Finally got bit by the ethanol bug!

[Wallys World]

Well, it finally caught up with me today, I went out to start my Vermeer chipper and it wouldn't start. Went thru the normal check out, got spark, got gas, oh no, got gas to carb. I pulled the carb off the Kohler 25 hp and this is what I found!


It was a mess, the float neddle valve wouldn't even move! I did get it all cleaned out and it is running now. We have 3 places that sell non ethanol gas, I have been using it for the past couple months, but haven't run ther chipper since the middle of July. I drain the tank and put fresh in. I think I'll put a shutoff on the fuel line before the fuel pump so I can run it dry if I want to.

[Ironwood]

Just converted my Continental 4 to propane. Same reason.

              Ironwood

[Magicman]

And we are subsidizing farmers to grow corn to make whiskey alcohol to mess up our gasoline...... >:(  Will we ever learn???

[easymoney]

our politicans at work. i thought i had heard that ethanol was required to be added to all gas. but some stations have signs out stating that their gas has no ethanol.

[stonebroke]

You know once you do get all the crap out of your fuel systems ethanol will keep it clean and prevent stuff from building up.

Stonebroke

[beenthere]

For me, the crap is the ethanol.

I pay the extra to be without it. So far, it is possible to buy ethanol-free gas.

[chevytaHOE5674]

I'm thankful that there are stations UP here that still sell ethanol free gas.

[Norm]

Yeah we've been using it for 30 years but amazingly enough only until it started to be big oil's whipping boy for their crappy gas did it turn out to be so bad for engines.

[gary]

I know I have been using ethanol mixed in with gas since 1980 and never had a problem with it.

[Faron]

Yep, that crud you see is the ethanol cleaning the gasoline junk out of the fuel system.

[chevytaHOE5674]

My issue with ethanol gas is its short shelf life. A few weeks in the can and its old and won't run worth a darn.

[Magicman]

Ethanol absorbs/mixes with water, but it doesn't stay mixed.  Especially with carburated engines, the water will "settle" to the bottom of the float chamber.  There's the mess/problem.  I've had to take pliers to remove the needle from the seat, and then sometimes the neoprene tip will come off and stay in the seat.  I know, we should always shut off the gas and run it dry...... :(