The crank seals in my villiers 32a don.t seem to last long before they need replacing I wonder if ethanol fuel could be to blame any one got any views

We`ve been running ethonal for many years. I have never replaced any main seals that were not on a motor that had bad mains.

I have seen documentation by at least one seal maker which states the standard nitrile seals are not ethanol tolerant. My current and ongoing theory is that it may take 2-3 years to show up and weaken them. Some of this may vary, but I would cross it to a Viton seal if possible.

As far as I am concerned, ethanol is just evil.

It causes rubber and plastic parts to swell and harden. I would expect you to have problems much sooner in the carb than in the main seals. The mains do not sit in fuel as do many carburetor and fuel systems parts. In the USA, most of the fuel stations sell petrol with 10% ethanol. Some as high as 15%.

I now buy only ethanol-free fuel for all my bikes and yard equipment. It is more expensive but I have not had to rebuild a carburetor in my lawn tractors, string trimmers, chain saws, scooters or motorcycles since making this change.