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Saturday was boating day with Sunday being the usual family/yard work day. The mower came out of the shed and I was unable to get it running properly. I took the float bowl off the carburetor and found that the cast aluminum portion of the carb that extended down in the float bowl was a mass of white corrosion. So, I took it down to the local mower shop and asked how long it took for service. I was told that they were not taking in any service because they had no room for any more equipment. I asked why and they said that the ethanol in the fuel was killing lawn equipment faster than they can get parts to repair it. They blame it both on the amount of water in the float bowls and the ethanol stripping both the moisture and the lubricants out of fuel pump diaphragms. I'm not sure why our governor signed off on Ethanol, but a letter writing campaign needs to start. Why this crap was shoved down our throats without adequate testing or any regard for the consequences of its usage is beyond me. I know a lot of politicians are very much in bed with the agricultural lobby, but enough is enough. First the boat and then the mower.
Just as MTBE proved to be a problem rather than a solution, Ethanol is proving to be even worse.
Unfortunately for us, the more problems it poses the more money we spend. This is good for the economy since it mostly effects the people who can afford(or barely afford) the boat,lawn mower or other non essential item. If it effected the very rich, then I'm certain ethanol would have been banned by Bush a long time ago. It seems like its here to stay and we just have to get use to it. If there is a petition I want in!!!!!!!!
All my yard equipment seems fine this year and last (ethanol started here in April 2006).
I think it sucks that ethanol has been forced upon us. That said, I haven't seen any deleterious effect.
I stabilized all fuel over the winter. btw - I don't think my Briggs and Stratton or Tecumseh engines have a fuel pump - I think they are gravity fed - is that the case? What kind of lawnmower do you have with a fuel pump?
The two strokes seem good too - the Stihl chainsaw starts on the second pull, the Homelite leaf blower runs good. The boat continues to run great.
So far, the only downside I've seen is an mpg reduction in our vehicles.
Ethanol used in gasoline is anhydrous, having less than .5% water. Even ethanol blends such as E85 are only allowed water concentration of max 5% when mixed with gasoline. As to the fuel pump diaphragms, I don't think there are too many lawn mowers that aren't gravity fed, unless you mean lawn tractors. Even so, they use nitrile rubber or viton which isn't affected by ethanol. As for cars, they gave up diaphragm type fuel pumps years ago, they're all in-tank gerotor pumps nowadays.
The fact is that every spring people try to start their mowers with old gas in them and are surprised that they can't get them running. That clogs up the repair shops, but I can't believe the shop would complain about having too much business.
This kind of apocryphal reportage is the root of misunderstanding.
__________________ Bill Adams
66 109 2A Safari Wagon
93 LWB
Allmand 23 Ticonderoga Chevy 350 EFI Cobra IO
Carver Mariner hybrid cuddy twin jet drives Ford EFI 5.0 HOs
not going into the long song and dance cause this horse left the barn a few years ago....do a few searches on this and other boat sites...ethanol has been a plague for certain boats and engines...there is nothing good about it except it will make some folks richer
Ethanol used in gasoline is anhydrous, having less than .5% water. Even ethanol blends such as E85 are only allowed water concentration of max 5% when mixed with gasoline. As to the fuel pump diaphragms, I don't think there are too many lawn mowers that aren't gravity fed, unless you mean lawn tractors. Even so, they use nitrile rubber or viton which isn't affected by ethanol. As for cars, they gave up diaphragm type fuel pumps years ago, they're all in-tank gerotor pumps nowadays.
The fact is that every spring people try to start their mowers with old gas in them and are surprised that they can't get them running. That clogs up the repair shops, but I can't believe the shop would complain about having too much business.
This kind of apocryphal reportage is the root of misunderstanding.
for a wise person, the scientists here still outproove you. We live in a high humidity environment and very near to the ocean or actually on it..... If you are a commercial fisherman. Your point above has already been put through the grinder by the "wise ones" at the labs over and over again. Without going into laborous detail that'll bore the living krap out of all of us..... Too many variables can be added to the equation that'll make ethanol more damaging than you actually think. If our state legislatures believe it is a problem... then I shall not disagree with them. Defend it???? Uhh definitely a no.
This week, I poured some 3 year old (no ethanol, no stabilizer) gas into the mower and she started right up. Every year, at the end of whatever season it happens to be, I siphon out all the gas I can, and then just run the thing -- mower, snow thrower, chipper) dry. I NEVER have a problem the following year. The mower (Toro, push, mulching) is going on 20 years now. The chipper and snow thrower near 10. I worry about the Merc 200, though. Wouldn't want to have to replace THAT.
So if I understand your issue completely, Sunday is now a boating day also. Ethanol rules !
Well, it is temporarily, but I'm about to take the carburetor apart. And no, the mower shop is not open on Sunday. And, Yes, I did write a letter to the governess.
And now, a special message for my chief skeptic, Yottyboy:
The fuel pump diaphragm problem was mentioned in regard to two stroke engines. You said: "This kind of apocryphal reportage is the root of misunderstanding."
I offer the following in response. I live on an island with fairly constant temperatures. Our air temp has overnight lows of about 58 in the winter and highs of about 90 in the summer. Homes here do not have heating of any kind. We do have air conditioning. The ocean temperature is remarkably constant, with lows of about 76 in winter and highs of about 82 in the summer. The lawn needs mowing every week, since there is no dormant period. As such, the mower never sits over the winter. But, it is humid. In spite of the ethanol having a low water content at blending, like most alcohols, it is very hydroscopic. My mower has a Honda engine, which has been very good about starting over the years. If I had an E-tec, all might be well.
We've had ethanol for about a year, following the departure of MTBE. Apparently, I am not the only one to have problems with E-10, since the state has recently approved the distribution of non-ethanol laced fuel for marine usage. As luck has it, no one on Maui carries it because we don't have a marina. It is available on other Islands, should I choose to go there and buy it and somehow ship it back. Oahu is 220 miles and the Big Island is about 110 miles. As yet, they don't let you take it on the airplane and we have no inter island ferry. But in the interest of being sure that I am not making this up, I invite you to call Lawn Equipment Company in Wailuku at 1-808-871-7100 and tell them that they are imagining the multiple rows of mowers in the parking lot with service tags on them as well as their incompetent clientele who suddenly cannot keep them running. If you are adept at small engine repair and have a miracle cure, I have a heck of an opportunity for you. If you are still unconvinced, I can post a jpeg of the shop.
Ethanol used in gasoline is anhydrous, having less than .5% water. Even ethanol blends such as E85 are only allowed water concentration of max 5% when mixed with gasoline. .
ethanol is also highly miscible with water - the original post suggested that the ethanol containing fuel "stripping" moisture- which is very possible. Of course you can only add so much water before phase seperation occurs. They may not start with very much water, but that amount can increase a whole lot.
Pretty interesting stuff. We have had the ethanol here in Long Island for at least 3 years. And we are a pretty damp climate , summer and winter, close to LI Sound. I have the old 88 OMC powerd Four Winns, a 97 Toro snow blower (Zuki 2 stroke) a 1987 mower with a Briggs, and a 95 weedwacker and blower. All get stabil, none gets drained, and they all start after winter storage. Maybe it's the actual percentage of ethanol in the gas, storage temps, etc that makes the difference. But I really can't say that I've had a problem with any of this stuff.
__________________ 1988 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee
4.0/NV 242 Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
5.7 HEMI/Quadradrive II
New Ethanol horror story. 
