Attached is a pic of a sample Shell 91. First time sample. Please advise result.
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Shell Ethanol sample - please advise
- Thread starter inWellington
- Start date
What exactly are you asking? Seems to look like your sample has a little less than 10% ethanol in it. Is it advertised as E0 or something?
Shell 91 is no longer E0; it hasn't been for a while now.
Maybe in Canada. Down here it is all over the map. Took this last week while we were on vacation.
The water is at "Water Line," and nothing above but gasoline. Doesn't that mean zero Ethanol?
Yes, that's what I heard. However, the Shell station in Belleville ON on Dundas St has until the last couple of weeks advertised that 91 had zero ethanol. Now the label on the pump says "may contain up to 10% Ethanol." That's why I tested to see if, and how much Ethanol is in their 91. 93 is unavailable nearby.
Ok, so why is the water at the black water line and just gasoline above the water? Just as I added it at the pump. What am I not understanding here?
So you put nothing else in the vial other than the sample from the pump?
-Edit-
I didn't see the water line on the side. So you filled with water up to the line and then with the gas. So it is at 0% ethanol then from the looks of it.
dnewton3
Staff member
Important to note ...
I believe you haven't properly run the test. IIRC, the bottle must be filled near the top. There should be a line to indicate "full" or something like that. That way, the ratio of X% ethanol to Y% gas will be correct. It appears to me that the bottle isn't full, making the readings not proportional to a full bottle scale. It looks as though the liquid level is around 70%, with air above it. Is that right? Any chance you can post an image of the directions; should have come with some info in that regard? That bottle you have is pre-measured for a specific volume of water and fuel. It doesn't appear to me that you're full, meaning you didn't do it right.
If I had to guess, the lower line is the level you fill with water (what you call the "water line"). Then add gas (up to some level near the top), then shake and settle, wait, then read. Because you didn't fill the vile, the results may or may not be skewed, I believe.
Now, if the sample you have is truly 0% ethanol, then the amount of water won't change regardless how much fuel is added. So you may have lucked out and got your answer. But you only did so by hap-hazard chance. Had there been any ethanol, it would have mixed with the water and risen above the starting "water line", and your result would be inaccurate because you didn't fully fill the vile with gas. (Easy to see why ... note the "85%" mark on the vile. If you didn't add fuel above that line, how would you ever know if a sample of E85 was truly 85% ethanol .... ????) My guess is that, because the 85% is high on the bottle, you probably are supposed to fill the vile all the way into the neck. Again - did the test kit come with instructions?????
You can actually just do it with a simple graduated cylinder. Here are some examples:
https://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/How_to_measure_the_ethanol_content_of_gasoline/
https://www.delphiautoparts.com/resource-center/article/how-to-test-the-alcohol-content-of-gasoline
I believe you haven't properly run the test. IIRC, the bottle must be filled near the top. There should be a line to indicate "full" or something like that. That way, the ratio of X% ethanol to Y% gas will be correct. It appears to me that the bottle isn't full, making the readings not proportional to a full bottle scale. It looks as though the liquid level is around 70%, with air above it. Is that right? Any chance you can post an image of the directions; should have come with some info in that regard? That bottle you have is pre-measured for a specific volume of water and fuel. It doesn't appear to me that you're full, meaning you didn't do it right.
If I had to guess, the lower line is the level you fill with water (what you call the "water line"). Then add gas (up to some level near the top), then shake and settle, wait, then read. Because you didn't fill the vile, the results may or may not be skewed, I believe.
Now, if the sample you have is truly 0% ethanol, then the amount of water won't change regardless how much fuel is added. So you may have lucked out and got your answer. But you only did so by hap-hazard chance. Had there been any ethanol, it would have mixed with the water and risen above the starting "water line", and your result would be inaccurate because you didn't fully fill the vile with gas. (Easy to see why ... note the "85%" mark on the vile. If you didn't add fuel above that line, how would you ever know if a sample of E85 was truly 85% ethanol .... ????) My guess is that, because the 85% is high on the bottle, you probably are supposed to fill the vile all the way into the neck. Again - did the test kit come with instructions?????
You can actually just do it with a simple graduated cylinder. Here are some examples:
https://www.waldeneffect.org/blog/How_to_measure_the_ethanol_content_of_gasoline/
https://www.delphiautoparts.com/resource-center/article/how-to-test-the-alcohol-content-of-gasoline
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You didn't fill the vial all the way with gas it appears once you added water to the water line...isn't there a top fill-to line? What are you asking? The test result is self-explanatory on these...if you follow the directions. Looks like E0 to me even if you didn't fill the vial all the way.
Here's my test vial showing an E~27 blend I used to run.
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I have not tested the local fuels this year, I'll get going on that soon. However, I can infer real world octane using the number of knock events and MPG on my Jag (which is very sensitive to octane, but not ethanol content). It will actually go into a form of 'limp-mode' on the highway if the 93 octane is really 87. As the engine pings so much, it limits itself to 3000RPM. I always know when I get scammed.
The local Sunoco station ethanol content varies between 5% and 10%, or at least it used to. For quite a while, it hovered nearer to 5% and the fuel really worked well in all my tuned vehicles. The Shell station also runs well.
Strangely, Costco's 93 is pretty consistently bad with regard to real world octane and MPG. As is RaceTrak and Pilot.
The local Sunoco station ethanol content varies between 5% and 10%, or at least it used to. For quite a while, it hovered nearer to 5% and the fuel really worked well in all my tuned vehicles. The Shell station also runs well.
Strangely, Costco's 93 is pretty consistently bad with regard to real world octane and MPG. As is RaceTrak and Pilot.
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If your sample kit was filled to the first line with water then there is no alcohol in this sample. The alcohol will attach itself to the water and the water level will increase by the amount of alcohol. If your water level did not increase then there was no alcohol to bond with the water.
Your fuel sample is ethanol free.
Your fuel sample is ethanol free.
I'm with @dnewton3 on this one. It appears you didn't run the sample correctly.
Its also much easier if you pump gas into a small gas can then put it into the testing bottle.
This pic was early
it was aprox 6% ethanol after shaking and settling.
Note: however since the line didnt move at all.. you probably have e0.
but you have to vigorously shake it and let it settle.
Its also much easier if you pump gas into a small gas can then put it into the testing bottle.
This pic was early
it was aprox 6% ethanol after shaking and settling.
Note: however since the line didnt move at all.. you probably have e0.
but you have to vigorously shake it and let it settle.
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You are correct. The gas isn't up to the black line. I'll do the test again when next I fill up. I have some in a Jerry can, but would rather get fresh gas from the pump. Thank you for the great information!
Nice bottle. No room for error there.
All grades of fuel here are e10 regardless of who's name is on the pump.
Yes, that's the way I read it too. The reason for this post is the sticker on the pump says gasoline may have up to 10% Ethanol. Yet the test says zero, though not completely filled to the top with gas. I'll redo the text next time I'm in Belleville.
Yes, that's the way I read it too, though not filled exactly to the top with gasoline. I will post another pic at next fill up.
