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5/31/2018 1:33 PM  #1


Ethanol Gas Sitting in Carb For Long Periods

I just had to rebuild my Holley 4 barrel due to Ethanol going bad / evaporating in the bowls in my 69 Mach I with 351W.  This is a dumb question....but if you start the car every week or so will the gas be refreshed in both bowls of the 4 barrel or just the front bowl?  If not, if you cut off the gas to the carb and let it run dry, will both bowls be evacuated?  Anyone in the Denver, CO know where to get gas w/o the ethanol?

 

5/31/2018 1:58 PM  #2


Re: Ethanol Gas Sitting in Carb For Long Periods

Brad's Conoco on Kentucky has 91 octane without ethanol.  I'm fighting boiling issues in my 1970 F-250 with a Quick Fuel and that is supposed to really help as the ethanol is primarily responsible for the reduced boiling point and bad evaporation.  There may be some other stations but that is one I was just told about.  I am also going to install a return line.  If you have a vacuum secondary carb it will not drain out of the rear bowl even if you shut off the fuel.  They only way to get fresh gas in there is to drive it and make sure they open up.  You could, if you have better dexterity than I do, hold the throttle open and then manually open the secondaries.  If you don't go to wild you could probably get it to run at about 2K RPM for a a minute or so to get a little fresh fuel.  The other messier option is to pull one of the lower bowl screws and drain it manually.  What part of town are you in?  I live in the Littleton/Jeffco area.  If you live higher up than Denver, your problems with the fuel will be worse.

The winter gas here tends to be much worse than the summer blend.  So, if you filled up before mid-May you probably have the bad stuff.  I would run as much out of it as you can and fill it up with Brad's or similar and it should be fine through the summer.  I just filled my truck before I found out about Brad's so it will be a while before I can try.

 

5/31/2018 5:57 PM  #3


Re: Ethanol Gas Sitting in Carb For Long Periods

Doesn't Lowes/Home Depot sell stuff to remove ethanol from your fuel?!
What about Sta-Bil?!
6sally6


Get busy Liv'in or get busy Die'n....Host of the 2020 Bash at the Beach/The only Bash that got cancelled  )8
 

6/01/2018 5:00 AM  #4


Re: Ethanol Gas Sitting in Carb For Long Periods

There's no way to remove the ethanol.  The best you can hope for is to stabilize it and prevent it from absorbing water.  The biggest issue with ethanol is that its hygroscopic, just like brake fluid.  The longer it sits the more water it absorbs.  Water in the fuel system is death.  I've seen numerous carbs ruined by ethanol fuel.  Regular gas just used to turn to varnish and could be fairly easily cleaned out.  Ethanol brings corrosion, and ruins parts.  New $350 carb on my tractor this year, and I'm sure ethanol is partly to blame.  At least that's what I'm going to tell myself, despite the throttle shaft bores being worn out and it being 26 years old...

I would avoid Sta-Bil.  Many guys I know, including my neighbor who's probably the best professional mechanic I know, have all advised avoiding it due to mixed results and some problems.  For stabilization I use Startron.  Its available at NAPA, and most shops that sell or repair small engines.  One ounce per gallon.  Anything that's going to be stored long term, and all my mix gas gets that treatment.  Since I started using it I've had zero carb issues.

What I've heard some large companies are doing to get rid of the ethanol is putting gas in giant tanks, say 1,000 gallons or more.  They cut the fuel pickups so they do not extend to the bottom 15% of the tank.  Then they let the gas sit for a couple of months.  The ethanol and water, which are heavier than gas, fall out of suspension and settle to the bottom.  When they go to draw from the tank they only get pure gas off the top.  When it stops drawing fuel they drain the crap out of the bottom, dispose of it, and start the process over again.

 

Board footera


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