Ethanol hates carburetors

[So Cal Mark]

here's a link to an interesting article from "The Shop" trade magazine;
http://theshopmag.com/features/ethanol- ... arburetors

[70spider]

This might help: http://www.pure-gas.org/ I used this to find a station near me.

[AriK]

Right now in Canada there are specified retailers who still sell pure gas and that's where my Spider gets fuelled. I keep a stash of Carb Defender in case i have no other choice than to fuel up with ethanol. Eventually the inevitable will happen and it will all be E15 or worse, E85.

[djape1977]

+1 on this
ethanol eats ruber membranes and fuel hoses

[narfire]

Here, Chevron's 94 octane is ethanol free....according to the labeling. I have been filling the spider with that the past 5 years.

[njoconnor]

Eventually the inevitable will happen and it will all be E15 or worse, E85.

I'm seeing a different trend here in Wisconsin. Used to be hard to find ethanol free gasoline, but now just about every station has ethanol free premium (93 or higher). I couldn't figure out the reason for a while, but with the current low price of crude oil and comparatively higher price of ethanol, seems that taking the ethanol out of the premium allows its price to be more competitive.

I drive quite a few miles in my Federal (US) job using whatever econobox the GSA has purchased in mass quantities (currently a decidedly non-RS Focus... ); the GSA now wants us to justify NOT using E85 by comparing the price per gallon of E85 and "regular" (E15). When I filled up with E85 last week, I saw an interesting sticker on the E85 pump: "Guaranteed to be AT LEAST 51% ethanol". Price of E15 and E85 was dead even: $1.499 . Seems like they feel the need to dilute the E85 with real gas in order to stay price competitive. Fer grins and giggles, I reset the MPG meter on the Focus, and noted 27 mpg for the E85 run that day. Next day, I filled (same amount) with E15, and noted 36 mpg for the same distance. I'm aware of the reasons: alcohol has less energy content than gasoline. But a not quite 30% difference is pretty eye catching. I suspect we'll be relieved of the new requirement in short order.

As for the Fiat: E0 93 from the station down the street. I will copy Ari's stash of Carb Defender, though. Could come in handy next uptick in oil prices.

Neil

[AriK]

Price of E15 and E85 was dead even: $1.499 .

Rip off for E85. I don't know what that stuff's supposed to cost, Canada is still blessed without it (although flex fuel cars are abundant). Look who'se profiting here. Definitely not the consumer, and it's to the expense of our food supply. I guess there's a cost to "saving our world".