January 1 Connecticut is switching gasoline additives from MTBE to Ethanol. Will the incorporation of ethanol into the gasoline require rejetting of the carb to maintain gas milage or performance. Are there any other traits that might show up such as increased combustion temperatures or the need to alter timing.

 

Our Sunoco gas contains up to 10% ethanol. I didn't worry about that small amount. My timing and jetting remains the same.

 

Colorado has been running ethanol in the gas for several years. One word: It bites. (Okay, that's 2 words, but you get the idea).

There are several problems with running ethanol in gasoline. The most noticable is the fact that ethanol has fewer BTUs per gallon than gasoline, which means that you have to burn more of it to get the same power. In other words, gas mileage will be down, and power will be down.

The other problem is that ethanol has a higher vapor pressure than gasoline. This means that it will vapor lock easier, and it will boil in your carb at a lower temperature.

Ethanol is also very nasty stuff when it comes to original rubber hoses: It will cause them to become brittle and crack out. Nissan (the '85-'88 300ZX) had a problem with this, and the cracked rubber o-rings used in their injectors as a result of the ethanol fuel caused a bunch of 300ZXs to burn to the ground (not really a bad thing...) before they recalled them to replace all rubber fuel system parts. I suggest you replace all rubber fuel system hoses with ethanol-compatible rubber.

But ethanol effectively has a higher octane rating than gasoline, so the gas companies can reduce the amounts of octane additives in the fuel to make the gas even worse than it already is.

Finally, ethanol absorbs water. If you live in a humid area you will run into problems with long-term storage using the ethanol fuels.

Other than that, the stuff is great. The corn-growers' lobbyists are making tons of money off of it.

 

:iagree:

Everything lars said except add 50% irritation. They force it on us every November, and you can immediately see a huge drop in any car's gas mileage and power. The requirement is for 10% here in CO, but I've started seeing stations with 15 - 20% now, and some are continuing the fuel through the summer which creates hugh problems with vapor lock.

Another irritating thing is that recently published articles state that no one can positively prove that ethanol helps reduce pollution through "oxygenation" of the gas. So all of this is expensive and is no help at all.

Finally, I've also read that it takes 2 gallons of gas to produce a gallon of ethanol...think about it...

 

When purchasing new rubber fuel lines how do I tell if the product is compatable with ethanol. Is there an ASTM number for the correct fuel line. I am sure the person behind the counter at the auto parts store won't have a clue if they are selling me the correct line.

 

Now take the ethenol gas and add the oxyigenated gas used in the so called pollution cities, like Chicago, St. Louis, Phoenix and you get some real poor stuff. Leaves deposits on the valves and more varnish inside the carbs.

 

It will also clean out a lot of varnish and junk out of your fuel tank and lines. Be prepared to change out fuel filters often until the stuff rinses out all of the gunk.

 

If memory serves me right (hasn't been good lately :lol: )
I was asked to sign a waver back in the early 80's when I went to fill up at a station up here. it was a liability waver that they weren't liable if my gaskets and fuel lines break down. :crazy:

Steve :steering: