Unleaded Gasoline

I work at a tractor dealership and we have endless cases of the gas going bad in carburetor sand needing cleaned. I'm not sure on 60's engines but unleaded ethanol gas takes longer to burn therefore the heat lasting longer which can make the motor run hotter. It hard to explain because you would thing non ethanol gas would burn hotter and it does but the heat dissipates faster.... If that makes sense. As to the knock, the only way I see the gas now could make an engine knock is if the engine had higher compression and the gas made it spark knock.
-Luke

JWingerter wrote: Someone told me that today's unleaded gas causes 60's engines to... ...run hot? ...knock? Old wives' tale?  Should I be attempting to compensate somehow?

One problem you may run into with E10 occurs if you have some water separated out in the bottom of your fuel tank.  E10 will absorb it and your engine will run rough and lean until all the water is used up.  Continued usage of E10 will keep water from building up again.

E10 will also dissolve old varnish buildup in your fuel system and plug up fuel filters and needle valves etc.

I currently have a 66 charger, 73 road runner, 74 roadrunner, 2 78 trans am's and a 74 hurst olds(in addition to the tractors).  They sell either E10 or straight gas here and they all run the same on either, if the vehicle is set up correctly you will not notice a difference.  I set up all my carburated vehicles with an infa red for hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide levels.  About 2 years ago I bought a portable wide band O2 sensor and have been using that for set up, it's like a portable dyno. When I first started as a mechanic back in the early 80's I used to buy a lot of cars from the 50's and 60's (back when real people could afford them).  Once I did get the fuel system cleaned out and running never had a problem with them.   I remember when they phased out leaded fuel and they said it was doom and gloom for all the old cars as the lead was there to help lubricate the valves, especially the exhaust.  I bought a few cars that did have the seats worn out in the heads, but I think that was more to age than the fuel (they were old when I got them).  I have an old 56 international 300 utility tractor, 169 gas engine. I have put about 200 hours on it in 10 years, never had a fuel problem since I redid it, I just use standard E10 in it.  With all that said about 4 years ago I drove my 73 Road Runner from here to Oklahoma and back, no problems at all except when I filled up one weekend in Guthrie OK.  After about a block or 2 it started knocking and pinging bad, REAL bad, I unplugged the vacuum advance until most of that tank was gone.  I believe this was due to way more ethanol than 10%.  I think that is where a lot of the bad fuel stories come from, excess ethanol (dilution of the fuel) at certain stations like JC just mentioned.

I'll run E10 til the cows come home in the vehicles and stuff where it gets used up reletively fast, but I don't like putting it in tractors and such where it may not get freshened up for 6 months to a year or so. Probably would make a difference if they sat inside, rather than outside, though. What happens, is that every day when the tank warms up, the expansion pushes air out of the tank. Then the cool of night comes along, and high humidity air gets sucked back into the tank, and the ethanol takes the moisture out of the new air brought into the tank. After this gets repeated over and over, the ethanol gets so saturated with water, it let's go of it (in the tank) and keeps on loading up on more moisture night after night, and depositing more water in the tank. Just my 2 cents worth, Darrel

+1 on what darrel said. My 2 strokes,small engines Studebakers and tractors only get Non-Ethanol as they sit around too much. If it gets run every day, I'll dump the E10 in. Also from what I understand is that the ethanol eats the rubber in the older systems. 

This is a great thread!  I have been wondering about this and as such, have been burning 100%-no ethanol gas in my tractors and things that sit over the winter, without being run.
So as I understand so far, ethanol gas is OK to burn in our 40s thru 60s tractors?  BUT....what about when I leave them sit over the winter without being run, like my grass cutting C and one WD45 I don't use all winter?
I've seen where the gas separates and then evaporates, thus creating problems.
Should I use ethanol, or stay with the 100% (I call Ethyl)?
Does Sta-bil work with ethanol gas?
This is more worrisome than the oil controversy.....

Brian my take on 2-stroke oil is this.  The EPA pushes for less and less oil.  This is good for the air but is bad for the life of the engine.  2-stroke oils are better now but I still run 30 to 1 in everything I have that is 2-stroke.  I have an Echo line trimmer from 1986 and one from 1985 that both run as good as the day they were bought.  I bought a new one a few years back and it said to run 40 to 1 in it.  It get the same as all the rest.  30 to 1.

My 1998 Lincoln Continental specifies Premium gasoline.  When I use non-ethanol regular unleaded gasoline, I get the same fuel mileage.  When I use 10% ethanol the mileage drops by 3 MPG.  I have run this test several times, to confirm the results.

This is probably the only time I'll agree with Mark on anything, be he's right about the ethanol comments he made. If you're running gas powered anything with ethanol blended fuel, fill the tank when finished with each use. Displacing the air with fuel will greatly reduce condensation in the fuel.
The only fuel problems I ever see here in the dealership are the vehicle owner put the wrong fuel in the tank or put DEF in their fuel tank. I have been putting Stabil in by CA and Oliver because it takes a year or more to use a full tank of fuel in either of them. The CA's carb was last apart when the engine was overhauled 15+ years ago. Nothing but ethanol fuel has been used in it. One time I put E85 in it just to see how it acted. All it took was adjusting the carb.

Eh, I've heard yes and no on the lead. I know they have substitutes. Ethanol, from what I hear, is worse as it can corrode and pit some of the metals used. Not sure if this is true. I know it caused nothing but problems on every lawnmower I've ever used. Trashed the motor on one almost did the second. Problems went away with a little carb cleaner and ethanol free fuel.

Many hundreds of hours of testing in the 1970's when ethanol came out shows these myths to be untrue. Congress mandated all engines being sold in the US capable of running 10% eth. If these engines are not running on 10% you need to be complaining to the engine MFG's not complaining about the gas. Or better yet take the mowers back where you got them after a few hundred returns they will get the message.

The main issues I have with ethanol blended fuel is corrosion in the fuel tank and that it vapor locks easier. I had to reroute and add some insulation to the fuel lines on my K2 so it would run when the outside temps are warm/hot.

I don't have any problems with the ethanol. I have a 30 year old Homelite weedwacker and it sits all winter and starts in the spring on last years gas. The fuel line on my newer Troy-bilt WW did have to be replaced because the got brittle and broke. I have a B that sat for 2 years without running and it started right up and ran fine. my Lawn tractors are the same. No problem starting or running. I read particularly in the JD magazines how bad this fuel is and how it blocks up carbs. I don't see it happening. Bob

Yes, it sat for 2 years with ethanol gas in the tank and carb. After I drove it 10' out of the shed it stopped. I forgot to turn the gas on. Started right up and ran fine, I then added some gas for the day. I do not use Stabil. Bob