How to get an old car running on ethanol?

12 January 2010 | Vanity

[MeneMeneTekelUpharsin]

My mechanic just told me the older cars (1980s) will not run properly on ethanol which has been mandated by the federal government. He said it will cause some problems with the fuel injection (my project car is a 1989 Nissan Sentra). Does anyone know of an additive to put in the gas to counteract the effects of ethanol or to remove the ethanol from the gas? Thanks for any help.

[Madistan]

Perhaps there is a gas station in your area that has unleaded, no-ethanol gas. I found one last weekend, and can tell the difference already!
FYI my car is a 2001 Subaru.

[Retired COB]

Proper combustion is only part of the problem. Ethanol damages - softens, partially dissolves - gaskets, hoses, and other parts that are not specifically impervious to it.

That's only the start of the problem. Think of all the chainsaws, hedge trimmers, weedeaters, boats, atvs, generators, welders, air compressors etc that are designed to run on gasoline.

You can use Stabil in your gasoline to help with these types of equipment when they have to sit idle for the winter, but I can tell you from experience that it is very expensive to get the fuel system on an outboard engine cleaned after this stuff gunks it up.

Find real gas if you can.

[Wooly]

I think that some people are getting ethanol and methanol mixed-up. Ethanol is safe for all gasoline motor vehicles up to 10%. Methanol, which was used early on as a gas additive will cause a lot of problems including damage to the cat and sensors.

[Tupelo]

Sta-Bil is good, but I think the iso-heet is what is doing you the most good. Sta-bil will only keep the fuel stable over a period of time. Keeps the additives in the fuel in suspension. The iso-heet helps keep the water out and water seems to be the biggest problem. something else I have found out and told my customers is: DO NOT buy their gas at small country stations if they can help it. Most bikes run premium fuel (92 octane) and the little country stations do not sell enough of that to keep the moister out of their tanks. keep a small bottle of octane booster in you saddlebags and if you absolutely have to buy fuel at a small country station, buy regular (83 octane) and add some octane booster to it.
I had one customer, an over the road truck driver that brought his Sportster in 3 times one summer. Each time the carb was plugged and the float bowl contained a milky goo. Turns out he was filling his bike with premium at a little station close to his house ( in rural Mississippi)before he left on a trip. Each time I cleaned the carb and the bike ran well. After I told him about the “little country stations” I did not see him until he needed tires. So I kinda figure the same applies to a car.

[Balding_Eagle]

I had a 1984 Honda Accord. I put a lot of ethanol blended fuel through it, no problems whatsoever. 225,000 miles and the engine was in perfect condition when I sold it. well over 150,000 of those miles was with ethanol.

My guess is that you won’t notice ethanol fuel either.

[Gator113]

My 2002 RK Classic with a 95”er, (not carb, darn), would hardly run on that crap when I got stuck buying a tank of it on a cross country run.

It was gutless and it ran hot as hell. I didn’t have any additives with me, but if I were to set out on another long trip, I would certainly carry the stuff.

I only had a thousand miles on the synthetic oil, but I changed it that night, changed the spark plugs, filled with good high test and all was good again.

I put on over 9000 miles on that month long trip, and that was the only gas I had trouble with.

[Chickensoup]

I kept my clunker and the program now has increased its worth.

Thank you Current Regime

[PilotDave]

Your fuel system may already be damaged. Ethyanoll can get the rubber seals in older cars. If you can get it running again you could go out to the local small airport and buy Avgas. It’s leaded and a little more octane than premium 93 car gas. Or you could wash the ethanol out of fuel by putting 4.5 gallons of fuel into a 5 gallon can. Then put 1/2 gallon of water into the fuel. Swish it around and then drain off the now 3/4 gallon of water off the bottom of the can. The extra amount of water is because the ethanol joins with the water.

[thefactor]

in every state? i have an 89 wrangler and havent noticed anything yet.

[MainFrame65]

I still have about 18 gallons of REAL gas for my lawnmower. At my age (70) that might be just enough....

[mrmeyer]

I believe mythbusters tested this on an old mercedes diesel in one episode. It was impressive to say the least.

[brownsfan]

“I believe you are giving wrongful advice about a subject you obviously know very little about.”

I made an assumption that the car was a fuel injected car. I own an 80s vintage car, and it’s fuel injected. I gave the advice as a guy who has turned a wrench or two. Also, I assumed the poster was referring to the gas/ethanol blend. Pure ethanol is not something I have experience with. The worst case I’ve heard of is an 80% gas 20% ethanol blend available at the pump.

I didn’t realize there was a snotty reader, who would make bigger assumptions than mine. You’re assessement of what I know or don’t know is not only arrogant, it’s ignorant.

To the poster I replied to, yes, carbureted engines will have more trouble with the ethanol BLEND. If you want to run pure ethanol, I appologize, I have no experience with pure ethanol, nor do I know where you can get that at the pump.

Perhaps, idiot-freep, oh, sorry, that’s psycho-freep, can enlighten you?

[steve86]

I have been lucky so far. A whole storage unit full of 80s motorcycles, two 80s trucks, and a 1963 outboard. No problems to report yet. I have removed float bowls on most to look for stains or accumulation but have found none. It may be that my distributor is mixing ethanol at the minimum 2% required by state law. Others say they do have the full 10%. I use Stabil also which would be expected to help. If I start to see any problem I am going to switch to 100LL for the bikes and outboard but that will be expensive. Hopefully manufacturers will come out with retrofit kits for some of the popular older carbs such as the Walbro in my Elgin.

[Frantzie]

Anyone know if that water jar and electrolysis thing works for getting better gas mileage? I think gas prices by summer will be $3.50 a gallon though we will probably all be broke by then.

[Frantzie]

Lawnmower with an 18 gallon gas tank? What is it? A freaking combine?

[thackney]

race cars (formula A) run on Methanol

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Indy cars used to run on Methanol, but now run on Ethanol.
http://www.indycar.com/tech/ethanol.php

Formula 1 cars run on Petrol (Gasoline)
http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/rules_and_regulations/technical_regulations/6852/fia.html

Most of the world is not familiar with Formula “A” racing.

[brownsfan]

I was wrong.

I haven’t encountered it here, but there are higher blends of ethanol. I was looking at E10, but researched and found E85. I know ethanol will eat your fuel system, and I know it will lower your mileage... those are facts. I honestly don’t know how bad E85 will mess up an older engine beyond the fuel system.

Clearly I’m not qualified to give advice.

And clearly psycho-freep is still snotty.

[MainFrame65]

No, it’s an old 22” Craftsman High-wheel self-propelled. The gas is in 3 large plastic gas “cans”.

[thackney]

Anyone know if that water jar and electrolysis thing works for getting better gas mileage?

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Scam.

[count-your-change]

” My guess is your mechanic is referring to the fact that ethanol really is susceptible to turning to jello when exposed to water. And the ethanol attracts moisture. I see this a lot in my business. Motorcycles that sit for a month or so just will not run.”

Water and grain alcohol turn to jello? Is that why bottles of whiskey (alcohol and water ) turn to jello? But since they don’t I would say the reason jets gum up is the gasoline additives, a problem always with gasoline that sets a while.