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No, myth, it is a harsher fuel. Ive personally seen and repaired the damage may many times.
Ethanol eats away at several of the materials used in fuel systems as well as limiting the ability of lubrication to do its job well, even in ethanol prepped vehicles.
read the rest of my posts in the two threads on this subject. i have pointed out the issues, and the corrections for those issues. ethanol proof fuel lines dont deteriorate in the presence of ethanol, and brass float dont get damaged, and neither do steel needle valves. ethanol is not the boogyman fuel the opposition makes it out to be. as i said i have worked with alcohol fuels for more than thirty years.
read the rest of my posts in the two threads on this subject. i have pointed out the issues, and the corrections for those issues. ethanol proof fuel lines dont deteriorate in the presence of ethanol, and brass float dont get damaged, and neither do steel needle valves. ethanol is not the boogyman fuel the opposition makes it out to be. as i said i have worked with alcohol fuels for more than thirty years.
OK, so it's not as bad as we think it is.
Do you think it's good?
Are you a proponent of Ethanol?
once again people buying into the opposition bull crap. yes ethanol does reduce fuel economy, that is a given. and the reason is that it paccks less BTU potential than gasoline does.
and yes ethanol can degrade fuel system components in older cars that have not been upgrade to ethanol proof fuel system components. these days however fuel line is generally all ethanol proof, the good carb rebuild kits are made for dealing with ethanol, and companies that build and sell carburettors use ethanol proof components in their carbs, unlike the old days. there are still people that buy the cheap carb kits to rebuild their own carbs, and buy the cheap tomco junk and then wonder why they still have issues, they would even with straight gasoline.
Yes, you can prep to use this much harsher fuel. That doesn't change the fact that it can degrade components and is less efficient.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbohm
read the rest of my posts in the two threads on this subject. i have pointed out the issues, and the corrections for those issues. ethanol proof fuel lines dont deteriorate in the presence of ethanol, and brass float dont get damaged, and neither do steel needle valves. ethanol is not the boogyman fuel the opposition makes it out to be. as i said i have worked with alcohol fuels for more than thirty years.
No boogy man, just the fact that it is a harsher less efficient fuel. You seem to understand that fact, yet continue to argue the point?
OK, so it's not as bad as we think it is.
Do you think it's good?
Are you a proponent of Ethanol?
Not bad or good, just a different fuel with its own qualities, pros and cons.
One of the cons is that vehicles built prior to it being common can be severely harmed by this fuel and return less mpgs.
"Besides reduced mileage, ethanol aggressively attracts water, which leads to poor driveability and other issues. Ethanol is also corrosive to some metals and rubber, and while an oft-cited issue in the ethanol debate, the corrosion problem doesn't seem to show up much in the modern automotive sphere, but along with water absorption is a real issue in classic car, marine, outdoor and aviation arenas. For these reasons, a lawsuit against the ethanol mandate has been filed by some auto and boat makers, plus outdoor equipment companies."
"Cutting gasoline with ethanol is said to reduce gasoline consumption for a reduction in greenhouse gases and lessen dependence on imported oil, plus ethanol is considered a renewable resource. But even if true, the argument that ethanol saves gasoline is a tough sell when consumers see their fuel mileage drop, and the debate continues on how much water and energy it takes to produce ethanol in the U.S., so it is unclear whether ethanol is energy positive, or even neutral."
Not bad or good, just a different fuel with its own qualities, pros and cons. One of the cons is that vehicles built prior to it being common can be severely harmed by this fuel and return less mpgs.
OK, so it's not as bad as we think it is.
Do you think it's good?
Are you a proponent of Ethanol?
i dont think it is good or bad, just different. do i like it? yes i do. you can use it to boost octane levels, and when properly tuned to take advantage of the added octane, engines run better with more power, and the loss of fuel economy is mitigated somewhat. and there in lies part of the problem, too many people think that just because you can burn it as a fuel it is a direct replacement for gasoline, and it isnt. but add compression, more timing, and get the a/f mixture right, and engines respond nicely to using alcohol as a fuel.
the tune up is the key though, and most people forget that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Floorist
From Road and Track magazine
"Besides reduced mileage, ethanol aggressively attracts water, which leads to poor driveability and other issues. Ethanol is also corrosive to some metals and rubber, and while an oft-cited issue in the ethanol debate, the corrosion problem doesn't seem to show up much in the modern automotive sphere, but along with water absorption is a real issue in classic car, marine, outdoor and aviation arenas. For these reasons, a lawsuit against the ethanol mandate has been filed by some auto and boat makers, plus outdoor equipment companies."
"Cutting gasoline with ethanol is said to reduce gasoline consumption for a reduction in greenhouse gases and lessen dependence on imported oil, plus ethanol is considered a renewable resource. But even if true, the argument that ethanol saves gasoline is a tough sell when consumers see their fuel mileage drop, and the debate continues on how much water and energy it takes to produce ethanol in the U.S., so it is unclear whether ethanol is energy positive, or even neutral."
yeah i am going to listen to a bunch of writers who get their information from others, and base their opinions on their own biases towards things. remember these are the guys that complained about how bad american cars were for years, and how bad rear wheel drive was for years, and they praised front wheel drive. sorry, but while they are entertaining the read, i dont look to them for technical advice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Speleothem
It's death to lawn equipment.
granted. the problem there though is that often times lawn equipment sits around with dead fuel in their tanks for months at a time, and even with gasoline they have issues being brought out for the next season of lawn care.
Agreed. Adding in a little two stroke oil can help combat these issues for a temporary fix, when a proper replacement for ethanol based fuels cannot be sourced.
Agreed. Adding in a little two stroke oil can help combat these issues for a temporary fix, when a proper replacement for ethanol based fuels cannot be sourced.
the proper thing to do with lawn equipment is to drain the tank after each use, and refill it when you plan to use the equipment again, especially if it is going to sit for the winter. but too many people get lazy in that respect, and there in lies the problem there.
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