do you have 10% ethanol in your gas? if so have you had any problems in any of your motorized "toys"? as of six months ago we had a law pass saying all gas must contain 10% ethanol, and ever since i have had nothing but problems. my bike for instance, if it sits for more than two weeks, i have to do a complete carb cleaning or it will not run. really dont like putting a bunch of gas additive to my bike, but at this point, well.... and my snowmobile, thats a two stroke with oil injection, and those are burning up pistons left and right, so i do run an ethanol treatment stabilizer in that but even then there has been some serious problems here in Maine this year. i assume the gas is gumming up my idle jet ports in the carbs after sitting a while, because thats where the problem seems to be. but has anyone else had this problem with ethanol gas? talk to me

 

First off, 10% Ethanol blend is NOT required in Maine, at least according to the Maine Bureau of Air Quality. See http://www.state.me.us/dep/air/mobile/faqs.htm . Second, according to the above link, the improper storage of 10% blend may cause problems. Maybe you could try to find a local source for non ethanol gas, or at the very least try getting your gas from a different source to see if that helps.

 

I cant remember the last time I saw a gas pump that didnt say it was 10%ethanol...dont know if its required here in CT, but I drive all over the eastern seaboard and dont remember any...I know that ethanol absorbs water and holds it...this causes the gas to rot alot faster and also causes some of teh older types of rubber used in carbs and intakes to swell...hell...I cant even use the gasp cap seal on my chopper anymore because it swelled to almost 30% its original size...wont fit in the bung anymore...if you cant find a non-ethanol pump then treatments are the only thing I know of for you.

 

run it in iowa for about 7 years and never a problem on either my cbr or victory or car's

 

Around here it is hit or miss. Seems all the pumps have a sticker that says "may contain up to 10% ethanol". Only thing I've noticed is that fuel mileage takes a 10% hit. With "real" gas riding semi sanely I get 39mpg ... with the blend I get 35mpg. Thing that pisses me off is it costs the same. So how does that help the environment? I go 10% less miles with 10% less gas ...

 

sorry pacojoesph, in my county it is required, but every where around here is using it. i wonder if they can buy it cheaper? but anyway, i get my gas from a few differant places and no differance. so i just make sure i start and run my bike for a while at least once a week, that seems to be the only remedy

 

i did a lot of research on the ethanol issue right after i got my bike befause of the wild fluctuations in mileage i was seeing. What i found about the starting issues is its sort of the old gasolines fault. the old gasoline had a large amount of additives that would leave a varnish on most surfaces in the fuel system. the ethanol blend actually disolves or loosens these deposits which them move downstream and tend to gum up the works and clog everything. only fix i've seen recomended was patience and time.

btw the wild fluctuations was not the fault of the fuel but leaking seals on the carbs...