Find a small airport nearby that sells aviation gasoline. It isn't allowed to contain any ethanol, but it does cost a $1 or more extra per gallon.

-Blast

Interesting, gasoline in Brazil is e25, and I have been using it in a two stroke Stihl Brushcutter for some years... Could they be made "ethanol resistant" for the Brazilian market?

Fabio

I seem to recall using silicone lines solved the problem, but I'm not a chemist, and I was reading anecdotal evidence. About the only thing about ethanol that I like is never having to worry about the fuel freezing up in the winter - that is nice.

When alcohol was tried as a fuel additive in the 1970s the problem was it would eat the plastic and seals in the carburetors. It was the worst in Ford cars.

They also found high concentrations of alcohol would draw moisture out of the air and separate from the gasoline.
The alcohol also tended to rust steel parts like steel fuel lines instead of protecting them like gasoline or diesel fuel does.

Yet straight alcohol was used as a motor fuel before gasoline was and Henry Ford designed his first Model T cars to run on it.
The early John Deer tractors were like that too.

When you buy fuel line de-icer it is usually methanol.

I was recently reading that modern automobiles, straight from the factory, run perfectly well with gasoline that is 34% alcohol. With some conversion, they can run on 98% alcohol.

Many of the vehicles in Brazil that have been running on alcohol since the 1970s were produced by American auto manufacturers Ford and GM in Brazil.

I also understand that at least these two companies here in the U.S. have routinely been manufacturing flex-fuel vehicles for several years now (certain types, mostly SUVs, I believe). Apparently, our government is the big buyer of them, but anyone can order one, and they are said to cost the same as a straight gasoline vehicle.

Sue

Sue,

Many US made vehicles, particularly GM ones can use E85 (85% Ethanol). Our 2004 Ford Explorer can also use E85 interchangeably with regular gas. E85 is generally cheaper (big gov't subsidy) but you also get reduced fuel economy.

Or were you commenting on other alcohol types?

Mike

Ethanol was what I meant. Personally, I wouldn't mind the tradeoff in less gas mileage in exchange for the cleaner exhaust.

I know the oil companies (assisted by our government) have put out a lot of crap about how bad ethanol is, and how expensive it is, but that is really a lot of nonsense. Anything CAN be made expensively, our Big Brudder has proven that countless times. And anyone who thinks subsidies for ethanol are bad need to be asking why oil companies are running their profits through offshore banks, posting profits of $42 billion per quarter, AND ARE STILL GETTING ENORMOUS SUBSIDIES PAID FOR BY THE TAXPAYERS!

Someone did some figuring of the REAL costs of gasoline (ALL the costs, not just the obvious ones), and the rough estimate was as high as $15/gallon.

Sue

Dollar for dollar, your vehicle will get almost the same distance on E85 and regular unleaded.

Meaning:

If you get 20 MPG on unleaded gasoline that you paid $2.00/gal. You will get 10 MPG on E85, but only pay $1.00.

All numbers are hypothetical.

These were my experiences with multiple vehicles I have rented over various times.

Put that way, it makes more sense. We use it mainly for the reduced emissions. Of course that doesn't take into the consideration of the impact of getting E85 to me. What's the impact of getting gasoline to me compared to E85?

In 2001 Utah County (where I reside)was using 10% ethanol mixed with gas and I put some in our 2 cycle weed eater and proceeded to weed eat and all of a sudden the engine started sputtering and coughing and before I could shut it off there was a huge pop and the engine stopped, took it to a repair shop and was told they were seeing a lot of this sort of thing, 2 cycles don't run to well on ethanol mixed gas,(blew the piston from it getting too hot). In 2004 Utah County applied for and was granted a waiver for NOT using ethanol mixture, I bet they got tired of all the complaints they were getting about it. So now there is no more ethanol in gas as of today (Too many people will complain about it if it's brought back)


Mike