Will E15 Fuel damage your car?

Ethanol eats engine parts, gets shitty gas mileage, and our tax dollars help to sudsidiz this stupid fuel because of some slime ball lobbiests bribe some politicians who have sold their soul to the devil. Then the assholes at NASCAR tell lies about how good the shit is. I guess they have to tell those lies to keep on the right side of their corporate whores so they will keep on giving them truck loads of money for their boring "racing"("NAP"STAR). I drive 30 miles round trip to a ethanol free gas station to fill up my hot rod so it can sit idle for most of the winter. I wish those wasted gas fumes would end up in the lungs of all the above bastards. I wish the fumes from all the extra "gas" that I burn because of the shitty fuel we are stuck with at most of the area stations would go up their noses too.
I"m glad I live in the country of the free.
Instead of trying to free the rest of the world, it's about time to straighten out things here.

The short answer to your question is:
I think the "don't know what end of a screwdriver to hold" politicians will damage my cars.

 

The gas we burn is the gas they serve at the pump for us street drivers, California. Not sure what the % is. MY off topic car ( Even thrown off this site because it's a 66) with right a 10 to 1 sbc runs fine on 91-92 octaine. I have always locked the distributor because of easy starting and old racing habits. I'm old and my son wanted to put a vacume advance on the dizzy. I was worried at first, but then figuried by the time the rings were needing replacing he could do it because I'd be gone. Well he has screwed with the damn thing, has 38* at WOT and 45* at cruise without any noise (Knocking) This surprised the crap out of me. This is an iron head engine, and the plugs look great. Haven't figured the mileage yet, always stuck in some kind of traffic. But Pomona to Bell Gardens ( to see Jr. Conway) and back with stop and go traffic 1/4 tank got 14 mpg. It runs 4:10's with Gearvendor overdrive. When this car ran at Irwindale it ran 8.16 @84mph. Thats when we put the timing back in at 38* from 32* total. Everything slowed 60 ft. 330. ft. 1/8 mile but went damn near 90 mph. Guess I was spinning the tires a little. Son seems to think the alcohol is what is helping us from killing the rings. Can't argue with him, it would be wasting what breaths I have left...

 

Wait just a damn minute, I don't think that's traditional as you're encouraging HAMB'ers to use new technology to solve a problem!

 

I have used E10 for years. I have never actually seen any component damaged by this fuel. I replaced all the 10 yr old rubber hoses with ethanol safe line but saw absolutely nothing amiss with the old line any more than I'd see on a 10 yr old line with straight gas.. My old '65 ford carb has been opened up and saw no corrosion, etc that I expected from E10. Fuel mileage did go down a mile or two.

 

That is because 15% is the breaking point. At least that is what I have read as well as have been told by the GM dealer.

Chemistry is not my strong point. So I cannot give you chemical equations etc but maybe I can explain it this way.

If you are trying to survive in the rain forest and you need water that is clean enough to drink you can put one cup of gasoline in 10 gallons of water. It will kill the bacteria and what have you but it will still be diluted enough to drink without hurting you (right away), if you put two cups of gasoline in the water it is going to make you sick.

Now think of gasohol in the same fasion 10% doesn't hurt thing much right away but when you up the percentage to 15% it starts to become caustic enough that you see problems in the short term. The alhol is more diluted @ 10% then @ 15%.

 

Same thing I found...everything in my house now goes to that one station: (7) cars/trucks, (2) motorcycles, (5) sleds, and all my small engine shit...

The cars/trucks have all benefited 3-4 mpg and better power in the case of my 2500HD GMC pulling a 27' enclosed trailer...
Tom

 

Gas is for driving, alc is for drinking

 

If we don't get moisture here in the Midwest you're not going to have to worry about Ethanol anyway plus you won't be able to afford to by a hamburger !!!

 

You mean using alcohol resistant materials when available? New technology is everywhere,motor oil for example. Or are you using 60 year old oil ? How about the brake linings,asbestos has been gone for years.How many guys still using a genuine tar sealed battery?
Fuel is no different..........

 

been useing it for 30 years. NEVER had a problem

 

The question is will it damage your car? No. Was the old fuel better? probably. If I had a choice, I'd skip E85. Hell I'd like to have Sunoco 260 but it ain't around here anymore. (actually I probably would not pay the extra because regular unleaded runs just fine in my Studebaker engine) I ain't gonna buy a bunch of additives either. I'm a tight wad.

 

I had just ordered two 1950's carb. rebuilding kits from a well known US supplier. I asked him if they had newer parts that resist the 10% fuels, he said no, nobody makes older parts that resists alky.

I gues that I should have ordered a few extras to have on hand.

 

This is a pretty interesting thread. We have 2 local stations I know of that sell 100% gas - I think I'll try it for a tank or two in my daily driver (don't ask!) and compare mileage vs difference in cost. The 100% gas costs quite a bit more, but if it works out better cost per mile, pretty easy decision.
I don't envy you guys living where you have no choices.

 

Be carefull, there is a common confusion here and around the country. E85 is 85% ethanol, E15 is the topic of this thread and only 15% Eth. Big difference.

 

beaner - you are basically right. It has to do with solubility factors of materials. 10% ethanol has a different enough solubility that it's not too big of a deal in most cars. 15% ethanol (to 25%) - different story. The solubility factor is close enough to the platics / elastomers that it attacks and destroys them. If you can remember back to your chemistry, likes dissolve likes.

Unfortunately the government is fairly stupid and short sighted and although they have told us they have done a bunch of testing, they wouldn't know what to test for in the first place.

Will it hurt your vehicle? - almost certainly if it's not a Flex fuel vehicle....

 

10% I use it in my daily drivers but not in my classic....unless I have to. My queston is ...are you sure your only getting 10% or are you getting 12% or 15% even thougt its labled as 10%....I know it would be against the law...but blenders can make mistakes and then we have to live with it. Just food for thought.

 

Good question. We haul the blends to the stations. I would say that there is a 99% chance that you are getting the advertised blends. There is simply too much to lose for a station in fines for deviating. This is happening with a major class action lawsuit in Eastern SD right now. The blends were right in this case, the lawsuit had to do with something else that is not worth discussing here.

 

This summer my Toro Lawn mowers 6.5 hp engine went south from 10% ethanol gas, leaned out, holes melted in piston. I have had to rebuild my carburetor twice in thelast 3 years, gaskets & tip of needle valve dissolved, die cast aluminum body has a white film and some pitting. I have checked the float level many times and seems to very with every tank of gas (specific gravity of fuel+/- 10% ) Mileage sucks with it, car pings on acceleration.

 

zkilla396,
I ashamed to say this but my last chemistry class was in '07/'08 and I just got by, by the skin of my teeth. For whatever reason chemistry goes right over my head. I traded tutoring with as girl on an advanced physics class because she sould not grasp physics but was real quick with chemistry.

So I am at the mercy of reading what others who are better verses on the subject and those whose word I trust. I figure if the GM dealer tells me to not let the wife run E15 in her truck that is good enough for me, they are the one's who stand to profit from it if she does and it damages her truck.

I would kind of agree with Tman on this, a station or vender is liable of they are despensing a product that is not in compliance with their labeling.



I don't know how you would prove it unless it was an ongoing thing. But I would think that the people in charge knowing of their liability would want to keep a pretty close eye on it.

 

'beaner, the states have folks that test the pumps as well as the products. Usually a Dept of Weights and Measures.

 

There ya go.

Too bad they don't test for contaminants, a couple of stations with inground tanks had some seepage and destroyed some folks fuel systems.

 

It will be interesting to see where this really goes. I drove through South Dakota and MN last summer and was really surprised at the vast number of fields planted with ethanol corn, actually sign posted and labeled as such. If Monsanto is behind it you know it going to get pushed and lobbied for.

 

Yes, leaky tanks can be an issue, winter runoff can get in past ill-fitting lids. Around here most all of the stations haver newer tanks with good lids. There is only one place I would not fill up at in this area.

 

Do you think that fuel stabelizers such as Sta-Bil help counteract some of the harmful effects?

 

For all you HAMBERS out there that have outboard powered boats.
All of the makers have all ready stated that they will NOT service engine power head under guarantee damaged by the use of E15 fuel.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Yes, stabilizers work. Part of the problem tho is that the Feds have regulated the gas to a point where even the pure stuff goes to crap really fast. Many of us have fired up old barnfinds with 10-15-20 year old gas in the tank, not so now. This white dust in carbs has more to do with the crap gas than the ethanol in it.

 

All we have here in CA is E10, so far. Had to hack the OT/DD (1996 Jeep XJ) to get it back to stoich with the E10. Cost about $10 at the electronics store, plus the O2 sensor, which I have for tuning anyway. I will tweak it again when E15 hits. I already upgraded it to fluroelastomer lines and seals throughout. Since I work with alternative fuels, I have the hose and seals in bulk.

The rod will need to be re-tuned for E15, when it hits. Harm, no. It has fluroelastomer lines wherever it does not have metal ones. All of the carburetor parts are already alcohol resistant.

Adapt, or die.

 

It is not just the alcohol in the fuel that is hurting us it is the new pollution control additives. I am not sure what they are but you can sure tell a difference in performance between summer and winter gas if you are familiar with your vehicle.

Gimp (can call you that can't I?),

You may reach a point where your injectors are not big enough on that old Jeep. It takes a lot more alcohol to fuel your vehicle than gasoline, as the ehtanol content goes up so will your fuel demand.

 

I have two 99 XJ's ,and our daughter has a 97.I notice no difference in performance with pure gas or E10 that I can notice. Maybe one MP less with E10....

 

Yes, everyone else calls me that.

I just put larger "red devil" injectors in it this week!

Had to tweak it back down, for now, but I'm ready.

Mine is NOT stock, at all.