This trick will keep your small engines running! How to make ethanol-free gas at home 

I watched one of Chickanic's videos just yesterday where she tested this theory, and found that even the "ethanol-free" contained something like 5% ethanol at a few stations around her. Good knowledge to have. That was really surprising to me but I guess most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference in ethanol or octane unless their engines start having trouble way down the road.

I believe this 100, I mean, why should we think our ethanol or non ethanol gas would be the only thing we’re not being lied about in America!! Thx for the proof, though!

That's not a bad price, if you're just buying enough for the small stuff. I wish I could buy it from the hose. I was convinced to try making it by all the anecdotes I was reading of bigger landscaping companies swearing by the stuff, especially for the small 2-strokers.

In Texas it’s $1 more a gallon

Roger that

@@thehacksquatchit’s around $1 a gallon more and it’s got its own hose at my gas station in MS. I buy enough of it and getting much better life out of my small engines and carbs than before. But I like this vid a lot, and will give it a shot just to ease my mind and be sure I’m not paying an extra buck a gallon for nothing!! Thank you!

I've heard using Sea Foam too often can wear out your piston rings and cause excessive cylinder wear. It's good for removing carbon buildup, but that also means it attacks oil. It's kind of like going back to the break-in stage of the engine's life and re-seating the rings. Might improve compression slightly on a really old engine. But just use a fuel stabilizer.

@@DFPercushI'm sure about that, I have a 10 year old Toro weed eater that I have kept sea foam in all year round and all my small engine equipment has it too. I haven't had any compression loss in any machines. Maybe they put too much in and saw it smoke, and decided the rings were bad. It will smoke white when you add more to do a good cleaning.

Don't let seafoam sit in a gas tank for more than a few months. I helped a relative of mine tune up a Harley motorcycle that he inherited from his dad when he passed. His dad put seafoam in the gas tank and it sat for about a year before we looked at it, the paint inside the gas tank had peeled off and required a complete draining of the tank and injectors as well as a whole new tank..

I can see this with its cleaning abilities as it is does it while engine runs ,it works.Stabil didnt live up to its purpose either,now what?

​@ChrisReparationslul The paint inside the gas tank? There isn't paint inside of Harleys or any gas tanks. It's possible that someone tried to seal the tank because of excessive rust..

just add a small amount of octane boost.

Chemistry and playing with fire! What's there not to like? Glad you're digging it bro 🤠

Thanks for a logical "solution" to this problem.

Food coloring, great idea! I'm surprised I hadn't tried that yet, good tip. Thanks. I'll bet the carboy has a better bung than these water containers, too.

NO use two cycle oil to give it some color and help with top cylinder lubrication!! One teaspoon per 5 gallons is all you need.

Around $1 more a gallon than what I burn in my car….but it does add up quickly!!

How in the world were you using the stabilizer bottle before? Lol

@@theamaturepro I gave up on the measured portion and just free poured, like I do my liquor lol!

@@kootenaycat Is there any other way? Only reason to measure is greed 😂

loosening the cap on the measuring side helps

That’s interesting, I certainly see many videos and discussions of people dealing with the gel, and I have seen it on some engines that have been sitting for a long while, but the overwhelming problem here is water contamination. It happens so much faster than gas varnishing up. I wonder if it’s a difference of climate? It seems like Honda and Honda clones especially have a hard time staying dry.

@@thehacksquatch Honda and clones were the first to offer the more fuel efficient OHV engines that have narrower fuel passages and jets in their carbs. L-head engines same engine cc size consume more gas, and have wider fuel passages and jets that gum up much later.

@@thehacksquatch we have a colder climate. Southern states are warmer. Warmer air holds more moisture. I suspect that gives more water in the air to condensate from temperature drops during the night and seasonal changes. I advise people to keep the gas tank full, as much as the manufacturer will permit. Lesser air abive the gas in the tank, lesser the moisture to condensate. Ethanol sucks water out of the air because it is an alcohol. Alcohol and water mix perfectly. Once together, water and ethanol can interact with gas - that creates this gel. Gel "granules" are white, about 1/16th of an inch long. This gel is acidic and corrodes carburetor metal especially the aluminium alloys, the gray colored parts. Once there is no liquid gas remaining, this gel dries out too. It becomes white and powdery. We recover a lot less of this. Varnish sticks hard and is hard. Sandpaper will create thick hard lines inside the fuel bowl over varnish. A little more sandpaper, the varnish will disappear. However, to remove it from inside the fuel passages, we use chemical methods that dissolve varnish. Our $275 ultrasonic machine lies unused. We use Chemdip by Berryman. I get it from Buffalo, N.Y..

Thanks for all the input, I love hearing from people who wrench professionally and have a more refined perspective than us hobbyists. I keep my tanks full at least, learned that lesson the hard way! I'd always been shy of using sandpaper on carbs unless they're already rusty, just out of concern for the plating on the metal bowls. Berryman's seems to do a great job for me though, it's great stuff. Have you ever tried it in the ultrasonic? I know some guys swear by it, but maybe it's unnecessary. AIso, never put 2+2 together that all my pushrod engines seem to hardly ever have carb problems. This makes way too much sense. Despite all the neglect and sitting around, my snowblower in particular is a champ runner with L-head Tecumseh.

Nice technique, I'll bet that would keep carburetor corrosion down quite a bit for long-term storage.

Brilliant

How do you get the oil throughout the fuel system?

​@@sbrunner69press the primer bulb. It'll fill the lines and carb

@@user-qo3yy9nv1u ah makes sense thanks for the reply!

Thanks for watching! I have a lot of fun putting these together. I only regret not starting sooner!

It would create disturbances from the air coming up that way, re-mixing the fuel.

@@planetoftheabes9351 Adding a vent at the other end with a cap would work.

My water jug is suspended permanently upside down in my lab with a hose coming out the bottom.

Buc ees for the win

What's trial and air?

​@@paddyglennyTypically, they're large zeppelins found in countries where judges get to determine where they have court.

@@travistucker7317 🤣🤣🤣👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

Trial and air .means take a chance and give his advice a try .

I will definitely make the switch to Seafoam as per several suggestions in this thread. Good to know!

Taryl fixes all did a long-term study. Found stabilizers didn't work. I don't think seafoam is marketed as a stabilizer.

@@gadasavideos8564 no it's really not a stabilizer but it helps keep things from gumming up and makes it easier to get things going again without major scraping and cleaning .

@@stevebondeson2852 yes. I actually make up a mix which is supposedly like seafoam

I found that one part ATF works great for long-term storage

If I had a nickel for every time I poured premix/bad gas where it shouldn't have been, before I wised up... What metal gas cans do you find work best? I haven't seen a design yet that compels me to swap out my trusty Blitz's.

Which gas station sells it?

No stations in Canada sell ethanol free fuel as of late 2023. Lots of people are still buying Shell 91 or Chevron 94, incorrectly believing that it's still ethanol-free.

P.S. I subscribed in an effort to help you get to 1K. It takes time, I know, but dang you're getting close. I hit it last summer finally.

Where does Costco have E0? Thank you

@@danfeckeHawaii. Big Island specifically, not sure about the others.

Thanks for the support! I’m floored by everyone’s thoughtful comments and engagement. Checked out your channel, you’ve earned yourself a sub! Love that you post a wide variety of diagnosis/repair, which is my aim as well. Additionally, you can go take a hike. I wish I had the access to quality and cheap fuel half you guys apparently enjoy!

I use only non-ethanol 90,but here it is about 30% more,$4.80 to $3.50.

#1 shop/camp shoe on the market! I regret to inform that I'm now back in work boots due to the snow level.

Which the irony is it was implemented to make gasoline cheaper by adding a filler (Thanks goverment!), only the ethanol is more expensive to produce than gasoline but all the fuel companies did was keep the same price since it was subsidized (yay wasted tax payer money!) and pockets all the money and still charges more for the cheaper non-ethanol gasoline.

With non-ethanol gas, the one who pump before you might wanted ethanol gas. You will alway get a small amount of ethanol, thats why you can buy ethanol % tube tester or you can put gas in your car for the first to clear the ethanol.

​@@Jagensfurie separate hoses at my fuel depot.

#2 recycle is Hdpe

I use milk jugs ... no problems

@@paule.maurice1521 washer bottles or detergent. Milk jugs work but they are definitely on the thin side for handling gas. Maybe it's the seams.

Shhh. Don't tell him facts, like the fact that 10% ethanol actually helps REMOVE small amounts of water from your fuel system and keep it clean.

Key word slowly.

where are you gonna get leaded fuel?

you can still by the lead additive. racer tend to use it .@@jamesmedina2062

Leaded fuel has not been available for 20+ years. Yes it did help valve seats but needed to be used continually, not just a tankfull!!!

@@gordbaker896 it is currently available at airports and has no approved substitutes projected for many years going forward.

Ah, so that explains how the Mr. Funnel works. I figured as much but was suspicious and haven't tried one myself. I know some old hands and aviation guys swear by them.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'm always looking to improve the system! Indeed, it's in an experimental phase for me and I like tinkering to figure out what works best.

That’s a cool trick! I had no idea it was that good. Someday I’ll make some aviation friends and skim off the supply

@@thehacksquatch It’s very easy to get this fuel. Just go to any airport with a gas can and buy it. It’s illegal to pump directly into a registered vehicle with tags!! Hence the need to bring a can. I’m guessing current prices $6.00 a gallon good luck

Today I learned! My impression was that you had to have *the hookups* for them to stoop to that level. I'll have to give that a roll next time I head over there. The vintage-class jetski and snowmobile racers love that stuff.

@@thehacksquatch the exhaust smell is one of my favorite things. you’ll know it ain’t ethanol basted crap

@@lefin1027 Thomas Midgley Jr must be your hero.

different rating system, same gas.

If you have a local airport you can buy 100 octane avgas, stuff will keep many years if in a well- sealed container. Be prepared for sticker shock though...

Everyone seems to love those VP-style cans and I'm definitely going to upgrade when I feel the need some day. I've been drooling over the Ai13 aluminum spouts for them too, seems like that's the money setup.

Running premium in anything that doesn't absolutely need it (like a boosted car 4example) is just a waste of $ and it reduces your power and mileage. You essentially want the lowest octane you can get away with without detonation, I use 87 and remove the ethanol to run in my ported chainsaws giving around 85 octane and never had a problem with detonation and they run faster to boot

@@JoshNoss the lowest octane I can buy is 91, with or without ethanol, if I use this in my older motorcycles, I get "pinging"

@@wisecampmotorcycles8258 ah that's right in Australia your octane ratings are different, think your 91 is equal to my 87 here in US. motorcycles do typically need a higher octane. Chainsaws not so much

​@JoshNoss I agree but I can only get ethanol free in premium.

@@gadasavideos8564 yeah same here for me, it's 90 octane e-free but if that source were to close-up I'd just take regular 87 and remove the ethanol from it using water extraction.

Same here, several off road clubs in Devon and Cornwall have been running E5 petrol on 1970's/80's and 90's 2.25 and 2.5L Land Rovers and V8 3.5/3.9 Range Rovers since 2008 and E10 since 2021, never had a single problem with any of them, ever.

What ethanol gets to is the fuel lines themselves. Which then flushes the gunk it makes into the rest of the system. If there is a good fuel filter in line, you can get by it. Also if the carburetor in question happens to drain itself (some do, not by design but just incidentally) then there is no issue either. Ethanol absolutely ruins older outboards because of all the fuel lines going everywhere

@@sprolyborn2554 Who gives a sh💩t about outboards they’re for boats , not for motorcycles ?

I have 5 weedeater, two boat carbs, a lawn mower, three ATV’s and a generator that says differently. It would have been 4 atvs since all four are the same but I decided to run non ethanol race gas as a control to see and it still runs fine. As for cleaning, what solvent is better than quality gasoline?

@@dgoodman1484 Only a deranged philistine would use gasoline ( petrol ) for cleaning purposes .

That can't be true. I only say that because with an excess of water, you have plenty of filter 'material to pick up the etoh... I guess the way to tell would be to take a sample of the fuel, read its density and see what % etoh is there after 2 washes. Tuner guys do this all the time to see how what percentage is in their e85 since it isn't consistent.

@@kleetus92 Really? Things go from high concentration to lower concentration, until equilibrium is achieved.

@@TiborRoussouKinda true. IF all things are equal yes, but when you put an excess of water in, it will take proportionally more alcohol than less water. Not sure what a saturated solution of etoh and water looks like, but i'm pretty sure this isn't it.... yet...

@@kleetus92 Dude, know any chemistry?

@@TiborRoussouyeah, been 35 years though.

Do petrol stations in the US use one nozzle for everything? Round these parts there's one nozzle per fuel mix. Do you have a separate nozzle for diesel and high-ethanol fuels at least?

@@Bobo-ox7fj In my experience in many parts of the US, different octane levels of gasoline all share the same nozzle. Diesel is always a different nozzle, which is also slightly larger. Not sure about high-ethanol fuel, never used it and haven't paid attention. Ethanol free is sometimes a separate nozzle, and sometimes the same as 10% ethanol gas.

@@Bobo-ox7fj there is a separate nozzle for diesel. Gas has one with selector buttons. Some of the old ones have pumps that just pump one.

This is correct, higher octane ethanol is added to lower octane gasoline to make the advertised pump numbers. Removing ethanol, lowers total fuel octane. Small engines generally want higher octane fuel.

You can add back octane with Boostane or similar product-

If/when I upgrade to a container that inspires more confidence in cap sealing ability, such as the carboy that someone else suggested, this is definitely the route I'd go. Fewer penetrations and an elegant simplicity.

Yeah a giant seperatory funnel basically.

I'll have to look into the equivalent we might have here in the states. I tried the basic fuel additives, but wasn't feeling very confident about their effectiveness. I'll be the first to admit I don't know a ton about various additives. The trouble is, if I can't find them locally the postal service is usually not too happy about flying them here since they are volatile chemicals.

You know, I think I actually have one lying around that I could use! Great idea.

That's the first time I've heard of it, thanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out.

I’m kinda in the market to try out a 12v fuel pump, I have a pretty jury-rigged setup at the moment. Do you like yours pretty well? Who makes it? I’m suspicious of the “no-name” ones until told otherwise.

@@thehacksquatchI have a Facet posi flo 12v pump. I have 20 yrs of trouble free use . I have attached to a rolling cart ,and I have a 110 ac to 12v dc power supply [could be powered by a small batt. ] I added a inline fuel filter . 20 yrs ago,I worked for a company that managed 8 motorcycles company's "Press fleets " bikes used for testing by motorcycle magazines ,movies, ads, etc. We had 60+ motorcycles in our warehouses so moving the fuel around worked great! Also when I need to remove fuel from a fuel tank, pump works for removal/ replacement of fuel.

Fantastic, thanks for the info! My usage case would probably be building the pump into a portable station powered by a little AGM battery or a Milwaukee M12. I maintain around 20 outboard engines at work (as well as my personal projects) that periodically need fuel system service, and it's a pain without a reliable electric pump!