[Packer Fan]

Originally Posted by BigDawgInLakeDenham

I'm no expert but I did get an A in Organic Chemistry and had an understanding of some chemical reactions.....along with a lifetime of running and repairing my small engines. First let's agree that the golf cars engines are small engines like the ones that are on my lawn tractors or log splitter. It's essentially a fancy go cart. It's not an automobile engine.

Gasoline by itself does not have the affinity to attract water. Ethanol mixes nicely with water. Think bourbon rocks or scotch and water. Water contains oxygen which oxidizes and ruins a lot of stuff. Ethanol by it's self oxidizes and breaks down rubber over time. Think how your wine doesn't taste as good hours after its opened. Gasoline without ethanol can help with engine maintenance by not attracting H2O into the engine. Remember how humid it is here. If you let the small engine sit with ethanol Gasoline you'll end up with inconvenient but common issues with ethanol gas. I think the Villages Golf Cars recommended ethanol free gas because there are so many folks that are not full time in TV, so their cars will sit and have "bad gas" over time. It seems plausible that ethanol free could pay towards it's cost by increased mileage and less destructive properties over time. If you are running that engine every day then any gas will work but if pure gasoline is available.....then why not? It's a luxury that I've never had where I've lived forever, but having relaced multiple carburetors due to ethanol gas, I will definitely spend a few extra coins to make me and my new toy happy.

Great Post and a good lead in for me to explain a few things. Let me first say I spent 10 years as the Commodity Manager for Fuel system components at Briggs and Stratton. I was responsible for carburetion systems on all their small engines up to 2 cylinder Fuel injected models, but especially all their carbureted systems. I am also a Metallurgist. So here is what is going on.
In any engine with a metal (aluminum or zinc) carburetor, the Ethanol oxidizes and causes corrosion in the jets of the carburetor. You eventually have to replace them if you use ethanol fuel. This is NOT a problem in Fuel Injected engines like the Yamaha quiet tech engines, but if you have an old gas Yamaha or Robin engine that is not running smoothly, get a new carburetor.
Also - all the new engines use Nitrile or other Ethanol resistant Gaskets so that is not a problem either.

Bottom Line - If you have a carbureted Gas golf cart, use non-ethanol fuel (way cheaper at some of the other gas stations other than the TV one, but heck, they are convenient). If you have a Fuel Injected Golf cart - use any gas you want.

I suspect your salesman wants you to buy from TV because they make a lot of money on selling over priced ethanol free gas.

BTW- When I was there we went from Zinc to Aluminum to Plastic Carburetors on the smallest engine line to solve this. Now all small engines have Plastic Carbs that are WAY BETTER than the metal ones. I don't work there anymore, so I have no skin in the game.

Hope that helps explain it.
Ed