[AT] Ethanol

[Ken Knierim]

Hi Steve,
    I was wondering if this wasn't the issue. Here in the Southwest,
we don't have the humidity to deal with that some other folks do. My
job when going to electronics school was as a mechanic for a lawn
service fleet. I've never seen the professional lawn service crews use
anything but the cheapest fuel available and I've never run anything
but 87 octane either. What I've seen has been that there are multiple
grades of 2-stroke equipment.

The bottom end of the string trimmer line has a curved driveshaft
going to the head and no clutch in the drive assembly. They are made
as cheaply as possible and it shows in longevity. They seem to retail
for about $80 and last about a year.

The step up (the ones I've bought) have straight drive shafts and a
geared head out on the end. They also have a centrifugal clutch (there
are some that don't and they're in the $80 category, IMHO). The carbs
have a fuel bulb for priming. I've had rather good luck with these.
The first one I bought lasted me 11 years before I couldn't keep it
running right. I never took the carb apart; just put gas and line in
it and ran it. After 11 years I tried a carb kit but the fuel lines
and tank were breaking down so I set it on the shelf and bought a new
one of the same type. The first one was a Ryobi, the second is a
Bolens 31 CC BL250 from Lowes and cost about $110 a couple years back.
They're the same model with different stickers, probably made by MTD
or Yard Machines. Starting is usually pretty easy; fill the tank, pump
the bulb about 5 times, put the choke on full, pull the rope about 3
times until the engine sneezes, move to half choke and pull it again.
It will be running; let it warm up a bit, advancing the throttle until
the choke is limiting it. Move the choke to off and go to work.

The top shelf units like Echo, Husky and probably Stihl are also of a
better grade. I've seen quite a few of the Echo units in commercial
service and they are pretty bulletproof and you can actually put a
carb kit in them and make them work.

On the units like I use, I've been told that a carb kit is about $10
and a new carb is a little over $20. I thought about it when I finally
scrapped my old one a couple years back but figured after 11 summers
of use, it was pretty well worn out. The new one runs a lot better and
I have to attribute it to the reed valves and probably cylinder wear
on the old one. During summer I'll go through almost a full tank of
fuel every week or two trimming the yard and the ditches. Summer lasts
a long time here too. We get about 3-4 months of the year

On Tue, Jun 17, 2008 at 6:18 AM, Steve W. <falcon at telenet.net> wrote:
> carl gogol wrote:
>> Gene-
>> I took my Stihl chainsaw back to the dealer about 6 weeks after I bought it
>> complaining I couldn't get it to rev and have enough power - this was about
>> 2 weeks after I took it back so the mechanic would set the max RPM with his
>> tach after break-in .  They said the problem was the gas; probably water in
>> it.  --- and of course I was using high test they said!  They had just
>> dumped the gas and put a little of their own high test mix in it and
>> everthing worked fine.  High test for a simple old chainsaw?? - I sputtered!
>> Looks of "How stupid can this guy be"  were focused at me - of course I knew
>> that everything else has varying degrees of ethenol in it and absorbes water
>> like crazy!  Well I didn't ever think about it and I am quite sure the
>> manual says 87 octane is reccomended.  Like you, the gallon a month I use in
>> the saws and weedwacker won't break the bank for high test, it is less than
>> $ 10% more these days.
>> Now I am really confused, because ethanol is also a good way to increase
>> octane - so what is really going on here.  Does ethanol in 87 octane regualr
>> allow them to put something cheaper into the blend that really does who
>> knows what to our fuel systems?
>> Carl Gogol - Manlius, NY
>> Tasty grazing in the Oran valley of Central NY
>> AC D14, 914H
>> JD 5320 MFWD
>> Kubota F-2400, B7300HST
>> Simplicity 7116H, 3112H
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Gene Waugh Elgin, Illinois USA" <gwaugh at wowway.com>
>> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2008 11:02 PM
>> Subject: [AT] Ethanol
>>
>
> The problem is that Ethanol is a SPONGE when it comes to water. When it
> is produced it can be pure 100% alcohol. However because it is VERY
> hygroscopic as soon as it hits any air it starts absorbing water. Also
> because it does raise octane it gets added to lower octane base stocks
> to make them into 87 or 89 octane fuels. The higher percentage of
> ethanol means that any water in the tanks along the way end up in the fuel.
>
> In this area at least the 10% stuff seems to be mainly the mid grade if
> it's a branded station (Mobil, Exxon, and the like) However the ones who
> buy gypsy gas (whoever has the lowest price when they call for a drop)
> just have a "May contain 10% Ethanol" on the pump. The local Valero
> store has just the mid grade tagged. I buy the 87 for the vehicles and
> 93 for the two strokes. The higher octane is needed in many two strokes
> because of the engine design. High power, light weight, air cooling and
> the oil mix (which lowers octane) all make the 93 a needed item.
>
> --
> Steve Williams
> Firefighter,EMT, Fire Police
> VanHornesville Vol. Fire Dept
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