Recreation fuel

[rumblecloud]

I know the difference between regular gas and recreational gas and what it is supposed to be used for, but would like your opinions.

I have a 72 Ford 5000 tractor. I normally use regular gas. Not sure of the ethanol content. It runs fine or did until last summer. It would start fine and run for about a half hour, then stall. It would start up again, but stall immediately. If I waited a while, it would start and run for about a half and the process would repeat. Son-in-law suggested the gas was bad and that I should use rec gas. I drained the tank (about 7 gallons) and replaced it with a couple of gallons of rec gas ( didn't want to use too much in case I had to drain it again. Started and ran it for about an hour dragging in some felled trees for firewood and it ran good.

While I agree that the gas could have been bad, I'm not sure about the use of recreational gas. Does regular gas have a shorter tank life than rec gas or something like that? What's your take on it.
Thanks.

 

[2011Supercab]

ethanol-free 90-octane gasoline aka “recreational fuel” isn't going to hurt it,

It also has a longer tank life, But I'd still put some fuel stabilizer in at the end of the season.

 

[sgtsandman]

I don’t know the answer but can pose a guess. Recreational fuel doesn’t have ethanol. So will last longer. Even so, the general rule of thumb for gasoline is to make sure whatever is in the tank gets used up within a year. Fuel treatments like Sta-Bil help lengthen that but I wouldn’t test that unless you had to.

EDIT: I keep dates on my fuel cans. If it’s getting close to a year, I dump the fuel in my vehicles to get it burned off.

All my equipment that is going to sit over the summer or winter get the fuel drained or pumped out and ran dry. The Sta-Bil in the fuel coats the fuel system and helps protect the lines and carburetor from varnish build up.

The old or getting old fuel mixes with the good fuel in the vehicle(s) and prevents operating issues. So don’t worry about it causing a problem with them.

 

[19Walt93]

Any gas polluted with ethanol will be prone to vapor lock in hot weather. Marine Stabil might help some.
It will also cause starting problems in sub zero weather in carbureted vehicles. We had one station selling what they called "gasahol" in the late 70's so I had to try it. The first thing I noticed was a drop in gas mileage, then the weather cooled off and I had to fight to get it started.

 

[superj]

I have never heard of recreational gas. I learned another new thing here. Thank you for bringing this up

 

[Shran]

I use regular 87/10% ethanol pump gas in all of my equipment EXCEPT two stroke stuff that will sit unused for a year or more... then I either use premix fuel or dump it all out and let it dry. Supposedly premix is good for 5 years and so far that seems to be true, I have yet to have it go bad but it's expensive.

Sta-bil is a bad deal if you let it sit in a tank too long... you think dried up ethanol is bad... wait till you get to try cleaning out red goop.

 

[rumblecloud]

The tractor does sit a lot in the winter. And I do need to get better at draining equipment like chainsaws for sure. They are a bitch to get cleaned out and started come spring and fall when I need them. I do drain the snow blower, but the other equipment, the pieces with electric start, I tend to take my chances. It would take me a week to drain all the junk I have

 

[Shran]

Oh yes... my wood chipper, tiller, and sickle bar mower all have gas left in them on the reg. ZFG there, it doesn't seem to affect them, the chipper just needs a little ether helper once in a while.

I'm more careful with the Honda mower and my snow blower that has a Tecumseh engine...those two are notorious for getting gummed up with green ethanol residue. I think it reacts with the metal in the carb. A month or two of disuse on the Honda is enough to make it run weird or not run at all. Briggs & Stratton engines are much more tolerant of high levels of abuse & neglect.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I run normal 87 pump E10 in my 48 cub never had an issue.

The gas was probably bad

 

[sgtsandman]

The only place that sells non-ethanol fuel near me is too inconsistent on being open for business. So, it’s 10% ethanol fuel for me.

The Stihl manual says 89 or higher. So all my power equipment gets fed 89 with Sta-Bil in it.

I’ve heard that mix oil does prolong fuel life but I’ve never tested it and only mix a gallon at a time for my 2-Stroke stuff as needed.

 

[Shran]

That's interesting, I always heard that mixed 2 stroke oil has a reduced shelf life. I'm not sure if that's true or not, I always mix small amounts as needed.

 

[rumblecloud]

Same here. A gallon at a time. Started my 18 inch Stihl yesterday to loosen up a felled tree. Tried the smaller 14 but it was a no go. So I have to go out today and get that one going.
never ends.

 

[RonD]

I know the difference between regular gas and recreational gas and what it is supposed to be used for, but would like your opinions.

I have a 72 Ford 5000 tractor. I normally use regular gas. Not sure of the ethanol content. It runs fine or did until last summer. It would start fine and run for about a half hour, then stall. It would start up again, but stall immediately. If I waited a while, it would start and run for about a half and the process would repeat. Son-in-law suggested the gas was bad and that I should use rec gas. I drained the tank (about 7 gallons) and replaced it with a couple of gallons of rec gas ( didn't want to use too much in case I had to drain it again. Started and ran it for about an hour dragging in some felled trees for firewood and it ran good.

While I agree that the gas could have been bad, I'm not sure about the use of recreational gas. Does regular gas have a shorter tank life than rec gas or something like that? What's your take on it.
Thanks.

The original issue reads like dirty fuel filter, not "bad gas", or clogged vented gas cap
Is it a Gravity feed fuel system?

A lot of the older tractors used gravity feed and vented gas caps
If filter gets older it can limit flow
If cap vents get blocked it causes negative pressure and fuel can not "drain" out
So basically you run out of gas, and can not restart until enough gas flows back into carb


"Recreational gasoline" is any gasoline that doesn't have Ethanol added, usually has higher octane rating, 89+
Octane is a heat rating, higher octane helps prevent pinging/knocking but has no relation to "power"
87octane to 93octane have the same energy potential per gallon


All gas has water in it, ethanol can bond with water and let that water run thru the engine without much of an issue
Gasoline can not bond with water, and water is heavier than gasoline, so the water will settle to the bottom of the gas tank over time as tractor(any vehicle) sits unused

So on start up you can get a big gulp of water which will cause rough running or stalling just after startup, not 30min or 60min later

Gasoline has a low vapor point, that's why it smells stronger in summer than winter, the smell is the gasoline evaporating, well the part of the gasoline that makes the engine work, lol
Over time in a Vented gas tank the gasoline will deteriorate and turn into a low power varnish, not good, generally 6 months in a vented tank
If you have the gas in a sealed tank it will last longer, or if you fill the tank up all the way then there is less surface area in the tank where the gas is in contact with air, so slows down evaporation

Draining your old gas and any debris, and adding fresh gas would have helped if the old gas was really old, 6+ months, and prevented debris from further causing fuel filter issues, if its an older filter

If you have a vented gas cap you can usually get a non-vented model for storage, or just put a piece of saran wrap over the opening for storage

 

[rusty ol ranger]

That's interesting, I always heard that mixed 2 stroke oil has a reduced shelf life. I'm not sure if that's true or not, I always mix small amounts as needed.

I had an old stihl weedwacker with non ethanol pre mix in it...i broke the driveshaft on it. Anyways it sat in my shed for 3 or 4 years and fired 3rd pull with the gas i had left in it

 

[Shran]

I had an old stihl weedwacker with non ethanol pre mix in it...i broke the driveshaft on it. Anyways it sat in my shed for 3 or 4 years and fired 3rd pull with the gas i had left in it

Stihls are hard to kill, the old ones anyway. My uncle gave me a pile of saws that he wore out including an old Stihl 362. Said it wouldn't run worth a crap and made a lot of noise. I tore it down, cleaned it up and found that the bolts holding the jug to the crankcase were loose and it would run but the jug would move up and down with the piston about 1/8" - super crazy deal, fixed that and locktited the bolts and it ran like new.