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Dec
Compatibility of vehicle fuel systems with bioethanol from the consultancy QuinetiQ for the Department of Transport recognised the problems for older cars running on blends of ethanol and petrol. The report recommended a delay in the introduction of higher levels of ethanol in the UK.
Gasoline absorption of water is problematic gas becomes contaminated and must be discarded.
Ethanol fuel problems in older cars. Ethanol-laced fuels will also attack certain metals especially aluminum. This is probably due to the water solubility property of ethanol. Best advice I can give to minimize this issue is to drive the vehicle more often not allowing the fuel to get old in the carburetor.
It should also be noted that due to the higher octane of the ethanol-laced fuels. More power is possible for those who care more about power than drivability and fuel. Zurich Insurance is warning of the dangers of using ethanol fuels and older cars.
The first issue they point out is that ethanol can have a corrosive effect on rubber metal and plastic parts in. Although many cars run on E5 without significant problems doubling the amount of ethanol in the fuel can cause a variety of issues in olders cars. Ethanol is hygroscopic which means that it absorbs water from the atmosphere.
And that water in turn finds its way into your car. Generally vehicles from the 1980s and older could be at risk. Higher-ethanol fuels may also pose problems for small engines such as those on lawnmowers trimmers.
Ethanol in Gasoline Its Impact on Older Cars - YouTube. If you have an enlarged prostate you must see this. If playback doesnt.
About 600000 owners of older vehicles need to check whether a new E10 unleaded petrol will damage their engine as the fuel is rolled out across. Compatibility of vehicle fuel systems with bioethanol from the consultancy QuinetiQ for the Department of Transport recognised the problems for older cars running on blends of ethanol and petrol. The report recommended a delay in the introduction of higher levels of ethanol in the UK.
The questions on many MG enthusiasts minds are what are those. The addition of ethanol to the gasoline is causing problems with many fuel system components of in a vehicles fuel system that was not designed with ethanol in mind. Ethanol is very corrosive to many of the materials that were commonly used in fuel system of older vehicles.
Ethanol can also act as a solvent that will attack any component. Its also probably the case that many of those driving older cars will already be from lower income backgrounds so they will end up being even worse off. And those with E10 compatible cars will unfortunately find they are getting fewer miles to the gallon as the fuel is less efficient than E5 fuel due to it containing 5 more ethanol.
Although it does reduce pollution in our atmosphere it can cause problems for many collector cars boats and older outdoor power equipment because of some of the side effects related to its use. When people talk about ethanol in todays pump gas theyre referring to E10 which is a formulation that contains 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent. The problem for hot rod enthusiasts and owners of older cars is that ethanol is hygroscopic which means it absorbs water.
Ethanol-blended fuel will naturally hold 05 percent water in suspension but once the water content exceeds this percentage the waterethanol mix becomes heavier than the gasoline portion of the fuel. There are two big issues with ethanol fuels and older cars. The first is that ethanol can have a corrosive effect on metal plastic and rubber parts in the fuel system.
The results of this can range from the inconvenient like sticking carburettor floats to the dangerous when fuel lines perish. Blended ethanol fuels dont pose a problem until they start to separate over time. Therefore if you want to know if ethanol is bad for your car then think about how you use it.
If you burn through a full tank in a month or two its not a problem. However the longer it sits the more the gas separates. Ethanol in gas causes problems in old and new cars.
I am writing on the new gas E-10 or Ethanol. Its 10 Ethanol and 90 Gasoline. At the mean time I spent time at Nissan and Goodyear Pepboys Dyna tune all service stations and repair shops and not one of them can find anything wrong with the car and recommend that I change a mass airflow.
Isnt going to happen folks. Yes there may be some minor problems but theyre easily corrected. The first thing that you might encounter is at the first use of a fuel containing ethanol because ethanol is a strong cleaner it can clean away years of dirt which can plug the fuel filter and can give you some performance problems.
A lot of older fuel systems are not designed to cope with alcohol in the fuel. Meaning that if you have an older car its even more critical to take some care when using an E10 fuel. Dont forget that ethanol fuel affects other types of engines such as mowers and boats as well.
What are the negative effects of using ethanol in our engines. There are five major problems that I know of from ethanol in our gasoline. Debris in fuel premature fuel breakdown.
It is almost impossible to empty all of the fuel from any engine system so there is always old fuel somewhere in any fuel system. E10 petrols higher bioethanol content is corrosive to rubber parts gaskets seals metals and plastics which causes engine damage so it could dislodge deposits in older engines and fuel. Gasoline absorption of water is problematic gas becomes contaminated and must be discarded.
Operating an engine on an alcohol content that is too high over 10 for E10 will cause engine damage and poor performance. READ MORE BELOW on problemsdamage that can result from gas that contains ethanol. The main worry that has emerged about ethanol-blended fuel is that it can eat through old flexible fuel lines seals and gaskets due to its smaller molecular structure.
This can lead to swelling shrinking and cracking of seals and flexible pipes. The obvious big danger here is leaks which can then lead to fire. Jeff Ruggles of Classics World magazine says.
There are two big issues with ethanol fuels and older cars. The first is that ethanol can have a corrosive effect on metal plastic and rubber parts. Although classic cars are the most at-risk vehicle type it is also advised that owners of any vehicles made before 2002 do not use the new E10 fuel.
There are two key issues with the first being that this fuel mix absorbs more water from the atmosphere which can cause condensation in fuel tanks fuel lines and carburettors and cause corrosion.