Does Fuel Stabilizer Prevent Ethanol Damage?

Outdoors folks typically run a lot of engines, mostly gasoline. Generators, ATVs, UTVs, boats, tractors, chainsaws, pole saws, cars, trucks, and many other pieces of vital outdoor equipment burn gasoline. The problem is that most gasoline sold these days is polluted with ethanol, which causes fuel components to degrade and corrode, especially in small engines.

I started buying ethanol-free gasoline for all of my small engines years ago, and have had much better luck with them ever since, especially when the equipment has to sit unused for a while. Some folks swear that adding stabilizer to ethanol gas will provide the same results, but is that true?

Project Farm took on that topic, testing fuel with 15% ethanol, 10% ethanol, and no ethanol with and without stabilizer.

The results show us a few things, but my summary is as follows:

Ethanol will cause damage to small engine components, with or without stabilizer.
10% ethanol will cause noticeably less damage than 15% ethanol — but it will still cause damage.
Stabilizer doesn’t significantly add to the life span of gasoline, with or without ethanol.
Ethanol-free gasoline does not need stabilizer to prevent corrosion nor to increase its life span.

Bottom line: It is most certainly worth the expense and trouble to get ethanol-free fuel for your small engines, and stabilizer is probably a waste of money. Do you agree?

Enjoy the video.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.