Ethanol free ? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Aug 5, 2019
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Location
North central florida
I have a local gas station that has ethanol free gasoline
Is this a better option for my 92 cruiser or just running higher octane fuel

The ethanol free isn't an outrageous price just a little out of the way for me

But if it is better for my vehicle over time is it worth it?

I bought my cruiser in 92 and it has 105k very "babied" miles and runs great and I want to keep it that way
 
You would typically get a lower cost per mile using ethanol free fuel.

It may run better or have fewer fuel related issues with ethanol free. Specifically, evap canister and fuel tank over pressure because ethanol boils off at a lower temperature and moreso at elevation.
 
Use ethanol free whenever you can. I have no proof of this and I could be completely wrong but when these engines were designed and built there wasn’t ethanol or at least not at every pump. In my LC I only use all gasoline unless it’s an emergency and I have to put ethanol in it. I think it runs better and it gets better mileage with 100% gas. Try it out and see if it makes a difference to you. It definitely won’t hurt.
 
I have had problems running ethanol ( gas tank pressurizing ) When possible i always run premium
 
The owners manual for my 91 says it is fine to use up to 10% (gasahol) so I think it is fine if Toyota put it in the manual that long ago lol.
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I would default to the notice part of the page on the left .
 
Premium does nothing. Wasting your money. With your rig sitting low miles ethanol free is best. Less potential issues will run better as the fuel ages due to loss of octane
 
Living at elevation I can say that my 97 HATES the, "ethanol enriched fuel". The only type of ethanol free we have locally is premium at about $4+/gal. When I drive on a warm day, from town (5800') to home (7100') the thing smells like a distillery . It's worse the higher up I go. Last year my son and I went fishing at about 10,000' during summer. I could smell the fuel and hear boiling in the tank. I cracked the gas cap just to see how much pressure was in there. It was like 10 minutes before the pressure and boiling finally stopped. My evap system is fine with most of it having been replaced or rebuilt over the last 9 years. I've heard from several people that our fuel in Colo is worse than many other states. I do know that the ethanol fuel we have breaks down real fast. :confused::poop:
 
Premium does nothing. Wasting your money. With your rig sitting low miles ethanol free is best. Less potential issues will run better as the fuel ages due to loss of octane
I gladly wast my money when it make my motor run smother
 
I gladly wast my money when it make my motor run smother
Unless you have a higher than stock compression ratio or are running a compressor, any effect from higher octane you're seeing is likely psychological.
 
In a stock motor, you are wasting money putting in anything other than regular gas. And (at least here), ethanol free is even more expensive than premium, and not by a few pennies. Stick with regular.
 
Such great information I’m glad I have access to this blog
I will continue to use the ethanol free gasoline since it’s available to me and really not that outrageous compared to the price of the other fuels ( right now it is at $3.08 a gallon here in North Central Florida )
The miles per gallon is not all that much of a deal for me because I only drive the Cruiser maybe 20-30 miles a week since it is not my daily driver. It is my first new vehicle that I bought when I could finally afford one.
Thank you to everyone for your input
 
This is always a good resource. I run Top Tier 10% ethanol from Kwik Trip in the upper midwest if I can't find no ethanol and it seems fine as long as the tanks get used up within a few weeks or so. Every third tank or so I run the ethanol free stuff if I am in town.

It does seem to make a difference in the way the truck continues to perform. Poor gas for sure makes a difference, no matter where you get it. I have filled up at some hole in the wall type places out in the sticks and I am pretty sure some of those places are topping off their tanks with a garden hose each night and the truck runs much worse and gets crappy MPG at those places. I try to plan ahead but it doesn't always work out.

 
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My personal experience is that ethanol free runs much better in my 96 and 97 trucks. There is only one station local that sells it and it is popular, especially with people that run 2-stroke engines for a living (lawn contractors) since the ethanol tends to clog fuel filters. My trucks do not run well on the 87 ethanol fuel at all, they knock under acceleration, so when buying fuel with ethanol I usually opt for 91.
 
Around here 87 octane has at least 10% ethanol and I won't run it in anything. It has caused problems in my wife's Subaru (O2 sensor), chain saws (carb seals), weed eater, four wheeler, etc. My old '89 Toyota PU that is used as a gator won't start in cold weather with ethanol gas but does fine with premium. I also keep a bulk tank of gas and the ethanol gas will gum up much faster than premium. I'd rather pay more for the gas and avoid the repairs.

And you will get lower mpg with ethanol gas. It simply comes down to the energy comparison of gas vs gas / ethanol mix.
 
In a stock motor, you are wasting money putting in anything other than regular gas. And (at least here), ethanol free is even more expensive than premium, and not by a few pennies. Stick with regular.
This is right out of my owner's Manual. Fuel Type Select research Octane 91 ( Octane rating 87 ) or higher.
To me this means use 91 if possible & nothing less then 87
I asked my wife read this and tell me what it means,those are her words in the last sentence. And I concur
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Bottom line is you should use what works best for you. In my newer cars I only use 87octane because 91 octane dose not help, but in the old Cruiser with 277k on it I can tell the difference.

By the way welcome to MUD
 
Higher octane fuel has more additives to slow the combustion process and reduce pre-ignition. It is not required for your 3FE. When I first got my boat I thought premium would provide better performance (faster). There was no difference between regular unleaded and premium. The boat had thru-transom exhaust and with regular, the transom would stay relatively clean. With premium it was always a black gooey mess that would not wipe off cleanly without cleaning solutions. I got to figure that it left the internals of the motor the same.
 

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