Ethanol Shield. I just heard of this stuff. Anyone use it in their E10 Gasoline (10% Ethanol)? To prevent carberator damage etc Opinions ? https://b3cfuel.com/product/ethanol-shield/
I have run ethanol in my 427 ever since it first came out and in everything I own. My lowest milage vehicle has 160 thousand miles on it. 240,000 with the most. No shield being used.
Been running E10 since it was introduced. I have had zero issues. Cars, trucks, bikes, power equipment, all inclusive.
Traditional fuel stabilizer is 99.99% isopropyl alcohol (also sold as brake cleaner). Save yourself a fortune and buy it in bulk.
Don't need any protection at 10% ethanol. When we get to E85...then yeah, we'll need some metal and rubber protection. Some rubber is already set up for its ethanol protection. Mike
It's actually not the fuel per se, but bacteria induced acid, that messes with your system. The bacteria converts alcohol (ethanol) into acetic acid, this leads to rust formation in the tank and in the entire fuel system. Since we can't get anything but E10/5 here in Germany since more than a decade, I use this here. It claims to work as a lead replacement, anti corrosion agent, cleaner, stops forming bacteria, and over all fuel stabilizer, by preventing gas and alcohol to separate. Works fine - no issues so far. Not sure if it is available in the US though.
So far, it appears that you guys in warmer southern states haven't experienced problems with ethanol fuels in older carbureted engines. Last year the temperature swings, here up north, were from 107F to minus 37F. I quit using ethanol fuels in my small engines and older carbureted cars because of moisture problems, corrosion in carbs, phase separation of the fuel, and loss of octane. In extreme cold, excess water absorbed by the ethanol can freeze up usually in your fuel filter or float bowl. The ethanol gas can really corode and ruin small engine carbs. As for this addative, it's probably "snake oil" as described. This article describes the pros and cons of ethanol blended fuel. https://www.bellperformance.com/ethanol-problems
Funny you should say it that way because Henry Ford designed his motors to run on corn likker. I was reading somewhere that back when the automobile was first being produced there were not a lot of gas stations per se so the early models were designed to run damn near anything that you could make to put in it. Heck Popcorn Sutton used to put his likker in his A Model whenever he was out of gasoline while trying to get away from his still site. But if it’s just 99.99% isopropyl alcohol then that’s pretty much the heads off the first of the run of shine. But here in Tennessee you can make your own fuel but you have to make it in steel still “so it’s not consumable” for your farm implements like old tractors and stuff. It’s an old law that still on the books and I do have a friend who’s father did it for his old tractors and the ATF used to come inspect it eons ago but not sure if they do it anymore. But my friend said that his pops would change the worm and pot out to copper so he could have some sipping whiskey for the winter months lol
Yep... its why they ran such low compression ratios, manualy adjustable engine timing, and mixture adjustable from inside the cab, gravity fed and no rubber in the fuel circuit. Always makes me chuckle when someone asks if a model A is ethanol compatable.
Low compression ratios for the sake of ethanol? Ethanol allows anything up to about 16:1! — or, in the case of a compression-limited side-valve engine, quite an extreme degree of supercharging.
Been an advocate for non ethanol gas for years. I get home delivery for my 300 gallon gravity feed tank. We have lots of small engines and old cars. However, my wife's late model OT car is sitting at the dealership waiting for a new fuel pump and filter. Got a lecture from the service manger that vehicles built after 2020 don't like non ethanol gas.
Leaving a car sit for years in Arizona with E10 in the tank will result in a huge mess...I expect this process happens much faster up north with increased cold and humidity. Down here we get to drive year round, and if you do drive them regularly, no issues with ethanol in the fuel. If you do have to let it sit for months on end, draining the system and running it dry would probably be the best approach, eh? Apparently no one has experience with that product. So we'll never know.
Only problem I’ve had with e5 or e10 has been with small engines that sit a week or two at a time. You have to keep any stored gas in a sealed container or it will absorb water from the air. That’s why the small engines give problems, their fuel tanks are open vented, moisture will get in through those vents no matter how tiny. Modern vehicles with sealed fuel systems don’t run into these problems as much if at all. I run pure gas in my car, but if I’m in an area where I can’t get it, I will use e fuel, then when I get home I’ll fill back up with pure gas. Some of the small engine manufacturers recommend using Sta-bil and/ or Seafoam in the fuel. I use it, can’t say it works or not. Must be something to it or the manufacturer wouldn’t recommend using it.
Ever since they began adding ethanol to gasoline Stabil has changed their formula to work with ethanol additive gas. There are older Stabil bottles that are still around, so you need to check the labels to ensure it's listed as ethanol rated Stabil. I started using the ethanol rated Stabil in all my hotrods and small engines for winter storage years ago, and it works. I never have any issues after long storage since I switched to the new Stabil, so wont be trying this stuff.
Most of the big name fuel companies already use "Top Tier" detergent packages in their fuel. It will say on the pump. Top Tier Detergent Gasoline - Wikipedia
Yep, if you drive them pretty often E10 is no big deal. If not, big deal. One of the vehicles I take care of is in a museum (1935 DB truck) and only gets driven once every 1-3 years. I use non-ethanol fuel in it and it starts in about 5 turns every time. I normally use non-ethanol in my avatar, but on road trips I use whatever is at the pump…. nearly 3,500 miles on it this summer (not as good as some of the Drag Week competitors I hear!). John
Regarding small engines, I had a rototiller with a B&S engine some 15 or so years ago that wouldn’t start. I took the carburetor off and apart, it was a ball of corrosion, just chock full of white fuzzy stuff. The was a casted carburetor. Had no clue about ethanol, etc. But don’t seem to have issues with a mower I bought two years ago, it has “plastic “ carburetor. I did have to take it apart this year and rinse it out in lacquer thinner,,been fine this year. I’d guess maybe the “plastic” inhibits corrosion of parts? I don’t know, but this thread has me wondering is all.
I expect that plastic does inhibit corrosion....metal corrodes, plastic doesn't. That's one way to fix the problem!
JD Miller hit on one serious point of ethanol. It does not hold up in a vented straight to the air gas tank. I've got a 35 gallon stainless tank on the back of my 71 that has some really rotton gas in it that has turned to varnish and an F150 tank that I was thinking about running on my 48 because of it's size that smells like varnish. I use non ethanol in my small engines even though I pay a stiff price for it here.
I wonder if that was why automakers moved to plastic tanks? I’d always assumed it was a cost thing where they could save in manufacturing.
Both! They have a lot of plastics from which to choose. They can pick one that is impervious to any solvent and the jigs and tools are low-cost to produce. In the early 2000s, I had a factory turbo car that had a plastic intake manifold.
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