Gas

[kacrow76]

I have a 76 280. should i be worried about what gas we put in it? has anyone had any problems with the ethanol thats in most gas out there? its hard to find gas anymore that does not have it in it. and now its hard to tell witch ones do and don't have it.

[SteveJ]

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

[Mikes Z car]

I use only ethanol free gas from a station nearby. One day I asked another patron with a newer car if they bought gas there for the same reason I do to avoid ethanol. He said I will never use ethanol in my car. I understand there are at least two more ethanol free stations in the area but they aren't as convenient. I avoid ethanol due to concern about corrosion from ethanol on aluminum carburetor parts and steel fuel lines which I have read about. I read somewhere that premium gas doesn't have ethanol, that ethanol lowers mileage due to it having less energy. I don't know if flex fuel cars have different alloys in the fuel system. Have read about bad effects of ethanol on boat engines. Be your own guide and information resource. Google knows all, tells all.

[Wade Nelson]

I found a chain of stations (Alon) that sells alcohol-free gas. I use it exclusively, primarily to reduce vapor locking. It makes a BIG difference on hot restarts, at least on my car.

Alcohol in gas is both good AND bad. You typically only hear about the bad; that it can cause vapor locking, is hard on OLD STYLE rubber hoses, carburetor gaskets, etc. But it's not the demon it's made out to be.

Alcohol (ethanol) added to gas boosts the octane of that gas, and it also "gathers" water both in your tank and in the station's tanks. Not that many Z enthusiasts care but it also reduces emissions by providing additional oxygen to the combustion process.

Probably the PRIMARY downside of alcohol is that it is a LOWER ENERGY DENSITY fuel than gasoline. In other words, you will get WORSE gas mileage, fewer MPG's with an added-alcohol fuel than you will from straight gas. In real life this might be 1-3mpg's on most vehicles, although on some motorcycles, I've had friends claim as much as 4-8 MPG.

On a Z-car, prone to vapor locking, I'd definitely go for zero-alcohol fuel. In my other cars, it's an economic decision. If alcohol-free costs more than 10% more, it's not worth taking a 5% mileage hit to avoid it. The price differential for alcohol-free varies a lot, so you have to do your own economic analysis.

You can't buy fuel line that's not alcohol-resistant today so it's only a worry if you've got 20-year old fuel lines which you, btw, ought to be replaced for safety reasons anyway. Be sure you don't pay top dollar for high-pressure fuel INJECTION hose (60-100psi) if your'e running a carbureted 240....(1-5 psi)

Summary: Alcohol-free; good for Z's, not really justified in most newer cars with rubber hoses resistant to the harmful fx of alcohol.

Edited July 17, 2013 by Wade Nelson

[FastWoman]

Ethanol will reliably screw up aluminum carburetors, but I've never had any difficulties with fuel injected vehicles. I put 87 E10 in my '78, which is my daily driver. I've been doing this for a few years now. Prior to that, I ran 89 E10 in my '75 Z from 1983'ish to 1994, with no problems.

For anything that sits, I use either no-ethanol gas or gas with stabilizer.

[Kurbycar32]

Ethanol is a major problem in any gas powered motor that doesn't get used often. The biggest problem I think is that E-15 type gas (up to 15% ethanol) was approved for all cars and trucks after a certain year manufacture date, but nobody ever said it would work in anything else. For the last 10 years or so its been wreaking havoc on small motors found in everything between a weed whacker and a motorcycle. As mentioned above, ethanol accumulates moisture so it sucks water into your gasoline mix. The fun part though is when you let it sit for even a few weeks the alcohol and other gas components separate creating 2 layers like this attached picture. Its gotten to the point where on my dirt bikes i have to completely drain the fuel after every trip or I will clog the carbs on all 5 bikes and these bikes were all manufactured between 2002-2006 so its not old junk. Luckily our friends at Sta-Bil have some new products that supposedly solve this problem. I have been using the marine formula in my generator and it seems to be doing the job. Sta-Bil products