Needle up one w/15% alcohol ?
- Thread starter SinNH
- Start date
It cant hurt to raise them a half, the needle will be where your cruise at on the trail(alot of time spent here) so it will richen up the midrange and topend as it transistions from mid to top and will come up out of the main further allowing more flow. The gas these days is crappy and who knows what the real octane is, I am sure its not what its advertised at on a consistant basis just by the amount of burndowns reported.
Gebby SRX
New member
I don't think adjusting the jets in your carb will do much to help solve ehtanol issues. The problem with ethanol is that it absorbes water, and dissolves dirt and all the crap that is left in the tank at the gas station and in your sled. If there is enough water in the gas it can freeze in the carburator and cause the engine to lean out and burn down. I suspect that is the cause of many burn downs in the last few years. Fattening up the jetting won't solve the problem of plugged or frozen jets.
Pure ethanol has an octane rating of 113. Many automotive racing leagues such as Indy use a blend of ethanol and methanol. I also read that NASCAR will be using a blend of ethanol next year. Racing likes Ethanol and methanol because it burns much cooler than regular gas so they can make more hp out of an engine without overheating problems. These cars are also likely new or nearly new so water and dirt in the fuel system isn't a big issue.
To combat/prevent ethanol problems in sleds I think that making sure your fuel system is clean is a good start. Using a product such as dry gas will help clean the water out of the system. If the outside temp is below 32 carb warmers are a good idea. An inline fuel filter may also help solve problems.
Ethanol is a fine fuel but it requires more work and preventive measures to keep your sleds from having major engine problems.
Gebby SRX
Pure ethanol has an octane rating of 113. Many automotive racing leagues such as Indy use a blend of ethanol and methanol. I also read that NASCAR will be using a blend of ethanol next year. Racing likes Ethanol and methanol because it burns much cooler than regular gas so they can make more hp out of an engine without overheating problems. These cars are also likely new or nearly new so water and dirt in the fuel system isn't a big issue.
To combat/prevent ethanol problems in sleds I think that making sure your fuel system is clean is a good start. Using a product such as dry gas will help clean the water out of the system. If the outside temp is below 32 carb warmers are a good idea. An inline fuel filter may also help solve problems.
Ethanol is a fine fuel but it requires more work and preventive measures to keep your sleds from having major engine problems.
Gebby SRX
The real problem with ethanol, or any other type of alcohol in your fuel, is that it prevents oil from clinging to your metel parts, it washes it right through the engine. Bottom end failure is the end result. Richening up your air to fuel ratio actually makes the problem worse, by introducing more alcohol into your motor you are actually cleaning more oil off the bottom end. Your best bet is to find a fueling station which has less ethanol at there pumps. Premium blends of fuel, except Sunoco 94 seem to use less ethanol. Shell uses no ethanol in there premium fuel. Do some research into what fuels don't use ethanol. Sunoco 94 Gold is the worst fuel for it, as they actually use the alcohol to raise octane. Be careful as well when adding additves to your fuel to combat ethanol, as some of them contain alcohol as well.
livewire_101proof
Member
yamaha has an additive out now they are recomending especially for sleds that sit for even more than a few days from what the local dealer says. heps combat the carb problems this year. there has been alot of carbs gettin clogged up this year, alot more than usuall. this additive is suppost to stop it with the gas these days. i dont know much more about it yet but maybee it will help these situations also. its not that expensive but still sucks to have to use it all the time, according to them it even if it sits more than a few days, what about all the people that get out every couple weekends? maybee its not really that bad though and my dealer is just trying to sell more of it. ???? i havnt looked into it much yet.
motorhead327
VIP Member
Here is a link for the additives with E-10 fuel.
http://fueltestkit.com/is_gas_additive_safe_with_e10_list.html
http://fueltestkit.com/is_gas_additive_safe_with_e10_list.html
It really is that bad! Ethanol is hygroscopic. It draws moisture from the air unless in a sealed container. Your tank is vented, and full of atmosphere air. Want to see what happens to gas left sit? Put some fresh gas into a glass jar. Leave the lid off, or punch holes in the lip. Leave the jar sit out in your garage or shed, or somewhere where it will not get water in it. In about 2 weeks you should see three seperate layers. bottom will be water, then the alcohol, and on top will be dead gasoline. It will not mix back into usable fuel no matter how much you shake it, or whatever you add to it. I've heard that the Yamaha stuff is just Seafoam. Seafoam absolutely does contain Isopropal alcohol.
motorhead327
VIP Member
dwarf717 said:
I just filled up with ultra 94, should I get that gas out then and put it in my 4 stroke quad?
Put it in the quad. Not saying that your motor will blow if you use it, but get in the habit of not using it. I had a buddy who bought a new YZ250 a few years back. It blew within a couple hours. Nothing he did wrong, and has owned, and raced bikes since he was a little kid. Back to Yamaha it went. They said it blew up due to too much ethanol. He had Sunoco Gold94 in it.
motorhead327
VIP Member
I've never heard of the gold. Is that different then the ultra I wonder? I think the shell nitrogen gas does the same principal but just without the ethanol.
gold in Canada is the same as ultra in the US. Shell advertises that there 91 is still powersports, and marine freindly. Ethanol is a huge problem in boats. It disolves the get coat on onboard fibreglass fuel tanks, and ruins the fuel system. If you have a Shell station in your area, use it! Esso in Canada has no ethanol in their premium as well.