Ethanol Test

[paults1]

I just did a test to see if the Shell 92 Octane contains Ethanol.  I used a 6oz. glass bottle, filled it with water at the 1.5oz. (25%) level. Then siphoned 4.5 oz. from the gas tank, poured into same bottle & shook it up.  After a while the ethanol seperated from the gas & mixed with the water.  The water & ethanol level went to the 2oz. mark, an increase of .5oz. This is a 10% blend.
I did this test because the gas station owner told me that his Shell gas does not contain ethanol.  I became suspect after I saw a label high up on the gas pump that stated "May Contain Ethanol".  I checked our Forum for the use of ethanol blend in our 113 cars.  There does not seem to be that much concern.  However I have several older gas operated outdoor equipment, saw, weed eater & leaf blower that I know the blend is harmful to these engines fuel lines & carbs.  I looked at a web site that gives a location for non blended gasoline & the nearest one is approx. 45 miles. Living in Illinois, a corn & nanny law state, is a pain .

Regards, Paul ,63 230SL

[Benz Dr.]

What's a corn and nanny state?  And, how is ethanol harmful to small engines? We've been using that sort of fuel in everything we own for several years and I've seen zero problems.

Not that I'm doubting your experiences, but I've seen some very negative comments about ethanol lately. Most of them were made by people who know nothing about farming, corn, or the industry. 

[hands_aus]

By mistake I bought 10% ethanol blend fuel for my Briggs and Stratten 4stroke powered lawn mower.
After using it for less than 30 minutes the fuel pump diaphragm separated.
The mower would not work until the diaphragm was replaced and with correct fuel.

I now have 3.5l of ethanol fuel which I will use to kill weeds.

[tel76]

Here in the UK the FBHVC (Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs) is to test Ethanol Petrol in labority conditions for its potential damage to car engines.
It will also check the effectiveness of fuel additives designed to defeat problems associated with ethanol.
They are concerned over the bio-fuel chiefly relate to the corrosive properties of ethanol and its ability to absorb water over time,as the water is absorbed,a process known as hygroscopy takes place and the fuel becomes more acidic and thus more corrosive eating away at the component's.
Millers Oil is one of several companies that have produced neutralising additives,there technical director says " Ethanol fuel can be very aggressive to some component's on older vehicles,Aluminium,lead, copper,galvanised steel,cork,some gasket material,various rubbers and polymers are all at risk.
Modern petrol's contain 5% ethanol at present but is to be increased to 10% in 2013.
We have The Sale of Goods Act which states that items/equipment should be fit for purpose ,perhaps one of our lawyer members will inform us why it has not been use to stop this corrosive additive being used.

[Raymond]

Check out the Historic Vehicle Association's EthaNO! program for a litany of problems with E15.  www.Historicvehicle.org

It appears that modern cars and our Pagodas do okay on E10. So Bob, for the sake of the earth, PLEASE put that 3.5 litres of fuel in a car and not in the ground water.  Using petroleum for weed control is a very bad practice.  Ask a farmer.

Dan, I have to disagree with your statement that most of us who oppose Ethanol know nothing about corn or the industry.  Some of us have actually taken the time to read a good bit on the topic.  In my case, I was a proponent of Ethanol until I did some research.  First of all, burning our food to make our cars go is lunacy.  The price of corn has more than doubled since the mandating of Ethanol and, while that is good for farmers, it has contributed to the rapid rise of food prices the world over.  In today's economy, that is a very sorry state of affairs.  I can understand the economiic benefits to farmers like you, but on a global scale, there has to be a better way.

 I appreciate what Paul has done for us.  The information about the absorbtion of water by Ethanol should be a concern.  We do need alternative engergy sources but burning our food to create a product that consumes so much energy in its manufacture that it's marginally beneficial and has properties that are damaging to machines that were not designed for it, is not a long term solution.

[Benz Dr.]

Nonsense. Ethanol use has increased the price of corn maybe 25 cents a bushel, the rest of it has to do with low ending stocks and traders bidding the price up because this years crop could be a short one. It went from about $3.25 last year to about $7.00 right now. That's historically very high and I would expect that price to drop to around $4.00 once everything settles out. The average price to grow corn, which is very expensive, is probably over the $4.00 per bushel mark for most growers. I don't grow corn because I need to average about 150 bushels per acre to break even, which I can't always do.

 Millions of acres went uplanted this year. That has an effect on everything. Too many people blame the rise in the price of food on ethanol use which is really very unfair. It's the price of oil that's caused most of this increase with the associated prices for transportation that's to blame.

 Yes, I'm a farmer and you can believe that I know my industry and all the myths that your average consumer believes about a host of different subjects. For one thing, the price of food in NA has always been too cheap and it's still the lowest in the world. I never see anyone complaining with their mouth full of food though.
Most people create enough disposable income to feed themselves by the first week in February. They pay me for all of that raw material by the first week in January! Compare that to somewhere in June or July to cover all taxes you might pay. Food is not a bad deal I'd say.