Alcoholic petrol eating away at old engines?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Since the beginning of this month, fuel retailers are able to sell E10 Unleaded (i.e. petrol containing 10% ethanol) without even labelling it as such.

 

This is not good news for anyone with a car from the pre-catalyst era, and it actually also affects a fair number of more recent stuff made until the early noughties. Here's the surprisingly short list of what's cleared to use E10: http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default ... ryId=24901

 

This doesn't look like something to panic about, because refineries won't be instantly switching to E10 and because the damage will probably tend to happen over time. Interestingly, I have had a look around the interwebs and haven't seen any recommendation as to what you can do to minimise the effects of that shit getting into your fuel system.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

I've just read that it needs to be labelled as E10 and will be available alongside normal unleaded.

 

Does anyone have more info on whether that's true, or on what to do if you end up having to use it?

[KruJoe]

"Gasohol" is sold everywhere in Thailand, often up to 85% alcohol, and I've not heard of any ill-effects. Though it does go stale quicker. I've been advised to use pure petrol (if I can find it now) in my LPG'd Volvo 850 over there, just because the fuel stays un-used in the tank so long.

[SambaS]

But is it cheaper?

[pshome]

Your mpg goes down 10% with E10 because it contains less energy. So it should be 10% cheaper...

[freebird]

AFAIK, there is no plan to introduce it to UK pumps in the near future, infact , Im fairly certain the FBHVC have taken the issue on board and have raised it with the Government and Petrolium companies ( or so Ive read somewhere) hence there is no current plan to bring it in here.

As a side issue, im fairly confident that there are already contigencies in place to bring something onto the market that you will add to the fuel tank in the same way that products were brought out to negate the unleaded fuel issue.

I tend to be Mr Conspiracy Theorist but, tbh, I think this will not be the issue people think it will be, especially as the potential issues are now known BEFORE the stuff will ever hit a UK cars tank.

[Partridge]

I don’t know much about the whole petro-chemical thing, so this is a stab in the dark. But can some good old fashioned Redex clear the shit out?

[dollywobbler]

The problem is that the ethanol ruins rubber and brass. It also prevents two-stroke oil mixing. There are ways around it. Brazil has been using sugar cane for fuel for decades, so engines there are designed to tolerate it - presumably the same in Thailand.

 

Mind you, I'm pretty sure that unleaded fuel doesn't do some old rubber that much good and we seem to have coped with that.

[Pillock]

Surely the only rubber involved in fuel delivery is either fuel lines, or some of the seals in a carb? Both of which would get checked and renewed if you're resurrecting something old, ethanol or no ethanol... There's nothing buried deep inside the engine or non-service that's going to screw your life up.

 

I would be concerned about lower quality fuel (i.e. the car not running as well) being sold at the same price as regular stuff, that's like paying Coca Cola price for a Panda Pop. But since this is all rumour I'll wait and see what's decided. It used to be that Brazilian cars that are often run on E85 had a lower power rating on that fuel, but I've just checked the Brazilian VW Golf brochure to check my facts (BTW their latest Golf is a Mk4 with some bodged-on Mk6 style lamps) and actually the 2.0 motor makes 115bhp on petrol, and 120bhp on E85!