10% ethanol? Options

[Toyoca]

I noticed at the Citgo gas stations around me they start putting a big sticker over the pump that says "10% ethanol." My dad said to not go there anymore because of this.

So I was wondering if that ethanol is detrimental to our cars? Thanks guys.

[monky32]

i found this!!

First of all, what is ethanol? Fuel ethanol (or 'Gasohol') is a high octane, water-free alcohol produced from the fermentation of sugar or converted starch. It is traditionally used as a blending ingredient at 5% to 10% concentrations (termed E5 or E10, respectively) in gasoline or as a raw material to produce high octane fuel ether additives. Ethanol is made primarily from grains or other renewable agricultural and agroforestry feedstocks.

Ethanol has been made since ancient times by the fermentation of sugars. All beverage ethanol and more than half of industrial ethanol is still made by this process. Simple sugars are the raw material. Zymase, an enzyme from yeast, changes the simple sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide. If you use hops instead of corn, you get beer instead of fuel.

The use of ethanol does provide some benefits. First of all it is renewable. The problem with crude oil is when it's gone, it's gone. No more, finished, kaput, finis. 1 acre corn = 300 gallons of Ethanol and 400 gallons of unneeded oil imports. Ethanol is made from corn and other grown grains and when was the last time you saw a year where there wasn't any corn around? Since it contains a high amount of oxygen it makes a car engine cleaner burning resulting in a cleaner environment for us to live in. Carbon dioxide emissions are lower thus reducing ground level ozone which people with respiratory problems will be the first to tell you is a problem.

The emissions produced by burning ethanol are less reactive with sunlight than those produced by burning gasoline. This results in a lower potential for damaging the ozone layer. The use of ethanol reduces our dependance on imported oil and increases the market for farmers who grow the grains we use to produce ethanol. Now we can stop paying farmers not grow crops and use their excess production as fuel.

Of course there are some by-products of ethanol production that have to be dealt with. By-products such as corn flour, corn oil, corn meal and corn grits. Other by-products are animal feeds such as Fibrotein TM, corn gluten meal and feed and certain amino acids. Carbon dioxide is another by-product in ethanol production and is used as a refrigerant and putting the fizz in our sodas. There are no waste products when ethanol is produced from corn.

It is possible, with certain engine modifications, to run on pure ethanol. Brazil operates almost 50% of their vehicles on pure ethanol. A 10% blend requires no engine modifications at all. There is a very limited selection of vehicles offered by original equipment manufacturers that will run on 85% ethanol blended fuel.

Car owners are concerned about what effects ethanol will have on their engines and fuel systems, a valid concern. Let me take this a step at a time.

Copyright © 2000 - 2003 Vincent T. Ciulla All Rights Reserved


It sure will. At first you may need to change the fuel filter more often as the ethanol cleans out the fuel system, but once that is done fuel filter replacement will go back to normal. Sponsored Links
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Ethanol can loosen contaminants and residues that have been deposited by previous gasoline fills. These can collect in the fuel filter. This problem has happened occasionally in older cars, and can easily be corrected by changing fuel filters. Since 1985 all ethanol blended fuels and most non-blended fuels have had detergents added to them to keep fuel injectors clean and prevent deposits that could clog them.


Will adding a gas line anti-freeze cause problems?
Gas line anti-freezes are made from ethanol, methanol or isopropyl alcohol to absorb water in the fuel and keep it from freezing. That one little bottle of gas line anti-freeze is about 0.3% of the volume of a full gas tank. With a 10% ethanol blended fuel, it's 10% so it will absorb a lot more water and you'll never have to worry about a frozen fuel line. Now you don't have to worry about buying it, keeping it in the trunk and adding it to the tank when you fill up.


What about my valves?
Not to worry, ethanol burns cooler than straight gasoline helping to keep the valves cool. This is the main reason that high powered racing engines burn straight alcohol.


Will ethanol hurt my older engine designed for leaded gas?
No. The concern about older engines came about because of the lead phase-out. Lead oxides that were formed during combustion provided a cushion that reduced wear on non-case-hardened valve seats. Therefore, it is the absence of lead, not the presence of ethanol, that is of concern.


Why do some mechanics say not to use ethanol?
A mechanic who says not to use ethanol does not have correct information. There is very little information available for mechanics on fuel formulation, so when there appears to be a fuel-related problem with an engine, some mechanics will immediately ask if ethanol has been used. The only reason ethanol is suspected is that in many states it is the only gasoline component other than lead that has an identifying label. In North Dakota, New Mexico, and Idaho, ethanol proponents have offered a $100 reward to any customer who can document damage from ethanol to his or her car, and so far no one has ever collected.


Okay, what about my gas milage?
At the very worst it will be very slight. Ethanol contains 97% of the energy that pure gasoline has. But because the combustion efficiency is increased, the slight reduction in energy content is compensated for. Most users will not notice the decrease, if any, and many people have reported an increase in fuel milage.


Can I use it in my lawn mower?
No, you'll have to stop mowing the lawn every week. Only kidding, I thought I saw a few people smile at that prospect. The answer is yes, you can use the 10% ethanol blended fuels anywhere you use regular unleaded fuel. It can be used in any lawn mower, snow plow, snowmobile, ATV and any other gas powered engine. There may be some carburetor adjustment needed, so always refer to your equipments owners manual before using it.


Can I use it in diesel engine?
No, Diesel fuel and ethanol don't mix. Besides which gasoline is an octane fuel while diesel fuel is a cetain fuel.

Ethanol is a very safe fuel, if you spill it it will not contaminate the ground water. If you drink it, you'll get drunk. Although if you drink large quantities you will suffer liver damage. In fact, if you drink just about any alcoholic beverage, you're drinking ethanol in one form or another. I was hard pressed to find any down sides to the use of ethanol as a fuel. There are reports that the emissions of an ethanol burning engine can adversely effect plant life, but studies are still being conducted to prove or disprove this.

Copyright © 2000 - 2003 Vincent T. Ciulla All Rights Reserved



This post has been edited by monky32: Jun 11, 2006 - 3:11 PM