On Thu, 29 May 2014 09:25:13 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

I was down at my local hardware / lawnmower shop getting a new chain for my Stihl.
(It was a cold winter, I thought I'd get a jump on the wood pile.)
They had these signs warning of the damage E10 ethanol fuels do to 2-cycle engines.
They wanted to sell me "special" ethanol free fuel at a huge markup.
First is this really a problem? I've been running my Stihl for years with basically no maintenance.
(The only thing I do is to run it dry at the end of my wood cutting season, so it doesn't sit all winter with gas in it.)
If it is a problem then why not just get ethanol free fuel at a gas station.
(there are a several in my area.)

Wondering what y'all do?

Thanks
George H.

I have been told that the ethanol is bad for the carbs on small
engines. All my modern small engine powered devices came with warnings
to not use fuel with more than 10% ethanol. The Honda powered stuff
have stickers with this warning. I was talking to the woman at the
local tool rental place and she told me that they were having all
sorts of small engine powered equipment problems until they switched
to ethanol free fuel. They tried Sta-Bil first and it helped a bit but
since they changed to ethanol free fuel and require customers to also
use this fuel their fuel companent related problems have drastically
decreased. Ethanol free fuel is available here on South Whidbey Island
for about 25 cents more per gallon. Since I started using the stuff
about a year ago I am also having way fewer fuel related problems. One
weed whacker that I have would experience clogging of the main fuel
passage in the carb. It would only idle. Pulling on the throttle would
cause it to lean out and die. Pulling the carb apart I could see, with
a magnifier, brownish crud in the fuel passage. Since changing fuels
the carb has been working properly.
Eric