Truth at the pump - Ethanol.

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Are there any existing laws that REQUIRE gas stations to notify consumers if the gasoline being served contains up to 10% Ethanol? (basically, not "100% gas"). Or is it just a "nice gesture" for them to notify?

I'm seeing some flakiness in my state and I think one entire town sells nothing but ethanol, but the gas stations don't post stickers at the pumps. Part of what makes me curious is that EVERY station in the entire town has the same gas price for all tiers (87, 89, 91) (except 1 or 2 that strictly advertise 100% gas). These stations are composed of Valero, Conoco Phillips, and I think CITGO. The Valero stations do not post any stickers about ethanol on the pumps, while some of the CP ones do.

So far, I've been filling up at stations that advertise 100% gas, but even then I'm not sure if I'm being shafted.

How about a law that you can only post a sticker if the gas is 100% verified ethanol-free? That would make it clearer since you would know which stations to target.
 
I dunno. I would assume it would be law.
FWIW, I live in Iowa the mud...er...corn state and have used ethanol almost exclusively since the mid-1980s. The reason is, here it's the cheapest, and the freshest--it turns over much faster because of the price. No problems to report.
 
Depends on the state, Tx has the requirement to post the stickers w/ certain wording, don't know about OK, but much of OK does not have the requirement making ethanol mandatory, just around OKC and Tulsa if at all.
You can look up the statutes for your state and see what they say, relevant ones are likely to be under the Dept. of Agriculture.
 
You can tell just by smelling the nozzle after you use it.

I look like a dork doing this, but I know for sure, instead of just guessing because of the "may" contain ethanol sticker.
 
Most of Jersey is 10% ethanol. I hate it personally, truck gives a funky smell with it. Never have the issue when running with 100%.
 
Originally Posted By: Anies
Most of Jersey is 10% ethanol. I hate it personally, truck gives a funky smell with it. Never have the issue when running with 100%.
I don't notice any difference with/without it. ?!?
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Originally Posted By: GROUCHO MARX
In NY I think the pump states that the fuel "may contain up to 10% ethanol".

It doesn't necessarily have to have 10% ethanol.



That's the problem! The wording is too vague! The stickers need to reflect the opposite condition, being "This pump does NOT contain Ethanol".

While gas was cheap these last few months, the 7-11s in OK (separately owned from the national franchise) posted 2 different stickers. When gas was hovering around 1.50-1.60/gal, they had stickers that said "WE WILL NOT USE ETHANOL UNLESS WE CAN SAVE YOU MONEY". A month or so later, the stickers said "DOES NOT CONTAIN ETHANOL". Well, now they are back to "May Contain Up to 10% Ethanol".

I'm sorry to get my panties in a wad about this, but if this mostly political feel-good legislation is going to be forced onto me, at least find a way to word the stupid stickers so I don't have to GUESS if I'm getting my entire dollar's worth (whatever that may now be).

A couple rogue stations here now have banners or marquees that say "100% Gas" and are usually priced <.10 higher than ethanol stations, but I'm not sure if we have some third party group to verify these claims.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Originally Posted By: Anies
Most of Jersey is 10% ethanol. I hate it personally, truck gives a funky smell with it. Never have the issue when running with 100%.
I don't notice any difference with/without it. ?!?
21.gif



I dunno, even when I put Techron in the tank it smelled different. My Impala never did it, my TC had the funky smell too with Ethanol and the use of any cleaner(regardless of gas type). I want to say it smells like Ammonia but it doesn't. Only with Ethanol gas though(Shell), i usually goto my friends gas station which is typically 100%(independant, so he shops around).
 
All pumps should have a digital display linked to a sensor in the underground tanks with instant reading of ethanol content in %.

Then, the consumers would decide which grade of fuel they use after monitoring the ethanol content at that particular station.

I know, I'm dreaming...
 
Originally Posted By: GROUCHO MARX
In NY I think the pump states that the fuel "may contain up to 10% ethanol".

It doesn't necessarily have to have 10% ethanol.


Its the same thing in Texas. Until a few weeks ago most pumps were close to 100% gas because ethanol was more expensive so they werent always blending it in. Now that gas is going up I expect more places are seeing some ethanol in the blend.
 
Did you hear a week or two ago on one of the national TV news broadcasts that the federal government is now contemplating increasing ethanol content in gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent! Some say 15 percent is too much and will lead to corrosion. I personally don't know.
 
Drew2000 (or anyone in the know), do the ethanol testing kits sold at Fuel-Testers actually work? The kits are suppose to tell you the percentage of ethanol in your gasoline, too, not just the presence of ethanol.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Built_Well
Drew2000 (or anyone in the know), do the ethanol testing kits sold at Fuel-Testers actually work? The kits are suppose to tell you the percentage of ethanol in your gasoline, too, not just the presence of ethanol.


I got one, they work as far as I can tell. I tested gas from a pump that had ethanol in in, according to the pump and gas from a station that claimed to have no ethanol. I got it off of ebay for cheap. It is a test tube with a sticker on it, you fill up water to the marked line and fill up gas to the other marked line, cap and shake, and let it sit for 1 min. This is nearly impossible to do at the pump, and can be messy.
 
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