LCGB Forums

The ability to post messages is restricted to LCGB members. Any questions contact us at lcgbadmin@googlemail.com

ethanol free fuel

Technical help for Series one, two and three Lambrettas. Models include the Li, Li Special, TV, SX, GP, Serveta and API/SIL models

ethanol free fuel

Postby lam1962brettagg » Wed Sep 11, 2019 4:02 pm

hi all
after reading the last page in jetset about dodgy fuel and its problems I looked up 'how to remove ethanol from fuel'
really interesting results on utube and wondered if anyone has actually tried this method to ensure 'pure' petrol with no ethanol ? one problem though, no journeys more than a tank of fuel :(
think i will give it a go after numerous running problems and overheating on my standard 150.
lam1962brettagg
 
Posts: 141
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 5:37 pm
Location: far away

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby Scooterslag » Wed Sep 11, 2019 5:32 pm

lam1962brettagg wrote:hi all
after reading the last page in jetset about dodgy fuel and its problems I looked up 'how to remove ethanol from fuel'
really interesting results on utube and wondered if anyone has actually tried this method to ensure 'pure' petrol with no ethanol ? one problem though, no journeys more than a tank of fuel :(
think i will give it a go after numerous running problems and overheating on my standard 150.


I run a standard SX150 on modern fuels without any problems ( though I do use a petrol addictive ) your over heating problems may be down to something else such as too advanced ignition timing or a air leak. Paul
User avatar
Scooterslag
 
Posts: 398
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 4:29 am

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby lam1962brettagg » Wed Sep 11, 2019 5:38 pm

Scooterslag wrote:
lam1962brettagg wrote:hi all
after reading the last page in jetset about dodgy fuel and its problems I looked up 'how to remove ethanol from fuel'
really interesting results on utube and wondered if anyone has actually tried this method to ensure 'pure' petrol with no ethanol ? one problem though, no journeys more than a tank of fuel :(
think i will give it a go after numerous running problems and overheating on my standard 150.


I run a standard SX150 on modern fuels without any problems ( though I do use a petrol addictive ) your over heating problems may be down to something else such as too advanced ignition timing or a air leak. Paul


cheers Paul for advice and info
I have altered timing even to 15°. checked for all possible airleaks too. but will still try to get running properly.
lam1962brettagg
 
Posts: 141
Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2017 5:37 pm
Location: far away

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby corrado » Thu Sep 19, 2019 9:03 pm

Kevin McKay from Blackpool has been doing this for a few months. Fills his tank and loads as much extra as he can depending on how far he's traveling. No adverse reactions as far as I'm aware. I forget if he's on here or not but I'll tag him into this post and see what he can tell you.
User avatar
corrado
 
Posts: 610
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 1:49 am
Location: Blackpool

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby Raveydavey » Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:28 am

You'd be setting up your bike to run on fuel you have to make yourself. Fine if you only do local rides but you won't be doing any real miles unless you carry loads of jerry cans. I'd fix the issue of overheating, which would be either timing, carb set up or an air leak.
User avatar
Raveydavey
 
Posts: 295
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2015 8:32 pm
Location: Kettering Massive

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby dave999 » Thu Nov 28, 2019 5:46 pm

User avatar
dave999
 
Posts: 21
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2019 1:53 pm
Location: Twickenham

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby Scooterdude » Thu Nov 28, 2019 8:25 pm

dave999 wrote:BP ultimate contains no ethanol

https://www.google.com/search?q=bp+ulti ... e&ie=UTF-8

Just looked and the document is dated January 2010. I’m almost certain they put 5% now (E5). The fuel i find the best and makes my scooter run noticeably cooler is the one everyone hates, and thats Shell ultimate (or whatever they call it). The one that frightens me the most is Tesco ultimate (temps shoot off the scale!) and I’m pretty certain thats E10.
Scooterdude
 
Posts: 674
Joined: Fri May 26, 2017 3:45 am

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby bookertmgs1 » Fri Nov 29, 2019 7:39 am

As previoulsy raised - exactly what are you supposed to use when you out in the middle of Poland and need to refuel ?

or for the less adventrous - middle of the Cotswolds and the only availabe station is an Asda.

All this "only use Shell go faster super duper e1000 XLmk2" is great if your local garage stocks it and you go on a 5 mile run every other sunday.

Considered using an petrol addative - but again what happens when you run out somewhere ? or the bottle falls of the back of the scooter.

for what its worth - I put anything in mine, but if abroad I avoid the lower octane stuff (E10??) if at all possible.

I will put the super duper stuff in if its a busy garage where its likely they are turning over fuel quickly. I think avoiding stale fuel is as important as anything else.
bookertmgs1
 
Posts: 242
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:28 pm

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby Scooterdude » Fri Nov 29, 2019 9:47 am

bookertmgs1 wrote:As previoulsy raised - exactly what are you supposed to use when you out in the middle of Poland and need to refuel ?

or for the less adventrous - middle of the Cotswolds and the only availabe station is an Asda.

All this "only use Shell go faster super duper e1000 XLmk2" is great if your local garage stocks it and you go on a 5 mile run every other sunday.

Considered using an petrol addative - but again what happens when you run out somewhere ? or the bottle falls of the back of the scooter.

for what its worth - I put anything in mine, but if abroad I avoid the lower octane stuff (E10??) if at all possible.

I will put the super duper stuff in if its a busy garage where its likely they are turning over fuel quickly. I think avoiding stale fuel is as important as anything else.


Well for me I won’t put anything else but Shell ultimate in mine......so there! :twisted:
Scooterdude
 
Posts: 674
Joined: Fri May 26, 2017 3:45 am

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby Rich Oswald » Fri Nov 29, 2019 1:30 pm

Scooterdude wrote:
dave999 wrote:BP ultimate contains no ethanol

https://www.google.com/search?q=bp+ulti ... e&ie=UTF-8

Just looked and the document is dated January 2010. I’m almost certain they put 5% now (E5). The fuel i find the best and makes my scooter run noticeably cooler is the one everyone hates, and thats Shell ultimate (or whatever they call it). The one that frightens me the most is Tesco ultimate (temps shoot off the scale!) and I’m pretty certain thats E10.


Just out of interest I get most of my fuel at Tesco and use the higher octane stuff and have never has a fuel related issue as far as I know. All the Tesco fuel stations near me however are branded Esso and just wondered if the one's near you have Tesco's own brand fuel on them?

Rich'
User avatar
Rich Oswald
 
Posts: 8746
Joined: Fri May 30, 2014 3:30 pm
Location: Wiseman From The East (East Of The Pennines That Is)

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby MickYork » Fri Nov 29, 2019 5:39 pm

Doesn't higher Octane give more power but burns hotter, causing more risk of pre-detonation and possibly seizing ?

I tend to use the lower Octane and have had no fuel related issues.
MickYork
 
Posts: 1476
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 8:37 am

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby bookertmgs1 » Fri Nov 29, 2019 6:15 pm

Scooterdude wrote:
bookertmgs1 wrote:As previoulsy raised - exactly what are you supposed to use when you out in the middle of Poland and need to refuel ?

or for the less adventrous - middle of the Cotswolds and the only availabe station is an Asda.

All this "only use Shell go faster super duper e1000 XLmk2" is great if your local garage stocks it and you go on a 5 mile run every other sunday.

Considered using an petrol addative - but again what happens when you run out somewhere ? or the bottle falls of the back of the scooter.

for what its worth - I put anything in mine, but if abroad I avoid the lower octane stuff (E10??) if at all possible.

I will put the super duper stuff in if its a busy garage where its likely they are turning over fuel quickly. I think avoiding stale fuel is as important as anything else.


Well for me I won’t put anything else but Shell ultimate in mine......so there! :twisted:


Joking aside - how do you go about planning a route on that basis ? What happens if you get to a station and they have run out of the ultimate variant ? Genuinely curious about the route planning which must go hand in hand with such a commitment
bookertmgs1
 
Posts: 242
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:28 pm

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby Scooterdude » Fri Nov 29, 2019 8:02 pm

bookertmgs1 wrote:
Scooterdude wrote:
bookertmgs1 wrote:As previoulsy raised - exactly what are you supposed to use when you out in the middle of Poland and need to refuel ?

or for the less adventrous - middle of the Cotswolds and the only availabe station is an Asda.

All this "only use Shell go faster super duper e1000 XLmk2" is great if your local garage stocks it and you go on a 5 mile run every other sunday.

Considered using an petrol addative - but again what happens when you run out somewhere ? or the bottle falls of the back of the scooter.

for what its worth - I put anything in mine, but if abroad I avoid the lower octane stuff (E10??) if at all possible.

I will put the super duper stuff in if its a busy garage where its likely they are turning over fuel quickly. I think avoiding stale fuel is as important as anything else.


Well for me I won’t put anything else but Shell ultimate in mine......so there! :twisted:


Joking aside - how do you go about planning a route on that basis ? What happens if you get to a station and they have run out of the ultimate variant ? Genuinely curious about the route planning which must go hand in hand with such a commitment


Sorry mate just messing about. No it’s just that ive found the Shell ultimate keeps things noticeably cooler than any other brand although im more than happy to put anything in tbh but i do steer clear of the Tesco stuff.

Another one to watch, and I found this out last year while touring Scotland was up there we sometimes came across “Gleaner” fuel stations, well this stuff was almost as bad as the Tesco stuff for temps shooting up but i had no choice.

For what it’s worth i had been using Asda fuel for a while before going premium and found it fine.
Scooterdude
 
Posts: 674
Joined: Fri May 26, 2017 3:45 am

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby ToBoldlyGo » Fri Nov 29, 2019 8:04 pm

Only ever use regular unleaded myself. Never had a problem to be honest. The only thing I do is run them regularly to stir the fuel up a bit, and it seems to work. Not really keen on the super varieties. They never feel as lively to me. It must be all the detergents they stick in them.
ToBoldlyGo
 
Posts: 748
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:34 pm

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby Scooterdude » Fri Nov 29, 2019 8:07 pm

Rich Oswald wrote:
Scooterdude wrote:
dave999 wrote:BP ultimate contains no ethanol

https://www.google.com/search?q=bp+ulti ... e&ie=UTF-8

Just looked and the document is dated January 2010. I’m almost certain they put 5% now (E5). The fuel i find the best and makes my scooter run noticeably cooler is the one everyone hates, and thats Shell ultimate (or whatever they call it). The one that frightens me the most is Tesco ultimate (temps shoot off the scale!) and I’m pretty certain thats E10.


Just out of interest I get most of my fuel at Tesco and use the higher octane stuff and have never has a fuel related issue as far as I know. All the Tesco fuel stations near me however are branded Esso and just wondered if the one's near you have Tesco's own brand fuel on them?

Rich'
The one near me were it took two fill ups for the penny to drop is branded Tesco no mention of Esso.

Esso premium is E5 btw.
Scooterdude
 
Posts: 674
Joined: Fri May 26, 2017 3:45 am

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby ULC Soulagent » Sat Nov 30, 2019 10:10 am

I use supermarket fuels whenever I can and not had any issues but when I’ve used Shell stuff in the past I’ve holed my piston :( so I will not use their petrol unless I’m absolutely stuck and then watch my EGT and CHT like a hawk.
User avatar
ULC Soulagent
 
Posts: 2137
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 3:26 pm
Location: Milton Keynes

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby ToBoldlyGo » Sat Nov 30, 2019 1:22 pm

De tune. That's the answer.
ToBoldlyGo
 
Posts: 748
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:34 pm

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby landybretta » Sat Nov 30, 2019 2:05 pm

Just an additional point re the ethanol content in fuel. As I am led to understand E5 and E10 labelling means that that is the maximum amount of ethanol the fuel contains, not the actual amount. Similarly for B7 in diesel, the maximum amount of bio diesel in the fuel.
User avatar
landybretta
 
Posts: 730
Joined: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:22 pm

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby Chadley » Sat Nov 30, 2019 3:23 pm

Scooterdude wrote:
dave999 wrote:BP ultimate contains no ethanol

https://www.google.com/search?q=bp+ulti ... e&ie=UTF-8

Just looked and the document is dated January 2010. I’m almost certain they put 5% now (E5). The fuel i find the best and makes my scooter run noticeably cooler is the one everyone hates, and thats Shell ultimate (or whatever they call it). The one that frightens me the most is Tesco ultimate (temps shoot off the scale!) and I’m pretty certain thats E10.


This is how BP responded to my enquiry about ethanol content in September this year:

"Fuel suppliers have been required to increase the quantity of biofuels in their transport fuels since 2008 to comply with the government’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation; as a result bioethanol has been added to petrol products in the UK since that time. Today, bioethanol is present in nearly all regular unleaded 95 octane petrols being sold by fuel suppliers in the UK and can also be present in the UK’s higher octane petrols."

"The inclusion of bioethanol in our supply chain is subject to regulatory and commercial influences and regrettably we cannot give you categorical assurances as to its absence or presence in BP petrol products at specific locations. But we can confirm that currently BP regular unleaded and BP Ultimate unleaded do not contain more than 5% bioethanol."
Chadley
 
Posts: 64
Joined: Fri Oct 31, 2014 10:54 pm

Re: ethanol free fuel

Postby ULC Soulagent » Sun Dec 01, 2019 12:10 pm

ToBoldlyGo wrote:De tune. That's the answer.

I did :lol: went from a St4 fast tune on my imola down to a Rt reed touring tune and ain’t had no issues since :D
Still won’t use shell though ;)
User avatar
ULC Soulagent
 
Posts: 2137
Joined: Sun Apr 03, 2016 3:26 pm
Location: Milton Keynes

Next

Return to Series 1, 2 & 3

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 19 guests