If you use ethanol-based fuel for boats, chainsaws, lawn mowers, snow mobiles, motorcycles, generators and other small engine equipment, then this article may contain data you have not been exposed to. Ethanol groups have asked that the EPA raise the percentage of ethanol in conventional fuel from 10% to maxim (E10) to 15% (E15). Those who make – and especially those who repair – gas operated engines used in the outdoors say the proposal is a bad idea. 

“We’re seeing a problem now with lower-octane gas with ethanol,” said Steve Rozenburg, owner of Inwood Lawn Equipment in Dallas. “Everyone should use 80 octane or higher for smaller engines.”

Rozenburg said the biggest problem resulting from ethanol in fuel is the deterioration of rubber or plastic parts in mowers, generators, trimmers, edgers and especially chainsaws that run at higher speeds and higher temperatures.

“And there are a lot of rubber and plastic parts on small 2-cycle or even 4-cycle engines,” he said.

Rozenburg said the cost for repairs for each fuel system starts around $75. If the carburetor is involved, it escalates from there. Problems worsen when the engines sit idle with fuel in the tanks. The fuel deteriorates in both the power tool’s tank and in the gas can. So if you drain your mower but use last fall’s gas from the can, it doesn’t matter.

Eddie Stevenson conducts repair training for Stihl USA and said E15 is an issue for any carbureted engine, including those on all-terrain vehicles. It isn’t the ethanol itself that is always the problem, but in a tank or old gas can that had sludge on the bottom non-ethanol fuel would ignore it. But the ethanol breaks it up and sends it to the carburetor.

Stevenson recommends an octane of 80 in all fuel for carbureted engines. It has better additives! But an even bigger step is to use a stabilizer in the fuel. The shelf life of fuel is not what is used to be because of the ethanol. I add stabilizer when I fill the gas can, and then I mix my 2-stroke fuel with gas out of that 5-gallon can. I haven’t had any problems since I started doing that.

The industry trade association for power equipment is concerned about the proposal to raise the ethanol concentration in fuel.

“We acknowledge that our current equipment may be permanently damaged and pose a safety risk if E15 fuel is used,” said Kris Kiser, executive vice president of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute. “Current equipment is neither designed, built or warranted for mid-level blends.”

Boaters were the first to respond as outboard motor repair shops began seeing an increase in clogged fuel lines, crumbling fiberglass gas tanks and stalled engines with the 10% mix.

According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, ethanol prefers water over gasoline. When ethanol-blended fuels sit in a gas tank for a long time, the ethanol starts separating from the gasoline. If water is in the boat’s gas tank, the ethanol separates from the gasoline and bonds with the water. Repairs are expensive and warranties often won’t cover them! E10 is acceptable in most outboard engines, if they are used regularly. Some manufacturers have special filers to deal with the ethanol problem.

The EPA is expected to decide before year’s end whether to grant the industry’s request.

“A switch to E15 would be a disaster,” Rozenburg said. “It would cause an exponential increase in repairs.”

(Source: Edited version of article appearing in the May 22 issue of the “Lone Star Outdoor News.”)