Posted on 05/25/2016 3:54:04 AM PDT by IBD editorial writer
Energy: The EPA’s proposal to increase the amount of ethanol that must be blended into gasoline is a trifecta of regulatory abuse. It will do nothing for the environment, it will do nothing for energy security, and it could wreck millions of car engines
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Carb rebuild kits aren't usually a problem, those can be found with ethanol-resistant parts. Same thing with soft fuel lines - just use the Gates "green stripe" hose and it'll last. The bigger problem now is mechanical fuel pumps. Might have to switch to an inline electric pump to prevent ethanol-related problems.
every time I have tried to run higher octane gas in my F150 I hear pinging, which seems counter intuitive based on the science of it all.
Clarification - we'd only do the WD-40 treatment at the end of the race day, not after each race in the day.
It could be that you're getting incomplete ignition, then the computer tries to tell the engine to compensate, still within norms enough to not throw a code, but changes something and causes it.
You're right, though, it's counter-intuitive to the norm.
More than anything, I've only ever noticed a slight reduction in mileage due to lack of complete combustion of higher-octane fuels in my cars that don't need it.
“Might have to switch to an inline electric pump to prevent ethanol-related problems.”
You have to go in the tank in order to keep the pump cool enough to not vapor lock. Heat and or altitude will exacerbate it.
I’ve heard of excess carbon buildup from running higher octane fuel than needed.
So much for attempting a rational discussion with you. Have a great day and don’t let any logical thought get past your ego.
You need to do research. Ethanol not only eats rubber hosed, but seals, o-rings, soft metals like aluminum, accelerates condensation inside fuel tanks and systems, goes stale faster, and, oh yeah, pollutes.
This absurb abuse of power affects the poor the most and just about anyone in the car hobby, weekend gardners, motorcyclists, recreational vehicles, including boats.
But other than all of this, its totally fine.
Carry on...
Yes, that will occur. Anecdotally, I used high-octane racing fuel/oil mix in a 500cc two-cycle motorcycle engine (check out videos of Outlaw Karts, they're a hoot).
Tore it down after a lack-luster season, and noticed it was thick with carbon. I stopped using the high-octane, went to premium, then regular. The thing ran best on regular and didn't build up any carbon.
Not mine, but this is a good example of an Outlaw Kart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdIVyldojqw
Its a less efficient fuel, requiring more energy to burn and producing less fuel economy.
So when the gubbmint pushes CAFE standards to boost fuel mileage standards, they exacerbate the problem by pushing less efficient fuel.
Assuming you’re talking about a CR500 — they’re lower compression than most 2 stroke motors. Fine on 87 octane. I have an ‘86 (bike) I’m restoring.
It’s hard to find. We used have an old gas station in Killingworth that sold it.
I don’t think they do any more. It was kinda cool to go by on a Saturday morning and see all the 50-60s classic muscle cars lined up to fill-up.
Yes. CR500. They're a lot of fun in an Outlaw Kart. I don't have the coordination to ride a dirt bike - but a 500cc two-stroke in a beefed-up go-kart with a wing is a lot of fun. That's what I found. Even on one that had been built pretty well, it ran much better on pump regular.
I haven't raced in 15 years, and they're phasing into 450 four-strokes along with the 500 two-strokes these days. They're a lot of fun. Many of the kids who were running the Briggs and Stratton motors, or even the 125cc class are racing full-sized sprint cars today. It's funny to see some little kid I used to know racing a 360 winged or wingless sprinter as an adult.
Must be because of all the recreational vehicles and boats around a vacation spot. In this part of the state, a little outside KC, they few and far between.
Those videos are impressive! Appears to require a much higher level of coordination than the way I ride bikes — which is grandfather style. Funny thing is, I’ve always ridden that way.
Did you use push starting on the outlaw kart? Or were they started with a handheld electric starter off the crank? I just got a compression release installed in the head.
Briggs were pull start, usually with a removable starter. 125cc class could be pushed by hand, but were usually pushed by ATVs, and the 500cc had to be pushed by ATVs. In a pinch, we'd use already started karts to help out, but the clutches were a booger sometimes, due to placement on or near the steering wheel, and half the time we'd have to start the first kart again.
The last motor I ran would allow me to pull a wheelie from coming out of the turn all the way down the straight, and into the next turn.
I'd have to tap the brake or blip the throttle to get the front down. It would do it more as the track came in with the blue groove.
I bet the porting must have been interesting on that last one.
Yes, there's an increasing market for "retrofit" fuel tanks for classic cars and trucks, fitted with in-tank pumps, slosh baffles and a fuel level sending unit matched to the vehicle in question. When plumbed with hard lines for supply and return, these rigs allow for EFI systems to be used (or carburetors, with the appropriate pressure regulator up front).
A big plus is the fact that these EFI tanks have all the fittings (except the drain plug) on top. Many old cars had the sending unit and fuel pickup on the lower front surface, sealed by a rubber gasket and a lock ring. That's another (big) point of vulnerability when in constant contact with ethanol blends.
I have ten vehicles that range from a 1971 BMW motorcycle to a 1971 plymouth duster to a 2014 Ford focus. They all seem to run fine. Would they run better with pure gas, probably. Like I said in a previous post, I’d rather let the market provide our fuels without government intervention.
I was never really a 2-stroke guy, other than the Outlaw Kart, but yes, they were definitely worked. I bought it that way from a guy in Montana, after I chunked my first motor.
We had problems with the carb mounts breaking/splitting open, because in the bikes, the carb was supported on one side by the engine, and on the other by the air cleaner box on the frame, but on the karts, we ran only a smaller air filter on the back, with no support on that side, so the original mounts would split the rubber and lean out the engine and fuse the piston to the head if you didn't stop quick.
Some folks spent over $100 on stiff mounts that would support the carb, but I figured out how to use three zip ties to support mine, and never had a problem after that. I just changed out the zip ties every race day, and was good to go. Had a special carb on it, too, but I cannot for the life of me remember what it was called. I had to run it to feed the motor. All legal, but it wasn't a stock carb, it was aftermarket. Keihin, maybe? I can't recall.
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