Is this true about our auto gas

Just got an email with the link below on ethanol in our gas. I know for Outboards you need to use Rec90, which is free of ethanol, but this sounds really bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ceW9Nc1hVHU

I believe that E-15 is for those "Flex-Fuel" branded cars only.

Most marine manufacturers have said using any ethanol blended fuel will void their warranty on the motors and fuel systems.

Ethanol absorbs moisture (bad) causing phase separation.

Ethanol also removes some of the varnish and deposits in the cylinder heads/valves which then moves around and cruds up everything.

Most importantly (to a cheapskate like me), Ethanol does not contain the same amount of energy per gallon as gasoline, so I'm getting fewer miles/gallon using E10 fuel.

My outboard mechanic said E10 will corrode the aluminum carburetor in a short period of time, and it could eat some of the fuel hose, clogging the filter.

Ethanol should be used for cleaning and drinking

It's actually cars prior to 2001 that shouldn't use the E15 stuff (that fox report that said 2012 was wrong). I haven't seen the E15 in any gas stations but I suspect the public is at it's threshold with the 10% ethanol stuff and the blow back will make it go away soon enough.

Ethanol: half the mileage for twice the cost.

Still being fought - article here
Unless you plan on burning all the fuel within a week or two, never use automotive pump gas as you can never be absolutely sure whether its an ethanol blend or not. Don't ask me how I know...

And the publics opinion on what gas we buy matters to who exactly? We buy what they put in the pumps.

We have E85 (85% ethanol/15% unleaded fuel) here in Australia

we even run our V8 race cars on it.... (think NASCAR engines)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_VVS-Cc6BA

I have 2 cars here that love the stuff and actually have better dyno figures with E85 than the usual pump stuff and indeed some of the not so usual pump fuels....
and before we all argue about it being an Australian thing....
ONE of the engines is from your beloved ole USA



Pricing is competitive too with the ethanol fuels on average 10-20% cheaper over traditional fuels.
yes we use more but not 10-20% more so it does actually save you $$$$$$




Older engines don't like it so much but, specifically re-built engines and tuned to run on ethanol fuels will give better power and economy over the original engine even when it was at its very best.




http://www.ethanolanswers.com.au/ethanol/





Oh.....

your fuel prices are dirt cheap too in comparision to ours

Here...... 1lit of premium unleaded ~$1:70
3.7854 lits = 1 us gallon
therefore.....

$1:70 x 3.7854= $6:43 a GALLON

and your paying how much a gallon



E85 sells for around ~$1:50 a lit...

This, it's really bad in applications like outdoor power equipment.

You can vote with your wallet, plenty of stations around here have started selling non-ethanol again.

Ethanol is basically alcohol. Alcohol has about half the energy per volume. In some performance scenarios it makes sense because of the added cooling and lower cylinder temps with pounding so much more fuel in.

Energy Density in Volume (MJ/L)

Hydrogen Gas = 0.01005
Methane = 0.0378
CNG = 9
LPG Propane = 25.3
Gasoline = 34.2
Diesel Fuel = 37.3
Jet A Fuel = 33.0
E10 Gas = 33.18
E85 Gas = 25.53
Biodiesel = 33
Ethanol = 24

ANFO (you make bombs with it) = Lots
Antimatter = 9.266 x10^104


I suspect that E15 and E85 contain other additives to increase the energy content per liter.

There's nothing against burning ethanol (or wood, or any other material), you just have to optimize the engine for that particular fuel.

In the case of E15 - E85, older cars just aren't optimized for those characteristics.


I'd prefer Antimatter, but maybe that's in next year's model cars...

The issue for boat and power sports owners is not the energy density, it's alcohol's affinity for water. It wreaks havoc on everything marine.

I agree it's more of the corrosion thing in marine engines that has me concerned...

Corrosion is one thing. Stratification in the fuel is quite another. The latter will totally eff up your fuel injection system no matter what kind of filtering you have.

The Ethanol also seems to eat up all the rubber parts in the small engine yard equipment.

I drive a 20 year old Z-car. In the past 18 months I've had to have the injectors replaced, the fuel lines replaced, and the tank dropped and drained. All ethanol related problems. I run premium fuel, keep the tank topped off, and use a fuel stabilizer, but that is not enough...

Buy it whenever you can. They have a simple app for Android and iPhone.

PureGas

thanks!

Maybe you can, but the only stations on this list (http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=MD) within a 1 hour drive are Marinas. I know the places and their docs aren't going to support even my 3,000lb econo car.

Had the same issues with my 1990 jeep and the generator on the old RV. After spending almost $1000 in repairs on the gen I ran only non-ethanol and stabilizer......never had another problem. Same for the jeep, have not had any issue since keeping away from the ethanol.

Was also told that it is not good for my 05 durango.

Interesting..... My Z32 is one of the 2 cars here that loves ethonal

Mine runs fine on it, it's the fuel system that hates it...

1994 300 ZX TT, perhaps? Maybe black 2 seater? man, I loved that car. added bigger turbos, stronger waste gate springs, camshafts, tapered valves, 50 shot nitrous and a roll cage.

To be young, stupid, and spend all your money on go-fasts...

93' 300zx TT, blue with black leather, and all the go-fast goodies except nitrous...

yeah we sort of have a bit of an addiction to them here....







Mine.....
extensively modded








Oldest sons





The Wifes





the trio
Stephens red zed hadn't been into the shed at that stage




our for a play

seriously jealous. But now I know why they're so hard to find (at least the un-mod ones).

Would have liked that anniversary edition ('97 I think?) Supra TT coupe as well.. but way out of my price range at the time.

I applaud you both for (1) the budget to mod/race those things and still have money for sailing, and (2) spouse/family that approves of such road monsters.

the only thing i DIDN'T like on the 300 TT was that HICAS setup . Got it tuned right but the OBDC kept throwing codes at me so I had to override it eventually. Must have had something to do with the torque loading in full boost, or the replacement differential I had on there after we destroyed the first one dyno testing.

I've had a hard on for a Supra since I was in high school. Every time I shop for one, they're more money than the last time I looked. The untouched low miles ones are about extinct at this point.

I think they went to ridged tubing back then, but if not check the rubber lines and see if the used 30R9 from the regulator to the fuel rails. If not, not a problem, they probably used the 30R7... Just keep an eye on it them as the alcohol can cause premature deterioration.

Those are some nice Z's. I kept all my mods under the skin. I wanted a stock look.

I'll check the fuel lines and see what was done. The shop that works on my car specializes in Z32's so I'm pretty sure it was done right when it was rebuilt.

If you have an older vehicle/engine, the fuel system was built with rubber and plastic parts designed to be resistant to gasoline only. It may or may not be resistant to ethanol by luck. Newer engines fuel systems are usually resistant to ethanol, especially the "rubber" parts. But, there have been some circumstances where cheap plastic carburetors have swelled over time from ethanol and need to be replaced.

Absolutely fresh ethanol-gasoline mixes in clean engines will run fine, without problems. If you use it quickly and constantly, you will not have problems... But, there are a lot of "ifs and buts".

Ethanol absorbs water, lots of it. It will actually remove small amounts of water from a wet fuel system, if it is fresh. But if you do so, use the fuel up quick!

Here are the problems: Ethanol is constantly absorbing water. If there is water in the bulk tanks at the gas station, it will absorb it. If there is high humidity in the air, it will absorb it, either at the gas station or in your own gas tanks. Over time it will keep absorbing water, until the ethanol-gas mixture becomes saturated and can absorb no more. Now, if it is saturated, and conditions change (such as temperature, evaporation, additives, etc.), water may actually come out of solution and sink to the bottom of your tank, carburetor bowl, or fuel line. Seperated water can cause all kinds of unwanted chemistry inside your fuel system.
A common problem for 2-cycle engine owners' is water in the fuel. If you buy or keep old ethanol-gas mixtures with significant water dissolved in it, you cannot see the water,YET! Now, you add your 2-cycle oil to your gas, and you have changed the chemisty.--Like a magic trick, water drops out and settles to the bottom of your tank. That water will rust the bottom of a metal tank. Since that dirty water is on the bottom, when you hook up your outboard motor to the tank, that is the first liquid into your carburetor. Now your motor won't start. So you put the motor aside in the garage for awhile,--now you will need a carb re-build, if not a whole new carburetor.

When it comes to 2-cycle engines, BUY PURE GAS ONLY!