Jump to content
SAU Community

Ethanol For My Ride On Mower?

AngryRB

By AngryRB,
in General Automotive Discussion

 Share

Recommended Posts

AngryRB Grand Master

AngryRB

Posted
Posted (edited)

searched and couldnt find answer i wanted..

So what would happen if i used ethanol in the Cox ride on mower, i know its not knock limited etc, but it would sure smell alot better and maybe run bit smoother.. and keep the internals cleaner? nothing worse than smelling toxic exhaust fumes when your wippersnipping or mowing..

what you guys think?

Edited by SliverS2
Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/410400-ethanol-for-my-ride-on-mower/
Share on other sites
scotty nm35 Grand Master

scotty nm35

Posted
Posted

4 stroke is fine, you would need to drill the carby jet out a little, then it could work. 2 strokes require castor oil to be mixed in also.

It will loose power though unless you strap a turbo on the side. (or up the compression) :)

AngryRB Grand Master

AngryRB

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

whats the worst that can happen? will it just stall or run weak if its lean or will i damage the internals? as long as it doesnt loose much it would be better than smelling petrol ..

Edited by SliverS2
scotty nm35 Grand Master

scotty nm35

Posted
Posted

how much would i raise the comp to make this work well you think? would shaving the head about 1mm off do the job?

If it is a side valve head you need to shave it on an angle, or the valves will hit.

Just need to drill the jet out to 30% larger and it will probably run fine. Without drilling the jet it will die quickly. (if you can even start it.) I was always too scared to ruin my trusty Honda.

PN-Mad Grand Master

PN-Mad

Posted
Posted

Lol.

No, no, no!

Petrol only bro, not even 10% ethanol.

Reason being, parts of the carbs in these machines are made of plastic and diaphragms made of rubber. Ethanol reacts badly with these components, causing in the case of the plastic, warping. This in turn breaks seals, and will cause the machine to not run properly. Classic case is the Briggs sprint motors. Warps the plastic carb on top of the tank, causes an air leak that in turn makes the machine run rich, and foul.

Tally so far, ive fixed 4 neighbours and friends mowers from this problem.

iamhe77 Grand Master

iamhe77

Posted
Posted

Lol.

No, no, no!

Petrol only bro, not even 10% ethanol.

Reason being, parts of the carbs in these machines are made of plastic and diaphragms made of rubber. Ethanol reacts badly with these components, causing in the case of the plastic, warping. This in turn breaks seals, and will cause the machine to not run properly. Classic case is the Briggs sprint motors. Warps the plastic carb on top of the tank, causes an air leak that in turn makes the machine run rich, and foul.

Tally so far, ive fixed 4 neighbours and friends mowers from this problem.

Alex, whilst it is not a Cox mower, 10% ethanol blend is recommended in the manual for my Kubota.

Briggs suck dirty arse though so I wouldn't be surprised if that happened on unleaded either :P

PN-Mad Grand Master

PN-Mad

Posted
Posted

Yup, agree b and s are dirty arse suckers. But they have also been round a long time and make a successful product. Your k-pop lawn mower probably has the internals and lines to deal with ethanol. Would I run it? Nope. Plus, you gotta work out what your saving, when you can just get 91 a few cents more expensive. The service and carb clean n refresh will be significantly more expensive!

AngryRB Grand Master

AngryRB

Posted
  • Author
Posted

yeah i guess its not really worth doing then, i like the idea of having a cleaner smelling machine thats possibly a bit smoother and cleaner internally.. but i dont want to risk damaging it cause it runs well enough for my purposes.. its a 12hp b and s so upping compression would of also possibly given it an extra horse or two..if i was lucky..

PN-Mad Grand Master

PN-Mad

Posted
Posted

yeah i guess its not really worth doing then, i like the idea of having a cleaner smelling machine thats possibly a bit smoother and cleaner internally.. but i dont want to risk damaging it cause it runs well enough for my purposes.. its a 12hp b and s so upping compression would of also possibly given it an extra horse or two..if i was lucky..

Generally if your actually planning to muck round with this thing, they are heavily restricted on the intake and exhaust side. They are also rev limited. That'll be where to look. Not internally. But it's a ride on......

A friend of mine has a Haltech on his jetski lol

I'd believe it, some of those have more technology than road cars these days!

  • 2 weeks later...

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • GabsReDeal
      R32 GTS (RB20DE) Injectors Replacement

      By GabsReDeal · Posted

      After my last update, I went ahead with cleaning and restoring the entire fuel system. This included removing the tank and cleaning it with the Beyond Balistics solution, power washing it multiple times, drying it thoroughly, rinsing with IPA, drying again with heat gun and compressed air. Also, cleaning out the lines, fuel rail, and replacing the fuel pump with an OEM-style one. During the cleaning process, I replaced several hoses - including the breather hose on the fuel tank, which turned out to be the cause of the earlier fuel leak. This is what the old fuel filter looked like: Fuel tank before cleaning: Dirty Fuel Tank.mp4   Fuel tank after cleaning (some staining remains): Clean Fuel Tank.mp4 Both the OEM 270cc and new DeatschWerks 550cc injectors were cleaned professionally by a shop. Before reassembling everything, I tested the fuel flow by running the pump output into a container at the fuel filter location - flow looked good. I then fitted the new fuel filter and reassembled the rest of the system. Fuel Flow Test.mp4 Test 1 - 550cc injectors Ran the new fuel pump with its supplied diagonal strainer (different from OEM’s flat strainer) and my 550cc injectors using the same resized-injector map I had successfully used before. At first, it idled roughly and stalled when I applied throttle. Checked the spark plugs and found that they were fouled with carbon (likely from the earlier overly rich running when the injectors were clogged). After cleaning the plugs, the car started fine. However, it would only idle for 30–60 seconds before stalling, and while driving it would feel like a “fuel cut” after a few seconds - though it wouldn’t fully stall. Test 2 – Strainer swap Suspecting the diagonal strainer might not be reaching the tank bottom, I swapped it for the original flat strainer and filled the tank with ~45L of fuel. The issue persisted exactly the same. Test 3 – OEM injectors To eliminate tuning variables, I reinstalled the OEM 270cc injectors and reverted to the original map. Cleaned the spark plugs again just in-case. The stalling and “fuel cut” still remained.   At this stage, I suspect an intermittent power or connection fault at the fuel pump hanger, caused during the cleaning process. This has led me to look into getting Frenchy’s fuel hanger and replacing the unit entirely. TL;DR: Cleaned and restored the fuel system (tank, lines, rail, pump). Tested 550cc injectors with the same resized-injector map as before, but the car stalls at idle and experiences what feels like “fuel cut” after a few seconds of driving. Swapped back to OEM injectors with original map to rule out tuning, but the issue persists. Now suspecting an intermittent power or connection fault at the fuel pump hanger, possibly cause by the cleaning process.  
    • MBS206
      Jacks that fit under GTR lips that can reach the subframe?

      By MBS206 · Posted

      For race cars, this is one part where I find having the roll cage bar having gone through a hole in the floor better than the build it up on a ledge inside... The Merc I help on, the main hoop ends are marked on the car, and the jack is marked... Jack goes under a few inches and lifts one whole side of the car up... Removes that fight for long slim jacks for race car duties!   My biggest issue for the daily drivers I work on, is my jacks don't go high enough. The jacks start out on a few blocks, jack it up, then start a second jack under it on more blocks, and then I can get an axle stand under it. My axle stands are presently in use, and are nearly fully extended. The car is sitting with barely more than a cm of clearance to get the wheel off the studs! Sarah's Kluger is the same, as it has an ungodly amount of droop available in the suspension and a distinct lack of good jacking points!
    • MBS206
      NC MX5

      By MBS206 · Posted

      Happy? Yep, my to do list is getting shorter and shorter. Either this light approaching is the end of the tunnel, or I'm about to be hit by a train... Ha ha ha   Also, Duncan isn't that far out of town that you need to make a multi day drive out of it. 😛
    • turbo76lx
      Torana Lx Gtr Hatch, Lots Of Pictures

      By turbo76lx · Posted

      Sorry I meant that we are building the EH for a client.
    • The Bogan
      Torana Lx Gtr Hatch, Lots Of Pictures

      By The Bogan · Posted

      LOL, when one "money pit" is never enough Noice, and excellent work mate
×
×
  • Create New...