gas is not so much gas anymore

[bartsscooterservice]

This video sums it up well...

[Mikes Z car]

Great video, though they didn't mention lower gas mileage with ethanol due to lower energy in it I have read about. I didn't know ethanol was an additional problem for small engines due to grit in the ethanol clogging the tiny passageways in the carbs. I don't know if this is true but I read that ethanol makers are going broke so they are lobbying for higher percentage of ethanol mandated for fuel to go up to 15%. Fortunately there are gas stations here who sell ethanol free gas.

(ranting encouraged)

Edited June 8, 2014 by Mikes Z car

[jfa.series1]

Ethanol blends are the scourge of the marine industry, and especially owners of your typical bass boat or similar. The fuel systems are just not designed for the destructive aspects of this fuel. My string trimmer developed a problem and when I tore down the carb I found a small build up just like a sesame seed buried in a fuel passage. The feed holes were too small to admit it, so it formed inside the carb and then blocked the flow. [rant on] The corn crop is predicted to be dismal due to drought conditions and our food costs will be up because of that. But you can rely on big agri-business to keep lobbying for increased federal support and stronger mandates for increased ethanol content. [rant off]

[240260280z]

Supplement pay to congress with a 90% pay cheque and 10% equivalent in corn cobs dumped on the front steps a la farmers in France style. Free-dumb Corn

[bartsscooterservice]

I wonder if they also blend it with the regular gas ( euro95 ) here in Europe ?

If so I would not know if the Su's and the mechanical fuel pump gaskets on the 240Z like that in the long run...

You can buy E10 here, which should be 10% ethanol.

[Zed Head]

I believe that the push toward using ethanol in gas really started when the US was trying to gain oil independence since we weren't developing oil supply here. That's also the reason behind the new oil fields in North Dakota and the shale-oil and the fracking. The corn lobby is just one of several trying to gain advantage in the situation, and added some lies like many PAC's do, about how it's a natural product and good for the environment and carbon-neutral. The government institutions have no reason to debunk the BS since it helps their efforts to be more energy independent.

That video is amusing but the idea that "grit" is transferred from the corn that the ethanol is produced from is nonsense (no offense to anyone that thought it sounded reasonable). The ethanol is distilled, no solid material comes along for the ride. If it did, you'd find grit in your bourbon. And burning ethanol-containing gasoline on a table, under no compression is not representative of inside an engine.

Anyone with an old car or engine is kind of screwed since the government's decisions are based on what's good for the masses.

I'm not saying it doesn't screw up old engines, only that there's a lot of nonsense out there. The nonsense is great for the borderline repair shop as a tool to explain why you need to replace a bunch of parts on your engine. The more confusing, the better.