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Featured Ethanol Free 90 octane fuel

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Ronald Doles, Dec 12, 2019.

  1. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    Had to go into town and get our monthly supply of 15 gallons of premium no-ethanol gasoline (from November through March on the 15th of the month -- whatever is left over from the previous month goes in car fuel tanks).

    Stopped by the saw shop and asked Denny the owner and mechanic about ethanol and overheating as I am sure he told me several years ago that making an adjustment toward lean would help cool down a saw (which I saw was repeated on the Penn State Fuel Ethanol: Hero or Villain? site).

    He said -- like all things -- it depends on a lot of variables, but at times that adjustment does do the trick. He's been working on Stihls for decades, so not going to argue with him.

    But, he also said, that usually, it is another issue causing overheating -- and at times it can be a setting that is too lean.

    Like I said, small engines are tempermental beasts!!

    Personally, never had a problem with overheating -- except for my own self!:p But he really recommends against ethanol for small engines.

    But, of course, this is a Prius forum and while I disagree with the whole ethanol thing, it is not going to hurt a Prius to run regular 10 percent ethanol.
    kris

     
  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    And once again, there really wasn't much ignorance in this thread.......UNTIL YOU chimed in.

    Bulk gasoline does ***NOT*** achieve different octane levels with "additives"......except that the ethanol itself raises the octane level a bit.

    And ethanol does not somehow "attract" moisture. It combines with what it comes in contact with though.

    And a tiny little bit of water does NOT "damage engines", whether it is mixed with ethanol or not.

    Where do you get this crap ??
     
  3. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    It is diesel fuel. Very close to "fuel oil".
     
  4. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    And now we have yet another "misconception".
    Just exactly what sensor is it that you think does that ?
    Hint: there is NO ethanol sensor.
    And why do you think that ethanol causes engines to "run hotter" ??
     
  5. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    Calm down. I was just lazy and copied and pasted that directly from the Penn State Web Page. If it wrong, meh, your extension tax dollars at work -- or I should say Pennsylvania tax dollars.

    Me, I always run cool.
     
  6. Rmay635703

    Rmay635703 Senior Member

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    not a misconception is that no gas station in Wisconsin carries 90 octane anymore

    and the blender pump revolution failed and all the pumps got pulled :(
     
  7. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    [Essential missing phrase re-added]

    Speaking of "misconceptions" ... :rolleyes:

    She was referring to not-small engines, i.e. to our car engines, which have O2 sensors in the emission control systems to help do exactly that. The sensors don't directly measure ethanol in the fuel, but instead measure the remaining oxygen in the exhaust, so that the ECUs can adjust on-the-fly to the proper fuel-air mixture or ratio, regardless of what reasonable fuel is used (E0, E5, E10, E15, MTBE, seasonal blend of different density, or whatever).
    Not to worry, it wasn't.
     
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  8. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    The smell of heating oil was mostly from the sulfur content. Before ULSD, heating oil contained more sulfur than diesel for engines. Now, they are both ULSD. The only fuel a gas station might have with over 15ppm sulfur is kerosene.
     
  9. dubit

    dubit Senior Member

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    Damn expensive cave I live in. lol
    ______________________________

    {edit} - In regards to this thread. Why are we yet again going over this Ethanol thing again. This horse has been beaten to death so many times & yet once again we at Prius Chat get a shovel, dig it up and abuse it some more.

    I suppose next topic up will be the the "Evil's of the internal combustion engine?" :confused:
     
    #49 dubit, Dec 15, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2019
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  10. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Pointless "clarification".

    If there is a diesel nozzle at or near the pump you are using, THAT is where the smell comes from.
    Not only is it smeared all over the nozzle and hose, it often is spilled on the "ground" too.
    And it still reeks with a distinctive odor.
     
  11. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Diesel does have a distinct smell from gas. However, before ULSD, heating oil had a stronger stink than diesel because of the much higher higher sulfur content. The question about smell had compared it to heating oil stink, not diesel.

    ULSD has been out for awhile, and until resently, had less sulfur than gasoline in the US. Heating oil is also ULSD now. Having had to add diesel to the oil tank, ULSD smells nothing like old heating oil, and the smell is much weaker.
     
  12. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    Yeah, I kind of thought so, but didn't really care enough to argue last night.....I'd rather watch football today and yell and argue at the TV. :p

    Essentially, I thought I had remembered the local chainsaw shop owner telling me that leaning out a saw could cure overheating. But, I have learned that sometimes I don't remember things too well. :whistle:

    So, I googled the general idea and the first credible source that popped up was Penn State's Heroes article. Being one to always avoid extra work, I just copied their statement and slapped it down.

    Unfortunately, since an accident about a year ago, I am able to run and start our leaf blowers and brush cutters, but still do not have enough strength to start and run our saws, or generators....those Honda inverters --- UGH>
     
    #52 cyberpriusII, Dec 15, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2019
  13. Ronald Doles

    Ronald Doles Active Member

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    As a pilot (not current), most private planes have air cooled engines. When you reach cruising altitude, you have a mixture control to lean out the engine for best economy. This setting affects the life of the engine. You have three ways to lower cylinder head temperature. 1. Use a lower power setting. 2. Run rich of peak ROP, 3. Run lean of peak LOP. The safest is Rich of Peak.

    Observing the plane's tachometer, you start moving the mixture control to lean the mixture. The RPM's will start rising to a peak (best power) and if you continue leaning the RPM's will drop again and continue to drop. You want to observe the peak RPM and then start moving the mixture control back toward rich until the tachometer drops 50 or more RPM from the observed peak value.

    Aircraft equpped with cylinder head temperature gauges can see the CHT. The temperatures next to the red, yellow, green bar are cylinder head temperatures for a Continental IO550 six cylinder aircraft engine and you want to run in the green to prolong engine life. Chart from AOPA.

    aircraft cht.jpg
    You have no way of knowing cylinder head temperature with small gasoline engines and whether they are lean enough to avoid running at the peak temperatures which is hard on them so most people run them rich.
     
    #53 Ronald Doles, Dec 15, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2019
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  14. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    It could reduce the heat. So can running rich. The thing with small carburetor engines is that you don't know where you actually are in terms of air fuel mixture when you start adjusting.
     
    #54 Trollbait, Dec 15, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2019
  15. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    sissy electric chainsaw?!? Here's my telescoping 40 volt electric pole saw up in the rafters. That thing's got enough power to make a smokey , oil burning 2 stroker blush.
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    So call me a sissy ....
    Especially if you see me in my ugly Christmas sweater.
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