Gas stations quit blending ethanol-free around here, 10 years later my carb hates it

Back in 2013 every station in Tulsa had a pump for the good stuff, now I drive 40 minutes to one that still carries it. My 1972 Datsun's float bowls look like someone left a beer can in vinegar. Anyone else notice their local fuel options going to crap?

1 comments

1 Comment

matthew_baker8d ago

...and honestly the ethanol thing gets way worse before it gets better. I had the same crap happen with my old bikes, kept a Yamaha XS650 running on pump gas and the pilot jets were gumming up every other month. What finally worked for me was just adding a fuel stabilizer with ethanol treatment every single fill up, plus I started running the carbs dry if I knew the bike would sit more than a week. That float bowl corrosion is basically the ethanol pulling water out of the air, so keeping the tank full and the bowls empty is the only real fix short of finding a station that still sells the good stuff. Also check your local marinas, they usually carry ethanol free for boats and a lot of times they'll let you fill cans there without any hassle. It's a pain driving around for gas, but honestly it beats rebuilding carbs every season.