[Dan P]

Well, I've got a week in the books with our new sparks. The family is enjoying them emmensly. We've put 3 hours in each and yesterday the low fuel alarm sounded. Got them filled back up and ready for next week. Unfortunately the only ethanol free gas in town is Esso 91, so my fuel bill for a full tank in both sparks was $65, ouch.
We've been riding in the St.Clair river just south of Lake Huron in Corunna, Ontario. Some days have been dead calm and others really wavy, which makes it pretty fun on these sparks.
I've seen two different trucks pulling sparks in Corunna, so if any of you are on this site, chime in. It would be cool to meet up and do some riding in the river.

 

[ChuckTheVoice]

I'm from ontario too. Why do you put 91 in it? You should not. Stay with 87 and had some gas stabilizer.

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[Dan P]

The only fuel here in town that is ethanol free is the Esso 91. I would rather not run ethanol.

 

[ChuckTheVoice]

You do not need ethanol free..

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[Dan P]

Ethanol has been proven to be harmful to engines and results in poor fuel mileage.

 

[ChuckTheVoice]

If you feel better about running higher octane on a ski that requires 87 feel free to do it.

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[ChuckTheVoice]

You can use 87 octane and buy fuel stabilizer to prevent bad effects of the alcool. It's like 8$ to treat 300 litres.

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[Cormacs]

I agree all engines post 2007 have been designed around ethanol enriched fuels.


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[Dan P]

So, I must be the only one running ethanol free fuel in the spark? I would rather run 87 ethanol free, but as irony has it I live in the chemical velley where it's made and it's not available to us.

 

[ChuckTheVoice]

Me and all my friends run 87 and stabilizer. Only ethanol free when we go to a marina.

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[ChuckTheVoice]

The problem is not the ethanol free. It's that you run 91 in a low compression engine. I think running 91 with 0% ethanol can harm more than running 87 with up to 10% ethanol.

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[Dan P]

What stabilizer do you use?
Maybe I'll give that method a try.

 

[peeler01]

I run my Spark on 87 pump fuel with up to 10% ethanol. Have not experienced a single issue with it. 24 hours so far and have done some longer trips too.
The operator's guide talks about acceptable fuels on page 26. It says that the Spark is designed to handle fuel with any percentage of alcohol up to the government recommended content, which is 10% in the US.

 

[ChuckTheVoice]

http://m.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/stp-fuel-stabilizer-water-remover-ethanol-473-ml-0388056p.html

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[Dan P]

I can't see how running 91 would hurt a low compression engine. It would just be a waste of money at worst. The fuel is still being detonated at TDC, no pre- detonation.
I may be wrong here, but just wondering how it would be harmful.

 

[Cormacs]

The only harm I could see is higher octane fuel burns slower which is more susceptible to carbon build up. It would have nothing to do with the low compression engine, all engines running high octane fuels will be more susceptible to carbon build up. So running high octane fuel in a spark is just exposing it to unnecessary carbon build up with no advantage.


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[Wrench4fun]

The only harm I could see is higher octane fuel burns slower which is more susceptible to carbon build up. It would have nothing to do with the low compression engine, all engines running high octane fuels will be more susceptible to carbon build up. So running high octane fuel in a spark is just exposing it to unnecessary carbon build up with no advantage.


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I can't see how running 91 would hurt a low compression engine. It would just be a waste of money at worst. The fuel is still being detonated at TDC, no pre- detonation.
I may be wrong here, but just wondering how it would be harmful.

More carbon build up but even then it would only be in certain rare situations that you would have an issue, 91 octane won't completely burn in a low compression engine so more of a waste of money, I always run 87 octane fuel and never had an issue, if you are going to have the fuel sit for a while then definitely put fuel stabilizer in it, using the machine week to week though is not a problem.

 

[Dan P]

Thanks for the info guys. I think I'll switch to 87 after running these tanks of 91.

 

[David Tuerk]

So, I must be the only one running ethanol free fuel in the spark? I would rather run 87 ethanol free, but as irony has it I live in the chemical velley where it's made and it's not available to us.

Awwwh **** no, I won't let ethanol touch my marine engines. It attracts water/Moisture! Sure fuel stabilizer will disperse the water in fuel but I still don't like it running through my engine. I ride my spark up in the North Channel and all of the harbours have 87 Ethanol free fuel... at $1.40/L. You gotta pay to play though. A tank usually cost's me about $30+-

 

[ChuckTheVoice]

30Lx1.40 doesn't = 30..

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