New approach to mowing the strip?

[Adrian Smith 1]

Until the change in petrol classification last year it as a simple job to fuel up my Atco ride on mower to cut the grass runway. As a matter of course I used the fuel additive made by Briggs & Strattan call "Fuel Fit". Now of course we are all coerced into using E10 petrol from the forecourt with its accompanying warnings about only using it in certain engines. As I understand it I can pay through the nose for E5 petrol to use in my mower which closely resembles what I used before reclassification. However, not all petrol retailers sell E5. My question is if I use "Fuel Fit" as an additive for E10 petrol does that negate the likely damage E10 would do to a mower engine? Not sure if is the right thread to put this question therefore please bear with.

[Trevor]

You’ve got me worried now! I’ve always assumed that Briggs & Stratton engines are pretty bomb-proof and will run happily on anything vaguely flammable. What horror stories have you heard?

[Engine Doctor]

Apparently Fuel Fit is supposed to coat the fuel system with a protective film on fuel system parts and form a film over the fuel to help prevent the ethanol in the fuel from absorbing moisture from the atmosphere that then corrodes the system parts, especially when left standing for longer periods. Whether it works is another matter. Briggs and Stratton say it does ? It doesn't prevent the ethanol from making the diaphragms in Walbro carbs from hardening ! You could try removing the ethanol from the petrol by mixing water with fuel , allow to separate  for 24 hrs, then pump or syphon  off neat petrol  , easy to do but more work . Using a " Mr Funnel" that removes ALL water from fuels makes it a lot easier and quicker. They are available on ebay etc and really work well!  After this an octane booster additive will need to be added. I've tried it and it works well. Loads of vids on YouTube  showing how to do it ( beware of the idiots competing for a Darwin Award ?).  Hope you get if sorted.  As an ex club strip mower I fully understand your frustration.

 

Hope final edit gets pest predictive ticst !

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Engine Doctor

[Adrian Smith 1]

Well ED the last thing I am going to do it mess around with a volatile substance (mixing water, separating & pumping), as I am sure my insurance would be void if I tried that and anything happened! Thanks anyway. As far as Fuel Fit is concerned I think it must work as quite often fuel is left in my mower over the winter (used a couple of times) and it always starts first time. 

Trevor, I have no horror stories to tell other than the risk of E10 petrol absorbing more moisture in the machine and causing subsequent engine damage to the mower over time. 

The internet is so vague about where you can safely use E10 so I thought i would ask the question.

 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Adrian Smith 1

[Adrian Smith 1]

Well this link gives some answers hope it helps.

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/eu/en_gb/support/faqs/browse/E10-petrol-usage.html

 

 

[Engine Doctor]

Hi Adrian . Yes your mower probably has started fine with E5 petrol but E10 makes the degradation of the fuel happen much quicker . Good luck and keep us up to date if it works out OK or any problems. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Engine Doctor

[Adrian Smith 1]

Yup, ED. I suppose that's why Briggs & Strattan recommends increasing the the normal measure of additive by 25%

[John Lee]

We have changed the fuel in our Club mower to Shell V-Power, BP Ultimate or Esso Supreme, all of which are clearly marked as E5 on the pumps. Esso state that Supreme is ethanol free in most of the country.

 

[Engine Doctor]

10 minutes ago, John Lee said:

We have changed the fuel in our Club mower to Shell V-Power, BP Ultimate or Esso Supreme, all of which are clearly marked as E5 on the pumps. Esso state that Supreme is ethanol free in most of the country.

 

 

Yes although marked as E5 they are as stated above Ethanol free in most of the country ? Why that is who knows . Its easy to test if you need to . It still has to be marked as E5 though by law . Probably worth the extra cost as it will save on repair bills in the future .

[Shaun Walsh]

15 minutes ago, John Lee said:

We have changed the fuel in our Club mower to Shell V-Power, BP Ultimate or Esso Supreme, all of which are clearly marked as E5 on the pumps. Esso state that Supreme is ethanol free in most of the country.

 

I use Esso Supreme in my 51 year old VW and it has been fine. Prior to that even E5 fuel destroyed 2 sets of fuel hoses.

[Don Fry]

I don’t think the engine cares much what it burns. But untreated ethanol fuel mixtures don’t do rubber petrol pipes any good, I find they are replaced every 3 years on my outboards. Where it really causes problems is in the carburetor. The water in the fuel separates out to form white stuff that is like soft chewing gum/slime. It blocks jets, float hinges, causes varnish like deposits on the bowl. Additives are supposed to prevent the separation of water from the fuel. I’ve kept some treated fuel over this winter, to test if it works in the spring, time will tell. But there is no way I leave this untreated fuel in a carburetor for more than a couple of weeks. Too much hassle. If it is left with fuel in it over winter, it is Aspen or ethanol free petrol.

As an aside, ethanol fuels cause a lot of problems in the storage of outboards over winter. Boaters, dreamers all, don’t get rid of fuel in the autumn, then expect it to start in the spring, without trouble. The dealers are overwhelmed. I used to sort them out as a favour.  I now charge full dealers rates, plus 10%, because I’ve got better things to do than skin my hands getting carbs off. 
 

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

I use 98 octane Everywhere, Car, mower, Bikes and all my 2 strokes with synthetic oil and they don't suffer from any of those illnesses,,,,,

 

 My Yamaha specificity says NO E10 in it !

Edited February 14, 2022 by Paul De Tourtoulon
Yamaha

[Brian Cooper]

We use V-power in our club mowers. No issues. 

We also use it in our model petrol engines. . It works fabulously. 

[Trevor]

Okay, the depth of my ignorance has now been reduced somewhat - thanks. The implication is that if I want my 22yr old ride-on to keep going for another 22 years, I'd better pay attention to what it says on the pumps (we've driven diesel cars for the last 8 years or more so I haven't really taken note of petrol developments). I only get through one can (10 litres) per mowing season and have never used any additives so the fuel is certainly not kept fresh. I guess that means that E10 could cause me problems so I'll try to remember to look more carefully at the pumps in future.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Using the V power stuff on my tools and clubs tools, lifes too short to um n arr, fill it, mow it, fly it.

[MattyB]

6 hours ago, Adrian Smith 1 said:

Well this link gives some answers hope it helps.

https://www.briggsandstratton.com/eu/en_gb/support/faqs/browse/E10-petrol-usage.html

 

 

I like the recommendation about only buying what you can use in 30 days... my previous B&S mower could probably do about 1.5 years on a standard can, it barely sipped the stuff! My newer Aldi mower (also a B&S engine) is less frugal but I still managed last season on only just over one can. I guess I will be buying super and ading the additive jsut to be sure then!

[Don Fry]

5 hours ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

I use 98 octane Everywhere, Car, mower, Bikes and all my 2 strokes with synthetic oil and they don't suffer from any of those illnesses,,,,,

 

 My Yamaha specificity says NO E10 in it !

Yea, but the 98 stuff is 5 % ethonol in France now. Get used to changing rubber fuel pipes, and shift the fuel through the bike. 
I believe I can do bike carbs, dealers prices, plus 10%. Deliver to the workshop door.
Or use 98 octane and put some stabilizer in it. 

Buy no more than a months worth. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Don Fry

[Mark Turner 12]

Esso supreme in most places is actually ethanol free. 

[Don Fry]

But not where I live. 
get used to reality,

ethanol contaminated petrol is coming to you, and for small engine users is the devils brew.

Learn to live with it, or accept poor running, and greatly increased costs. 

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

16 hours ago, Don Fry said:

 

Buy no more than a months worth. 

A tankful on my bikes lasts around 2 hours so OK there,,,,?

[Don Fry]

47 minutes ago, Paul De Tourtoulon said:

A tankful on my bikes lasts around 2 hours so OK there,,,,?

Good, but make sure untreated ethanol fuel does not remain sitting in the carburetor.

[John Lee]

Petrol in the UK has contained up to 5% ethanol for the last 22 years, I've not had any issues or worried about it over that time. It's still available, so I am not going to start worrying about it now.

[Richard Acland]

I used E10 in my car and noticed a big drop in MPG and performance. I now only use E5 ultimate which is much more expensive, however I am now getting much better MPG and performance. You pays your money and takes your choice. I will only use E5 in my garden machinery because of the warning about  damage to carb and tank seals.

[GrumpyGnome]

39 minutes ago, Richard Acland said:

I used E10 in my car and noticed a big drop in MPG and performance. I now only use E5 ultimate which is much more expensive, however I am now getting much better MPG and performance. You pays your money and takes your choice. I will only use E5 in my garden machinery because of the warning about  damage to carb and tank seals.

 

That's a bit worrying - the prediction was 1-2% performance for older cars (presumably pre-2016 as E10 has been the 'benchmark' since then).

[Don Fry]

Don’t confuse the difference between a car in regular use, and seasonal small engine stuff. 
A car, fueled for a month or so, is going to run fine. There might be efficiency issues, test and check, but it will run OK, without damage. Note, modern cars don’t have carburetors, injectors probably eat the chewing gum that ethanol fuels produce.