I just noticed a little sign on the pump at my friendly Texaco station that reads: Contains 10% Ethanol. What's going on? Can that make trouble for the fuel system?

 

No big deal, just less fuel mileage and ethanol (alcohol) will absorb water while in storage & while being transported which can be bad for your fuel system. Particularly cars that are not driven a lot.

For those guys that have nitrous and if it causes their fuel solenoid to stick they will not be a happy camper. Not to mention what it might do to the AFR on a car with a tune.??

Rules vary from state to state. Some are mandating 10% ethanol. The lobbyists have convinced the legislators who are for the most part clueless about the subject, that ethanol will save us from the oil/energy cricis. Which about like you trying to pee on a bondfire.

Be glad it is labled where you are. Here they even repealed the law that said the pumps had to be labled. So we don't have a clue what we get. The pumps used to have to be labled. I just talked to a trucker today who delivers gasoline to the stations. Almost every load that goes out in this metropolitan area has 10%.

The corn farmers love it. They get more for their crop while it pushes up the price of corn for it's other uses also. So you get to pay more for your fuel and go less distance on a gallon of gas. Now ain't that just dandy???

Ask your legislators what the heck they were thinking?? Oh yeah I forgot they got a free dinner or something from the lobbysts. Why should they care what happens.

 

Thank you Terry s for your comprehensive yet disturbing reply....

 

its everywhere its everywhere....
no issues other than lower HP and lower fuel efficiency and higher cost...

 

Interesting

 

Approx half the state now have either a total or partial ban on MTBE, which was the oxygenater and octane boost of choice when unleaded fuel replace leaded. MTBE has been found in ground water and this is the reason for the ban. Ethanol is the replacement for MTBE.

Even if you live in a state like Texas which does not have a ban on MTBE you still may get the 10% formula. Some refiners have moved away from MTBE for fear of lawsuits. Valareo being on of them.

 

I am lucky, in WI it's law that the pumps have to be marked if it has ethanol or not. All of the BP stations around me have the 87 and 89 octane marked that it contains up to 10% ethanol and have the 93 octane pumps marked as containing "100% Gasoline". I solely use BP in all my cars because I get 5% cashback with my BP card, plus I feel, along with Shell V Power, that it's better gas.

Ethanol from corn is the biggest waste of time/money/resources.

 

10% Ethanol = almost 10% lower gas mileage.

 

An interesting read for you:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=2120653

 

Modern cars can run on 10% ok. It even says so in the owner's manual. However time will telll about the effect of moisture (water) being absorbed into the fuel and damage to fuel systems where the fuel is old or the vehicle sits without being driven for a length of time.

 

The BP I go to did not have the pumps marked until yesterday I went there and there is no label on the 87 & 89 pumps but on the 92 pump the sticker said 100% gasoline. (Yes 92 no 93 here. In fact only BP has 92 everyother brand is 91

However you never know what you are getting. I used to check for ethanol when I filled up. One time I found ethanol in the gas at my BP station. I talked to the owner about it. He was not happy. He showed me the bill of lading saying 92 octane and no ethanol. He had spent a bunch of money having his 92 tank & system cleaned as it was not designed for ethanol. So he was worried what it would do to his tank etc. Who knows what happened. Maybe the driver put the wrong gas in his tank from one of the compartments on the truck or maybe they put the wrong gas in the truck at the terminal.

 

We ain't seen nuttin yet. Wait until the truck driver dumps a load of 85% into a regular tank. And you get that stuff in your car.

 

Here in So. Cal. they have been doing it for years. I have had no ill effects in my cars.

 

In Arizona, oxygenated gasoline (a blend of gasoline which an oxygenate, typically Ethanol or MTBE is added) is generally used only in metropolitan Tucson during the winter (October through March). The Government has imposed this on us for many years now. I really don't perceive the value in this but other than the higher cost, I haven't noticed any ill effects.

 

Thank you --very interesting. I waited longer than most to get my Corvette. Now they want to spoil all the fun--damn.... Thanks again.

 

While it may not effect many Vette owners, this 10% thing is killing motorcycle and ATV owners. We've seen an unbelievable rise in bad fuel over the last year or so. Most recently with all the bad weather water beds at stations are being tapped and more and more fuel is getting compromised. I really can't stress how bad it has gotten lately.

 

Here in VA we've had it for a while now. I wish I could find a local station without it.

 

It's no big deal. We have had it in the NE for over 5 years. Getting 10% less mileage is bunk, a little less yes, but not 10%. Also the ethanol is mixed with the gas just before delivery to the stations so contamination is not a problem. We have to use it in all cars including my '62, '00, and '09 Corvettes with zero problems.

 

Ethanol from corn is the biggest waste of time/money/resources.[/QUOTE]




Some time people see a problem and come up with a solution that does not really fix the problem but they feel better anyway because something was done.

It is this kind of thought process that kept us in the stone age for so long, unfortunately some of the genes have survived and been passed on. "Hey You, Out of the Gene Pool Now!!!

Douglas in Green Bay

 

All of ours say "may contain up to 10% eth".