E10 and Garden Machines

[Lawrence]

Just read Mountfields analysis of the problem. Their conclusion is E10 should not be a problem if you don't allow the fuel to sit in the tank for more than 30 days without topping up with fresh fuel. If you can't do this they say you should either drain the system by letting the engine run until it stops itself, use Aspen or use a fual stabilizer additive. I've looked around and found lots of varieties of stabilizer but the cheapest seems to be by Briggs and Stratton. Anyone any experience of using stabilizers? Does this also mean that a petrol car shouldn't sit for more than 30 days with old fuel in the tank?

[John Rumm]

or just run your tools on super unleaded since that is staying E5...

[newshound]

It's not immediately obvious to me why, if E10 might attack your fuel lines or soldered floats, that E5 would be OK.

[Lawrence]

Not many garages round here stock super u/l, Apparently it's not the ethanol that attacks things, it's the water that the ethanol absorbs, contributing to gel formation.

[Andrew]

If you buy Esso Synergy 99 octane in many parts of the country it does not have any ethanol even though the pump handle is marked E5

[rick]

Shell Superunleaed is zero ethanol

Fuel is routinely hanging around more than 30 days without issue, the military has huge fuel stores, they don't use stabilizer and don't bin it at 30 days old.

[John Rumm]

Small fuel tank partially open to the atmosphere will likely be a bit more vulnerable than a large sealed tank of it... but yup its probably being over egged a bit.

[PeterC]

For the last cut of the year I had about half a tank of the old 'cheaper' petrol and topped it up with Super*. During about 50 mins. cutting the mower seemed to be better at handling changing load - more responsive as the load increase.

*Not sure about proportions as I don't know the volume of the tank or where half would be. Honda Izzy.

[newshound]

Military is all diesel now. Not sure though if that is biodiesel. If it

*is* then they will have a process for checking it for biological growth (associated with water contamination).

[Dave Plowman (News]

Quite. But then those that write these scare stories in the meja rarely know an open ender from a ring spanner. Rely on handouts from vested interests.

[Dave Plowman (News]

Why would that attack the flexible fuel hoses - made from a sort of rubber?

[Graham Harrison]

Until about 18 months ago I always ran my mower on "ordinary" petrol. Then, one day, I had a brain fog and purchased some shell v-power. The mower is easier to start and runs very well.

I've always run my Skoda Yeti diesel on V-Power (apart from about 5 occasions when I've had to buy something else). It's now 8 years old and at the last MOT had exhaust reading well below what's a problem (and, yes, it's had the VW cheat mod done).

[Tim Lamb]

In message [e-mail], Graham Harrison [e-mail] writes

Did you find an impact on fuel consumption after the mod? I am currently using a VW Passat, (refugee from the London ultra low emission zone) unmodified and am very impressed with the mpg for such a large vehicle.

[Andrew]

Not everywhere though. See their website for those parts of the country where it does have 5% ethanol. The South East seems to be ethanol-free

[Andrew]

Sorry, that relates to Esso 99 octane

[Graham Harrison]

I don't keep detailed records but I don't recall suddenly having to fork out more money.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Is this due to the different evaporation rates of the constituents? Brian