[mcalvert_350]

so now that our gasoline is plagued with ethanol ive been wondering how i can make sure it does not adversely effect my truck, jeep, motorcycle, lawn equipment etc. i heard an ad on tv for a product by stabil which helps prevent the ethanol from attracting water and damaging bearings, seals etc. all i know is what i read on the package and the quality and popularity of stabil's fuel stabilizers as a testament to their know-how. i have tried to find info which proves it to work as its kind of expensive if you are adding it to ALL of your fuel. i dont want to waste money on something if i cant prove it to be effective. any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[theholycow]

Stabil is great if you're storing gas for a long time (>3 months). I don't see a need for it in fresh gas that you plan to use soon.

Ethanol isn't hurting everyone else's trucks/bikes/mowers, why do you think it's going to hurt yours? It's not new, it's been standard for years around here.

 

[mcalvert_350]

Stabil is great if you're storing gas for a long time (>3 months). I don't see a need for it in fresh gas that you plan to use soon.

Ethanol isn't hurting everyone else's trucks/bikes/mowers, why do you think it's going to hurt yours? It's not new, it's been standard for years around here.

its not AS bad for newer stuff, but ethanol attracts water and is a solvent without the lubricants which straight gasoline contains. anytime you shut off your engine and your valves/combustion chambers are stripped of the oils in gasoline and are introduced to moisture, you get corrosion, therefore it is harder on everything in comparison to 100% gas. youre right it may not might have an immediate effect, but over time its gonna take its toll on everything. i never really consistently travel far and ive heard gas mixed with eth. turns to shit in a matter of weeks because of the moisture attracted by the alcohol and the separation that takes place.

this is a new thing to my area. the pumps say 10% which is approved by pretty much all new/fuel injected auto owners manuals, but ive heard in some places like N.Y. its not uncommon to find stations which have the same sticker on the pump, but when tested turns out to be 30-40% which will wreak havoc on older carbed engines.. seriously.

 

[Denaliano]

this is a new thing to my area. the pumps say 10% which is approved by pretty much all new/fuel injected auto owners manuals, but ive heard in some places like N.Y. its not uncommon to find stations which have the same sticker on the pump, but when tested turns out to be 30-40% which will wreak havoc on older carbed engines.. seriously.

It's true.

http://www.gmfullsize.com/forum/showthread.php?t=98107

 

[theholycow]

Well, take it from someone who's been running it for 6 years. My truck has at least 150,000 miles on E10, no problem (184,000 miles total).

The solvent quality would help keep stuff clean and free of deposits. Whatever the theory, in practice there's just no problem. Nobody adds Stabil to fresh E10 and nobody has any problems that can be blamed on E10.

It's new to you, but it's not new to people in other places and it seriously is just not a worry, most people never knew they were using it and never knew the difference.

My carbureted 1980 Buick has E10 that's 4 years old in it. I start it a few times per year and drive it around the block to prevent it from rotting more. It starts and runs the same on 4 year old E10 as it did on fresh gas with MTBE.

Really, just don't worry about it.

 

[FarmTruk]

Dude...don't sweat the E10. It's been around since 1978 (see "Energy Tax Act of 1978"). Millions of cars/trucks have acted as a test bed for you with the hundreds of billions of miles they've put E10 thru.


It will not cause any engine/fuel system issues.

 

[davenorr84]

Dude...don't sweat the E10. It's been around since 1978 (see "Energy Tax Act of 1978"). Millions of cars/trucks have acted as a test bed for you with the hundreds of billions of miles they've put E10 thru.


It will not cause any engine/fuel system issues.

:word: I use 2 yr old E10 in my snowblower and powerwasher with no probs whatsoever

 

[MeanGreenZ71]

I wouldnt worry about it that much. I would worry about old gas in general more.

 

[Fleeingpepper]

The only thing that goes in mine is real gas for the (very) slight mileage and power gain

 

[1996 Yukon]

ethanol in theory burns faster, correct? idk how that would compare with the 10% blend, but dont some people use E85 for a poor boys race fuel?

 

[08RCSB]

It has a higher resistance to detonation. It's over 100 octane.

Don't worry about ethanol blend at all like everyone said, it's not new.

Side note I just ran E85 in my truck last week for the first time and my DIC said 17.1 MPG before I filled and after 1 tank it dropped to 13.9 MPG. :nonojest: it was only 30 cents per gallon less too.

 

[theholycow]

If your truck isn't flex-fuel, it's not made to work with E85. Ignition timing would be wrong and such.

Ethanol has less energy content than gasoline so even in a properly designed engine it won't get any better fuel economy. At best it would probably come out even; it's got less energy but with its higher octane it could possibly be extracted more efficiently.

 

[08RCSB]

That's the thing, my truck is flex fuel. I wasn't expecting that much of a drop in mileage. Not worth it by a long shot, especially at just a 30 cent discount. That's my opinion Rick what's you'res?

 

[theholycow]

That's probably about right, then.

E85: 80,000 BTU
Gasoline: 124,800 BTU

E85 has 35% less energy than gasoline, but you didn't lose 35% of your fuel economy so you did well.

 

[08RCSB]

That's probably about right, then.

E85: 80,000 BTU
Gasoline: 124,800 BTU

E85 has 35% less energy than gasoline, but you didn't lose 35% of your fuel economy so you did well.

Yes your right. Oh well, it was fun to try, the exhaust smells funny when using it. One full tank got me from San Antonio to home and going down it took about 5/8 of a tank.

I wouldn't use it again, but we don't have it up here really, so I just figured I'd try it since I do have the capability.

 

[theholycow]

Yes your right. Oh well, it was fun to try, the exhaust smells funny when using it. One full tank got me from San Antonio to home and going down it took about 5/8 of a tank.

Argyle is at a higher elevation. Google says 50' difference, but of course your actual home and destination may differ.

I think you did quite well, all things considered.