Ethanol!

[JimS123]

Yeah, yeah THAT thread again. I have my opinions, but I just wanted to see what the general consensus is.

My problem has been with a Merc 3.5 HP 4-stroke. I knew going in that it had small jets and they recommend running the gas out after each use. So, I do. Also use stabil with every fillup. One of the problems is that she is only a kicker and gets very little use.

I had 8 trouble-free years. Last year she wouldn't start. My dealer rebuilt the carb and it ran ok. This year she started but even after 20 minutes running would not reach full rpm and eventually stalled and would not restart. My mechanic rebuilt the carb again and said it had green gunk inside.

Again this year I was chastised for not running E0. I have never run anything but E10 in EVERYTHING. My position is that the ethanol helps keep the carbs clean. As an example my 45 year old Pontiac Bonneville V8 has not needed a carb rebuild since we started using ethanol.

Now my caveat is.....provided that you take care of your equipment. All my stuff is kept in a dry secure garage and with a full tank.

So what say ye? Should I switch to E0 in this little guy?

 

[Pmt133]

E10 gets this almost sand like depositing if left to evaporate over and over in carbs. E0 develops a varnish like residue. Both aren't good.

My take has always been proper care of the fuel system results in very little issues. The majority of carb rebuilds I have done are because it wasn't used much. Anything driven regularly seems to last until the hard parts themselves wear out.

I don't mind either. If E0 is readily available, I'd use it in low use motors. Otherwise, E10 has never resulted me with a fuel system problem that wouldn't have also been there if using E0....