Ethanol Corrosion

[cudabob496]

Just read in new Hot Rod mag that ethanol in gasoline will dissolve (corrode) carburetor aluminum (and zinc).
Solution, don't use ethanol gas, or get a carb that is designed to resist ethanol corrosion (like Holley
Ultra HPs), or use fuel additives like Driven Racing Oils, that inhibit the ethanol corrosion process.

http://www.drivenracingoil.com/dro/carb-defender-fuel-additive-case-of-6html/

[E-Body Products]

Good info!!!


Daniel
www.ebodyproducts.com

[cbrxxtreme]

Or K 100. Ethanol premium is getting more common finally in upstate NY. Hopefully the trend continues, and we can get rid of this ethanol crap!!

[Racer57]

Ethanol has been around for over 30 years. Don't believe all the doomsdays sale ads.

[Chryco Psycho]

Ethanol is very corrosive , pure ethanol can also gel inside fuel lines etc , if a car is not driven over a period of 2 weeks max it is recommended to drain & flush the entire system with gasoline

[Bullitt-]

Don't know about metal parts but there's no doubt it's hard on rubber, seen it with my own eyes little o-rings in my carb. that turn to mush in a few weeks.

[Racer57]

Ethanol is very corrosive , pure ethanol can also gel inside fuel lines etc , if a car is not driven over a period of 2 weeks max it is recommended to drain & flush the entire system with gasoline

There's a major difference between pure ethanol which no one can buy and E10 which every vehicle sold in the US for over 30 years is required to be able to use.

I have a 1979 CJ7 Jeep with a 304 V8 that has never had anything in it other than E10. It was purchased new by my Grandfather. After he died in 1984 it sat for 7 years with 31,200miles on it before I rebuilt the carb and got rid of all the pollution control crap on it.  It sits for a minimum of 10months without being started and now has 34,000 miles on it. 4 pumps of the throttle and it starts and runs perfect. 

I have never had access to pure gas so everything I've ever owned has had E10 and I've never had any issues that were caused by ethanol. Gas itself will leave a residue that has nothing to do with ethanol.

Ethanol has been in the fuel supply for over 30 years and no one ever gave it any thought until President Bush proposed boosting its usage. Then all of a sudden it became a hot topic.

[brads70]

Ethanol keeps me in business! I see it daily ! ( I repair small engine equipment) Here in Canada if you shop around you can get fuel with NO ethanol and that's what I recommend to my customers. Around here Shell premium has NO ethanol. My Challenger runs best on Shell premium. It sputters and coughs on e10 fuel.
I have found E10 goes bad quicker than straight gas(absorbs water), boils in the carb sooner , and eats fuel lines and carb gaskets. 

[cudabob496]

Ethanol keeps me in business! I see it daily ! ( I repair small engine equipment) Here in Canada if you shop around you can get fuel with NO ethanol and that's what I recommend to my customers. Around here Shell premium has NO ethanol. My Challenger runs best on Shell premium. It sputters and coughs on e10 fuel.
I have found E10 goes bad quicker than straight gas(absorbs water), boils in the carb sooner , and eats fuel lines and carb gaskets. 

I had heard all that, but until now, did not know it corroded aluminum and zinc.

[Racer57]

Ethanol keeps me in business! I see it daily ! ( I repair small engine equipment) Here in Canada if you shop around you can get fuel with NO ethanol and that's what I recommend to my customers. Around here Shell premium has NO ethanol. My Challenger runs best on Shell premium. It sputters and coughs on e10 fuel.
I have found E10 goes bad quicker than straight gas(absorbs water), boils in the carb sooner , and eats fuel lines and carb gaskets. 

Are you willing to say that carbs that have never seen ethanol have never required rebuilding ?
Don't get me wrong... pure gas does have more power and better mileage but its evils have been greatly exaggerated over the last few years.

[brads70]

Are you willing to say that carbs that have never seen ethanol have never required rebuilding ?
Don't get me wrong... pure gas does have more power and better mileage but its evils have been greatly exaggerated over the last few years.

No but they will last longer before needing gaskets etc.... I have no idea if a carb had never been used with straight gas. Usually what does in a carb on a mower is gas left too long absorbs water and corrodes . 

[cudabob496]

No but they will last longer before needing gaskets etc.... I have no idea if a carb had never been used with straight gas. Usually what does in a carb on a mower is gas left too long absorbs water and corrodes .

Ya, the Hot Rod article did seem to emphasize the real damage occurs when the ethanol gas is left too long in a carb.

[moparman82]

So living in Nebraska (land of corn) every gas station serves up at least e10, I can get 93 octane at most stations but it's still e10, that being said, my car sits a lot, sometime a month between startups, is there an additive or something I should be using to keep the ethanol from harming the car

[cudabob496]

So living in Nebraska (land of corn) every gas station serves up at least e10, I can get 93 octane at most stations but it's still e10, that being said, my car sits a lot, sometime a month between startups, is there an additive or something I should be using to keep the ethanol from harming the car

http://www.drivenracingoil.com/dro/carb-defender-fuel-additive-case-of-6html/

[Racer57]

Why does my 1979 Jeep that's never had anything other than E10 in it and is driven less than 500 miles a year show no problems with Ethanol ? Its stored in a pole building on gravel in Illinois. So it has seen some extreme temps. No fuel additives but there is a battery tender on it 24/7.