Is ethanol OK for sharks?
 

On our recent road trip to SATL I was surprised to see a "10% Ethanol" sticker on the pump when we filled in central Oregon. The kid pumping gas said that it was required statewide by law, and that the other western states would be following suit by summer.

Setting aside politics, is there any downside to running 10% ethanol in a 928? I understand that ethanol has a lower energy content and mileage will drop (in fact we lost about 1mpg on that tank as far as I can determine, given the varied altitude and average speeds). And I understand that smaller amounts of ethanol are used to boost octane. But are there any detrimental effects to the 928's fuel hoses, injectors, etc?

For the return trip we filled before leaving Calif and easily made it across Oregon without stopping. :D

Thanks, Jim

I may be wrong, but I don't think 10% will hurt anything. I have read that at 20% and above ethanol will collect water and this can harm parts. i hate having to buy it. My favorite BP station just put the sticker on their pumps.

The engine will run fine but you may find that the alcohol dissolves rubber parts in your fuel system.

I do not know why the US subsidises ethanol and consequently exports hunger to the poorer parts of the world, i am sure there are good reasons.

marton

Ah... why'd ya have to go and get all geo-political on us Marton? Hell, we've been exporting cigarettes for 350 years to kill everyone so we could have all the oil to ourselves but that didn't work and nobody bitched about it until the last 15. If you guys'd hurry up and get the supercollider working, we can all burn trash just like in Back to the Future.

Let's see... we plug the flux-capacitor + wire into the L-Jet right here.....

You will also notice a decrease in the MPG. Alcohol is nowhere near as efficient as good ol' gasoline.

Probably up to abouty 25% will be okay. The reason thats the limit on the stock car (My 78 will burn up to 100% ethanol, its a great high boost/high hp fuel - the world's starving poor be damned - we are not the world's bread basket) is because of the fuel tank. Its 30 year old plastic technology. The ethanol will soften and may even crack it with tempature changes or vibration. The fuel lines are lined I believe, I mean the hard lines, and the rest need to be NOT rubber. It will not disolve before your eyes, as ethanol is not corrosive - its just that the chemical properties are such that it soaks into rubber and takes it apart slowley.

Didn't they sell any 928's in Brazil?

Dan
'91 928GT S/C :eek:

Only if it's ethanol made out from fishes.

Oh, that. I knew there was some other issue ... :icon107:

So Brendan, if ethanol eats rubber (and plastic) slowly, and less ethanol presumably eats it more slowly, does it not make sense to avoid as much as possible? Or is there some threshhold like 25% below which there is no effect at all? I hate the thought of my nice new (rubber) fuel lines turning to black goo, however slowly....

Thanks, Jim

Nearly ALL current gasoline in this country has at least 10 percent ethanol. Its 108 octane. Its oxygenated - and way cleaner than MTBE, which was used in California until the idiots figured out a drop of it in a million gallons makes it undrinkable (mTBE).

10% will not do anything worse that the amount of toluene and benzene in that same gas sitting in your 30 year old plastic tank. More than that wouldn't do any harm in short bursts.

That said, your point is valid. Cars before around 1999 are not really made for very much ethanol at all. But its not the end of the world. It will not destroy your engine, cheat with your wife, steal your children or make you impudent, which is the way it seems if you read certain items on the "innernet"

It has issues with lubricity in 100% concentrations when there is no oil based products with it. Meaning injectors can stick.

Oh, and it also conducts electricity, which makes galvanic action possible, and pump through pumps, um, specifically in tank ones, bad.

it will eat the old rubber hoses....
but what are you doing with old hoses anyway....
it will also eat the carberator bowl vent hose on outboards...
don't ask - ever row an inflatable against 15 knts of wind?:surr:
not the kind of inflatable you play with......:icon107:
changing out your old hoses on top of the fuel pump is recommended anyway...
started smelling gas fumes around corners yet?

No old rubber here. We've gone through and replaced all the fuel hoses, it would just be nice if they would stay that way for a while.

Thanks, all, for the info and thoughts-- much appreciated.

Cheers, Jim

Brad posted
Not before you fit the up & over gull wing doors... :thumbup:


:_otopic:
So let's see;
Ethanol is a less efficient fuel than gas (less mpg)
It increases the rate of rain forest destruction (more greenhouse gas)
It puts up the price of food (corn price doubled)
You have to replace some 928 fuel hoses & maybe delete the in-tank pump.

Government decided not to have Ethanol here in Switzerland; I have no idea why.. :D

Marton

Marton

Common misconception, Alcohol is actually capable of being more efficient than Gasoline (faster flame speed, better knock resistance), but it has a lower Calorific Value (Energy Content) than Gasoline.

Its like saying that a Beef burger is more efficient than a Veggie burger, the beef burger weighs the same, but you'll get fatter if you keep eating them :)

Sorry, I work for Lotus and we're trying to sell the idea of Methanol at the moment, but the media keep coming back and saying its rubbish because it has half the mpg than gasoline, when logically if it cost half as much, then the only disadvantage would be having to have a tank thats twice the size!

I always thought part of the attraction of ethanol was that it does make you impudent? Or at least forget some of your inhibitions.. :icon107: