Ethanol Gas

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Cleveland Ohio
I used to work with someone who had a 1998
Olds with the GM 3800 V-6. I used to tell her
to stay away from Speedway and BP due to the
Ethanol content of the gas. At 72,000 Miles the
car died and the mechanic told her she didn't
have a fuel injector that was working properly
and that all 6 had to be replaced for $160.00
per injector. Has anyone else had this problem ??
We are fortunate enough that we can still buy
straight gasoline at some stations. I do not
use ethanol gas and I also run MMO on every tank
for it's lubrication properties and have never
had a problem. Just wonder if any of you have
had Fuel injector or Fuel pump problems due
to Ethanol Fuel.
 
I have a 2000 honda civic,
and I have been using 10% ethanol gas for over 5 years now, with no problems what so ever
I like the fact it burns cooler and produces less byproducts. I have two dyno e-tests to prove the difference.
once a month I will add some MMO or lucas

I actually prefer ethanol my engine seems to have a better response ????

And with these statements I am sure I'm a minority..
smile.gif
 
My mother said ethanol made her mid 80's cavalier run like crap. But other than that, no.. I've been running ethanol in my Saturn for a spell now with no ill effects..
 
Zero injector problems related to ethanol gasoline. (Bad injector design problems - thats another story) Minnesota has had Ethanol mandated by state law since the late 90's. Fuel injector problems and fuel system problems are no more prevalent here than anywhere else.

I won't stray from the topic here, but suffice to say there are plenty of other things people like to complain about running ethanol belends.
 
Ditto what Kestas said. Ethanol was not the cause of the issue with the fuel injector(s).

If only one injector had a problem, why were all 6 replaced?

I've used 10% Ethanol since the early 90's with no problems whatsoever (and a number of vehicles with 100+K miles on them. In fact, excluding my 300Z (which had injectors changed out for performance reasons) I've never had to repair or replace an injector.
 
Car manufacturers have been designing fuel system parts that are compatible with ethanol for many years, and all of them will tell you it is safe to use up to a certain percentage. There is no such thing as "pure gas." It all contains various additives for various purposes, and it's not all the same base stock. Gasoline is a mix of quite a few different things, and it's more likely that a combination of those other compounds, driving habits, and/or faulty injectors caused the problem. It's very unlikely ethanol had anything to do with it.
 
haven't experienced any mechanical problems from ethanol when i do use.

i try not to if i can' find straight gas cause otherwise i get real crappy mileage.
 
Bubba, I think her problem was not related to ethanol fuel. There are many other things that can screw up all six injectors. If ethanol fuel was the problem, I think we'd be seeing this problem wholesale in the general public.
 
If you lived in Chicago ... or anywhere near Chicago ... you'd have been using 10% ethanol gas, and nothing but 10% ethanol gas, in your vehicles for nearly 20 years now. All the gas has it: it's illegal for stations to pump gas that isn't 10% ethanol. It's been that way since I've had a license. Consequently, I've been putting it in everything I've ever driven, from a 1977 Ford LTD to my 1999 Saturn SL. It doesn't do anything to your car but drop off a few MPG. I don't like it, but it's harmless.
 
To answer two questions, 1st, ethanol AND methanol can have a degrading effect on internals. Straight from Road and Track, one particular weak point is certain types of injector pintles. Though 10% is mandated and considered okay, certain unscrupulous gas stations might add more ethanol to the tanks to save money.

To answer the second question, ethanol and methanol are considered carbon dioxide neutral since though they give off CO2 when burned, they were once plants of some sort and removed CO2 from the air.
 
quote:

To answer two questions, 1st, ethanol AND methanol can have a degrading effect on internals. Straight from Road and Track, one particular weak point is certain types of injector pintles. Though 10% is mandated and considered okay, certain unscrupulous gas stations might add more ethanol to the tanks to save money.

I guess all those flex fuel vehicles that are running on 85% Ethanol around here won't last long...heck, a good percentage of the state owned fleet runs on 85% Ethanol around here!

As long as the vehicle is designed for it, there is no problem with running Ethanol.
 
Yes, you are correct. That is one of the only differences between flex fuel and normal vehicles. Flex fuels vehicles come w/ bits in the fuel track less likely to corrode or dissolve.
 
Well guys this was a 30 yr GM Mechanic that
told her this and it wasn't one injector it
was all six as the car would barely run. Ohio is
also know to be the dumping ground for bad gas
ans stations that do use ethanol have been known
to exceed 10% as the state does not inspect gas
stations and they can sell whatever kind of
crap they want unfortunately
 
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