Synthetic oil in a lawnmower, is it worth it?

[Dirtman]

I've actually never had a problem with E10.

You must not drive anything with a mechanical fuel pump.

 

[8thTon]

You must not drive anything with a mechanical fuel pump.

Not other than the WheelHorse and the generator. Or the old Ferguson TO-20. Or about a dozen chainsaws, and a couple of trimmers - you could count the diaphragm pumps in those as mechanical. All run on 87 E10.

 

[Dirtman]

I was replacing fuel pumps and accelerator pumps 2 - 3 times a year before I stopped using E-10 and switched to marine fuel.

 

[8thTon]

I just don't have those issues and I don't even bother draining it anymore. We're very close to the Buckeye pipeline terminal so maybe the fuel her is fresher, I dunno.

 

[Dirtman]

I just don't have those issues and I don't even bother draining it anymore. We're very close to the Buckeye pipeline terminal so maybe the fuel her is fresher, I dunno.

Could be... Also just because it says E-10 doesn't always mean it has 10% ethanol. It just means "up to 10%". All our fuel comes by ship so who knows how long it sits around or how many times its transfered between different containers, trucks, etc before it gets to my tank. for all I know im using fuel that phase separated months ago. I never have issues with e10 on any of my "modern" cars though, but modern cars are pretty impervious to whatever garbage you put in the tank.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Not other than the WheelHorse and the generator. Or the old Ferguson TO-20. Or about a dozen chainsaws, and a couple of trimmers - you could count the diaphragm pumps in those as mechanical. All run on 87 E10.

Newer two stroke stuff have diaphragms that are made for ethanol. Older stuff (like the early 90's trimmer I have) do not and the diaphragms get really hard.

Make sure you shake two stroke small engines before you run them if you run ethanol. A little water (condensation) can make the ethanol separate from the gas, ethanol goes to the bottom (where the pickup is) and the oil stays with the gas... so then your two stroke is running on straight alcohol with no oil.

Once it separates out in my '46 John Deere B it will not run on straight alcohol so I have to drain it from the system before it will run. My A-C's throw more fire out the exhaust at night but will burn it, I would probably need to play with the timing if I was to run it very much.