Filed Under: News
RIGHT NOW: There is no definitive citable paper available yet that clarifies the problem of ethanol in petrol for old vehicles. What seems to be clear is that 5% ethanol in petrol has not proven to be a significant issue in old cars that are used regularly. The problems so far encountered seem to be related to long periods of non-use where the ethanol separates from the petrol and absorbs water resulting in a corrosive mix lying at the bottom of the fuel tank often resulting in tank perforation and fuel leaks — a serious fire risk. Starting up such vehicles can be problematical. It seems that petrol with 10% or higher ethanol leads additionally to degradation of elastomer/rubber fuel lines (Ford and VW had huge problems with this in Brazil some decades ago). Marine and aircraft manufacturers generally advise against ANY ethanol being used in their craft. There seems to be a body of evidence growing that ethanol corrodes zinc, brass, copper, aluminium and lead in addition to denaturing elastomer/rubber components. Ethanol vents off at altitude and can cause icing in carburettors. In April 2008 the German environmental minister cancelled a proposed 10% ethanol fuel scheme citing technical problems for older cars. The majority of cars produced before 2000/2004 is not E10 compatible.
THE FUTURE: 5% ethanol in petrol (common now in Ireland) has not YET proven to be a major issue in older vehicles that are used regularly. The German government considers 10% ethanol mix to be unsafe for older vehicles, and so have continued to permit petrol sales with much lower ethanol levels. The conservative position for old vehicles seems to be that ethanol is unsafe at levels over 5%. There is a high probability that ethanol will reach 10% in petrol after 2013, although 5% ethanol may be simultaneously available alongside it for a time. It seems certain that the minimum level of ethanol in petrol will be 10% from 2020, and that the actual level may be as high as 20%. It is clear that many old vehicles will need to have fuel system components changed to materials that are not affected by ethanol. Carburettors may need re-jetting, and adjustments may be required to ignition timing.
You can measure the amount of ethanol in your petrol like this:- On a tallish clear glass bottle make a permanent line about two inches from the bottom. Fill with water to this line, then fill the bottle to the top with petrol. Put the lid back on tightly and shake the bottle well. Leave it to stand until it settles fully. Ethanol mixes with water and the two will separate out together as a single liquid phase at the bottom of the bottle. If the level of this mixture is higher than the mark to which you filled the water then the fuel contains ethanol. Super Grade petrol from Texaco/Chevron contains no ethanol, and this may be the case for other suppliers also.
Remember, ethanol as a fuel is of lower efficiency than petrol, and there is evidence that its use may be more polluting than the the petrol it replaces.
Article taken from IVVCC website www.ivvcc.ie
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| VSPe Power Plus |
| RECOMMENDED FOR: ALL CLASSIC ENGINES PREVIOUSLY REQUIRING LEADED FUEL AND NOW RUNNING ON UNLEADED FUEL • Adds up to 2 octane numbers (20 points) to unleaded fuel • Prevents valve seat recession when used with unhardened valve seats • Prevents detonation, hot spots & running on • Prevents fuel system corrosion/helps protect components • Combats the adverse effects of ethanol in fuel • Carburettor anti-icing formula • Contains anti oxidant to improve fuel life |
| VSPe |
| RECOMMENDED FOR: ALL CLASSIC ENGINES PREVIOUSLY REQUIRING LEADED FUEL NOW RUNNING ON UNLEADED FUEL AND WHERE AN OCTANE IMPROVER IS NOT REQUIRED • Prevents valve seat recession when used with unhardened valve seats • Combats the adverse effects of ethanol in fuel • Prevents fuel system corrosion/helps protect components • Carburettor anti-icing formula • Contains anti oxidant to improve fuel life |
| EPS |
| RECOMMENDED FOR: REBUILT CLASSIC ENGINES / VEHICLES WITH HARDENED VALVE SEATS PREVIOUSLY REQUIRING LEADED FUEL AND NOW RUNNING ON UNLEADED FUEL AND WHERE AN OCTANE IMPROVER AND LEAD REPLACEMENT IS NOT REQUIRED. • Combats the adverse effects of ethanol in fuel • Prevents fuel system corrosion/helps protect components • Carburettor anti-icing formula |
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