Water separator

You've got Dellortos.  Set them to spec, install and run them.  They'll be fine.

The current gasoline formulations that the EPA is shoving down our throats (in spite of everyone except the farm and corn lobby saying it's bad for everyone's cars) has 10% - 15% alcohol in it and alcohol attracts water.  Even if you installed a water separator (and I can't think of anyone on here who has) the float bowl, which is open to ambient air through a top vent, will still allow water vapor in the air to intrude before the gas gets into the accelerator pump. 

I've had one clogged jet on my Dells since the original install in 1999, but never had any trouble with the accelerator pumps.  I had a bunch of manifold leaks for a while and I seem to have that under control these days.  Dells are like that - They're not fussy, they just work.

I suppose that you could run them dry for winter storage.  My guess would be that it'll take a minute or two of idling to drain the bowls, but it's a lot easier to put Starbright or Marine Stabil in the gas instead and just walk away - that way you can start it easier every so often during the winter if you wish.  I always store the car with a full gas tank because that's what I was taught on OUR farm.  

Thanks Gordon. Will do.

My dad beat it into my thick head to run everything dry and that has treated me pretty well. But I can still have a full tank gas if I use a shut off.

Re: "the ethanol conspiracy"

I'm probably feeling contrarian, but I disagree. Even out here in God's own garden, all the good gear-head boys were pumped up to hate E1X gas. But it's a red herring. Do you prefer we coat the world with lead again?

It's an oxygenator, and it's renewable. Really smart gear-head guys are building for E85 (if they can get it), because they can run sky-high compression and not really need to worry about cooling. I'd run E15 93 octane if I could find it. You can run higher compression with it than without. Yes it's hygroscopic, and old (REALLY OLD) carb gaskets don't like it, but I've never had an issue with a set of rebuilt Dellortos running E10, and dealing with the moisture means topping off the tank at the end of the season, and dumping a can of Sta-Bil in the tank. I might run it through the carbs, or I might just turn the fuel off. Either way, I fail to see how it makes my life worse in any substantive way.

I'm not a huge Jamie Kitman fan, but he's doing a 2-part series in Automobile Magazine that says it better (or at least differently) than I can. Here's part one.

Tune for it and be happy.

Thanks for the link, Stan. It was a good read.

I've had my fuel line in my chain saw eaten up in six months and found a dusting of rust in the fuel tank of my Ducati.

The new technology solution now is to run the saw dry and empty the tank and keep the fuel tank on the bike full.

I'm not a fan of this stuff but progress is progress and my only problem with this stuff is that they new of the side effects and offered no solution, Stabil and other such products help with lubrication and anti corrosion but due not stop phase separation.

As a boater the issue is always there and some of us remember the effects of lead free gas on exhaust valve seats.

and for your reading pleasure

http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/ethanol.asp

The real question of course is?  What does Jay Leno do with all his toys.

"The real question of course is?  What does Jay Leno do with all his toys."

Well, here you go - in 7 seconds of Google searching - gotta love Google.

http://autoweek.com/article/ca...y-leno-hates-ethanol

As someone mentioned above, ethanol can damage small gas powered carbs in many chain saws, weed whackers, etc.  I had to replace the carb on my year-old weed whacker because I forgot to drain the gas in the carb.

For us in B.C. there is a solution-buy 94 octane gas, which doesn't have any ethanol in it.  It's more expensive than 87 octane regular, but still a lot cheaper than buying a new carb.

A carb for a Stihl string trimmer is $10. How cheap do you need it to be?

Yeah, but that's $13 Canadian and THEN you have to get it shipped to some island West of Vancouver way up in Canada, eh?  

THAT's gotta be 4 or 5 beer trip!!

Stan Galat, '05 IM, 2276, Nowhere, USA posted:

A carb for a Stihl string trimmer is $10. How cheap do you need it to be?

Mine ended up costing me $90.  I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't start, so I took it into my local Stihl shop.  It didn't even cross my mind that my 1 year old carb was toast.

If I remember correctly, the price of the new carb was around $50.  Nothing, compared to US prices, is cheap in Canada.

"Nothing, compared to US prices, is cheap in Canada."

Wait a minute!  What about Canadian beer?!?!?!?!?

Even if it's the same price, YOUR beer is, what?.... 4%-6% alcohol by volume?

All we get down here is that 3.2% "Hoppy Juice", unless you stumble upon some decent Micro-Brew like Allagash at 11% and even THAT is brewed by a couple of Canadians!

Gordon Nichols posted:

"Nothing, compared to US prices, is cheap in Canada."

Wait a minute!  What about Canadian beer?!?!?!?!?

Even if it's the same price, YOUR beer is, what?.... 4%-6% alcohol by volume?

All we get down here is that 3.2% "Hoppy Juice", unless you stumble upon some decent Micro-Brew like Allagash at 11% and even THAT is brewed by a couple of Canadians!

Our microbrewed beer is fantastic (like much of yours in CO, northern CA, ID, OR etc) but very expensive ($13-15 a six pack). Even our cheap undrinkable swill is $45 for 24.....there was one mid sized brewery that dared to sell beer for "a buck a beer" and they got bought out by the big boys and prices immediately went up of course.....

       I was on Prince Edward Island last summer and we (my bike group and I) got hooked on Gahan's Microbrews.  They have a beautiful pub in Charlottown.  I never tried one I didn't like, including their Beach Chair brew, native Blueberry Ale and St. John's dark.  IIRC, they were about $4.50 CA at a bar and about what you listed, $16-ish a 6-pack.  Sure took the edge off of a long day of bike riding, though.  A couple of guys with us were restauranteurs and tried to get PEI Brewing to send some down to us in Massachusetts but they only ship within Canada.  They had better luck with the "Mussel King" of PEI and now get daily Mussel deliveries flown in for the restaurants.

I wonder how Boothy is doing with his water separator?

BOOTHY!  Come out to Grafton and we'll share some Wormtown beer, or maybe Tree House.  WAY better than that stuff brewed in Jamaica Plain.......