Ethanol Mix

Klurejr

Klurejr

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I was reading a car forum and the guys were talking about how the newer fuels that have 10% ethanol mixed into the gas can be bad for older carburetors. Does anyone know if this is also the case for the Gen 1 carbs? One guy mentioned a special type of gasket/seal for the carbs that holds up better against the Ethanol.

I had never heard anything like this before and Was wondering what you guys know.
 
I would avoid using any Fuel with ethanol in any jap bike new or old,I believe at least honda and yamaha say you void your warranty if you use these fuels, so I don`t.This is a much talked about topic,in Australia if any ethanol is in the fuel it`s to be shown on the fuel pump,but sometimes it`s quite small so you have to take a good look
 
Pump gas have up to 10% Ethanol these days, unfortunately. Not sure how bad the alcohol have effect on our fuel system in such low percentage. But one thing sure the "self life" is about 3 months from what I've been told.
 
since non ethonal fuel is very hard to find these days( at least in il) dont worry about it too much just be sure that if the bike is going to sit for more than a few weeks that you drain the fuel bowls/ drain gas and run till it dies.
RW
 
Here in California it more like 15%, I've been using fuel additive with every tank full, I found this product comparable to BG-44, a 300ml can gives 6 50ml treatments, keeps valves & carbs clean & the throttle feels crisp.
I use a small baby bottle from 99 cent stores to measure 50cc to make things easer.

Liqui Moly Carburetor and Valve Cleaner
 
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rwgoldsmith said:
since non ethonal fuel is very hard to find these days( at least in il) dont worry about it too much just be sure that if the bike is going to sit for more than a few weeks that you drain the fuel bowls/ drain gas and run till it dies.
RW
Click to expand...
In Australia ethonal is mainly in our 91 octane[your 87] its another reason a lot of us here use the 95/98 octane fuels
 
You'll be fine running the fuel (basically don't have a choice depending where you live, like up here in Canada) . Just don't let it sit...Definitely drain like was mentionned...The ethanol blended fuels turn to varnish very quickly, amazing what it looks like coming out of a tank after sitting for a while...
 
Since you live right on the coast, check out marina's. Here in Florida this is about the only place where you can buy non-ethanol gas and it's not that much more expensive. I work on old classic cars and this is what I use... much cheaper than race fuel. If you're going to park your bike for a while you should fill it up with this fuel.
 
All our gas stations up in BC have a 10% maximum ethanol content with the exception of the highest grade at one station.

This is not a new thing, however. One chain here (Mohawk/Husky gas) has been putting ethanol in their gas for as long as I can remember. It's a very common place to fill up around here and I don't recall ever hearing any issues with their fuel. Only since it became mandated have people started complaining.
 
Thanks for all the replies!

Some guys on another forum said the same thing, Don't let it sit and I will be fine.

My FZ1 is my main ride during the week when it is not raining or too cold, so I tend to ride her every single week, and the longest she has sat since I bought her in September was when I took a week off to go on vacation.

So in the end I think I will probably be fine since my gas does not sit in the tank for very long. I am probably putting in a fresh tank every 4-8 days on average.
 
Here in Utah and other states as well the winter gas has a higher percentage of ethanol as this prevents moisture in the fuel supply. I think as long as you use it up there is no problem. I have used HEAT
( isopropyl alcohol) in my storage fuel for years in everything i own and never had any issues. I have heard of people buying summer gas to save for winter storage I think that is a little extreme.
 
My friends who own local repair shops told me that 10% ethanol in the fuel they dont have to advise you at the pumps. greter then10% and they have to post an ethanol content warning at the pumps. Lots of mechanical issues here locally. Only two stations offer ethanol free fuel local. Both locals its on the premium pump only. This supposed ethanol free fuel is according to them and with no third party testing. Personally I add Marvels Mystery oil to every tank to impeede any internal oxidization caused by moisture clinging to the ethanol.
 
I don't see any problem running ethanol blended gas, I have tried several times to run 100% gas and my gen1 did not like it. Don't let it sit, and if you do just add stabil.
 
ptrudel said:
You'll be fine running the fuel (basically don't have a choice depending where you live, like up here in Canada) . Just don't let it sit...Definitely drain like was mentionned...The ethanol blended fuels turn to varnish very quickly, amazing what it looks like coming out of a tank after sitting for a while...
Click to expand...

Just a new guys opinion but, I am a GM mechanic by trade and have dealt with this issue a bit. I dont necessarily like the ethanol fuels but its what we have. I would agree with the poster above, you should be fine as long as you dont let it set around, the reason ethanol fuels are bad about varnish , corrosion etc is not really the alcohol its self, it is that alcohol likes to draw moister, the longer it sits the more water you have. I use seafoam in all my fuel systems on a regular basis to combat this.
 
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