dondickey

Ethanol may be responsible for the death of your small engine!

Ethanol, commonly made from corn in North America and from sugar cane or wheat in other continents, is now commonly being blended with petroleum based fuels and sold at your local gas station.  The main problem here is that although ethanol is intended to be a cleaner burning, bio fuel alternative which for the most part works fine in a multi cylinder engine like your car or truck, it has been shown to cause serious damage to small engines, especially 2-stroke engines where the gas and oil are mixed together.  Some of the basic problems associated with ethanol blended fuels are:

1) Ethanol may cause rubber or plastic components in the carburetor to become warped or damaged.

2) Ethanol will tend to cause the oil to separate from the gas, thus causing the piston & cylinder to become scorred from lack of lubrication.

3) Ethanol tends to attract water/condensation which can lead to many fuel system issues and even rust occurance.

4) In a short time, ethanol will start to break down and will become gummy, thus blocking passages in the carburetor.

5) Most small engine manufacturers will not honor a warranty for damage that is deemed to be caused by use of ethanol fuel.

The conclusion here is really, look carefully at the fuel that you are buying for your small engine and avoid ethanol blended fuels.  The only corn you should trust is the one on your barbeque!