I went on touring I was riding 65-70 mph getting 60 mpg. After I filled in Arizona I was riding 65-70 mph riding 65 mpg.

It is just what is available -- lucky we are capable of running it.

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by BurnPgh on 06/05/10 at 21:01:20

10% isnt a problem I dont think. Thats all you can get in W.PA too so thats what I use. You wont get as good of mileage out of it, but I think the real issue is that high alcohol gasoline (over 10% for us) tends to eat away at rubber bits and gaskets.

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by Oldfeller on 06/05/10 at 21:18:02

Please put a decent sized pleated paper fuel filter on your bike as 10% ethanol can (and eventually will) cause a little surface rust in your uncoated Savage gas tank.

The little flakes of rust may possibly make it through your rough mesh petcock filter and could mebbe block a little jet passage in your carb.

I like many others have been running 10% ethanol for five years or more.

It is what it is -- the pleated paper fuel filter covers the downsides.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1211846392/1#1

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by John_D FSO on 06/07/10 at 20:49:25

Oregon is now required to sell 10% ethanol, and while I don't think they're required, most WA stations I've thought to check have it also. I would think the Savage would be ok, since the manual on my fuel injected C50 says 10% and under is a-ok. ;) The big thing would be to put some Sta-bil or similar in the tank if it's going to be sitting any length of time, since I hear condensation can be more of a problem with the higher ethanol blends.

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by Reelthing on 06/07/10 at 21:15:32

Works ok if you use it up pretty fast - terrible crap if you keep it longer than month or two or if you expose it to humid air.

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/07/10 at 21:22:08

I guess this makes storing gas about a bad idea.

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by earlytimz on 06/08/10 at 06:48:22

A common misconception about ethanol is that it'll eat rubber parts, etc. While this is true for methanol (alcohol race fuel), it is not true for ethanol.

The downside to using ethanol is your engine will get slightly less mileage, the storage life is shorter & there is a chance of condensation (potential rust) since alcohol attracts water but it will actually clean out your system.

On the up side, ethanol burns cleaner (greener), your engine will be cleaner internally & it's 10% less petroleum we have to get from a foreign country...

Adding sta-bil to your fuel will help with the storage issue. I've heard of people using Marvel Mystery oil too. Might be wise to do a little research on that...

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by earlytimz on 06/08/10 at 07:03:53

As a side note...
If properly jetted, your engine will run great on high-ethanol fuels (e85, e50, etc)
The problem is that ethanol, pound for pound, is less efficient than gasoline. It takes more of it to do the same amount of work. By up-sizing your jets you can get awesome performance but at a cost of lower mileage.

My non flex-fuel silverado loves e85. I"m over an hour away from the nearest e85 pump in my area, but I fill up with it every chance I get. The computers in modern vehicles will compensate & adjust for the fuel whether it's badged as a flex-fuel or not.
My silverado has 196,xxx miles on it, by the way. Been using e85 whenever I can for about 7- 8 years now. Can't see any damage because of the ethanol & it runs like a scared rabbit when on the sauce!

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 06/08/10 at 07:04:53

The acce;erator pump on the W is shot to he!! & back.. Would just plain gas have done it? IDK, just sayin..

Title: Re: Erhanol bad news?
Post by Routy on 06/08/10 at 07:47:38

Been using it for years now, don't see anything to support the bad stuff said about it. My metal gas cans, and metal tanks on garden equip are still shiny inside. It stores 6 months w/o treatment, and gives no problem whatsoever.

On a 5,000 trip in our MH 2 yrs ago, there was no noticable difference in gas milage between gas and 10%. But then maybe it was all 10%, as some are not req'd to say it. But the MH has always got between 9 & 10 mpg, did on that trip, and still does.

Believe what you want to.