Posted on 03/13/2019 10:53:26 AM PDT by Signalman
E15 fuel has been certified for sale in the United States and is slowly beginning to show up at filling stations. Here's a quick rundown of what you need to know about this new fuel option.
What is E15 and why should I care? E15 is shorthand for gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol. The reason it's a big deal is that ethanol is fairly corrosive to rubber and certain metals, so it can cause damage to vital components. Ethanol also attracts and bonds with water from the air, and that water can separate out inside the tank due to phase separation. If your vehicle sits for long periods between use, the moisture settles to the bottom of the tank and can potentially clog in-tank pumps and filters. Damage is also possible in fuel lines, injectors, seals, gaskets, and valve seats as well as carburetors on older engines.
Is it really okay for my car?
This is a tricky question and the subject of a lot of hand-wringing right now. The gas you use now is often 10 percent ethanol, but some industry groups believe the higher concentration of E15 will cause problems. All cars 2007 and newer should be compatible with E15 because automakers have changed the formulation of the affected components. The EPA has certified vehicles in the U.S. fleet made in 2001 or newer, and all Flex Fuel–capable vehicles (able to use up to an 85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline mix) as E15 compatible. One study conducted at Kettering University found no remarkable degradation in fuel systems all the way back to 1995 model years. But the main issue is whether or not your vehicle will be covered under warranty for any damage caused by E15 usage, and in many cases the answer is no. GM and Ford have certified their own vehicles starting with the 2012 and 2013 model years, respectively, so some brand-new cars will have no trouble at all.
My car is older than 2001. What should I do?
Don't fill your fuel tank with E15, simple as that. Even though the new fuel is coming to market, the gasoline or E10 you fill your tank with now will still be available. There is a twist, though. At gas stations that use blender pumps (a single spout that dispenses all octanes) you'll have to purchase at least 4 gallons of E10 to insure any E15 in the hose is diluted to safe levels in your fuel tank. Fuel pumps will be required to have a 4-inch-square label warning motorists not to use the fuel for uncertified engines. With that in mind, the best advice if you have an older car is to stick to stations that have not switched over.
Will this damage my lawnmower, boat, jet ski, snowmobile, or four-wheeler?
It sure will if you don't pay attention. Generally, small engines are not designed to deal with the more corrosive E15 blend. And, as we mentioned in 2010, ethanol forms a brown goo when left in a fuel tank too long, which can clog fuel-system components. Two-stroke engines run hotter with an ethanol blend, which accelerates the potential damage. And ethanol can wreak havoc on fiberglass fuel tanks in older boats. Groups like the National Marine Manufacturers Association and Outdoor Power Equipment Institute have issued strong warnings to consumers to pay attention to their fuels or risk severe engine damage. Use a fuel stabilizer if the engine will sit for more than a few weeks without use; this will reduce the ethanol–water separation and potential gumming issues. Be careful to avoid using E15 in uncertified engines like these, at least until the subject is studied more thoroughly, and the engineering catches up to the fuel.
I was going to say, “this is old news”, then I saw the date on the article. :)
Ethanol has 60% of the BTUs of gasoline, meaning if your vehicle gets 20 MPG on gasoline it would get 12 MPG on pure ethanol.
E15 would give you 18.8 MPG.
Aside from the damage it does to your engine seals.
Ethanol is damaging to rubber components, and it draws moisture from the atmosphere - turning into corrosive compounds that damage aluminum and aluminum alloys.
Even the old E10 standard created more engine damage for small engines than bad gasoline in general.
Ethanol contains significantly less energy per liter than regular gasoline, thus even with the most advanced engine control computers, fuel economy is less than with straight gasoline. The higher the Ethanol content, the more impact it has on mileage.
Considering that E10 is not advised for most small engines - how much more so is it a problem at E15 concentrations?
In your automobile - most are “certified” for up to E10 (and even then, the long-term impact is not particularly good). E15 exceeds the ratings and testing of most E10 compatible vehicles.
The lower energy per liter (or BTU value) - mean that the fuel cost savings (which almost nobody actually sees anyway) is lost in the increased consumption.
They should stop putting alcohol in fuel period.
It was sold to the public in the beginning as a way to ‘stretch’ our fuel dwindling supplies, which now is bogus, with fracking making us a net oil exporter.
Alcohol is not for everyday use as a fuel.
Stretching fuel supplies by adding alcohol is like stretching your ground beef supplies by adding filet mignon.....................it’s stupid!...................
This is a hoax that must be stopped!
But the corn lobby is powerful..................
1st rule of civilization:
Don’t burn your food.................
The fix for this one particular ethanol problem is easy. Treat your tank to some Pri-G.
PRI-G is great stuff. Not only will it keep your gas fresh and burn more efficiently, but will also restore gasoline which has spoiled with the smell of varnish. I tried it on some bad gas and it did restore it with varnish smell gone. If you have lost the light ends it won’t recover those.
PRI-D for diesel. All Freeper Prepers should have some on hand.
Ethanol is just sawdust in the hamburger. All because of Iowa’s unmerited position in the Presidential primaries.
I swear by it. I overdosed some 5 gallon containers of gas 5 years ago and I’m still using it in my car, snow blower, mower. No worries.
Way too powerful.
I’ll check it out.
Thank you.
This is just like food stamps.
Once they got the Agriculture Lobby on board, there was no turning back.
Why in the hell this continuing catering to ADM and agribusiness unless it is Massive corruption at the expense of the entire United States.
Bingo..................
Global cooling will cause a food shortage within 10 to 20 years. Good by ethanol.
But Global Warming will kill us all before that happens.................
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