Does the ethanol blended gas now available at all stations in Minnesota hurt a 1982 RX7? I heard it deteriorates the O rings in the fuel system. Is there any truth to that rumor? I have been using it for a long time and I do not see any problems, but I am really curious.

Gerald Simons

 

Ohio has been using E10 since at least the mid-80s.

I've never had any kind of fuel system issue.


It's weird to hear people screaming and yelping about all sorts of horrible things that happened ever since they were forced to use E10, because that stuff never happens here.

 

no and ethanol has been mixed with fuel in almost every state for since before most of you were born. not to be confused with oxygenated fuels.

 

E85 on the other hand is a different story

 

yeah, and higher grade or % ethanols dont play well with rubber and aluminum

 

Ethanol gas DOES go bad faster than ethanol free gas, but if you're driving every day it won't make any difference.

 

10% is fine for our cars(sevens)(none would be better, and give you more mileage) but unless you own a 50's classic your good. on my belair, i have gone through a couple carb rebuids and a mech fuel pump because of this, but i do let the car sit for 6 months at a time so i kind of expect this. although when they start 15% im probably gunna have to shop for non ethonal blends.

 

that's because most carbs built before 1980 didn't have to deal with alcohol, almost all carbs beyond that point can handle it.

in fact most fuel systems can handle much more than that %, even most current fuel hoses can handle E85, paranoia has set the stage for overhauling complete fuel systems when it isn't absolutely necessary.

in these carbs almost nothing is rubber with few minor exceptions.

most people attribute dry rot to the alcohol, but carbs are always susceptible to dry rot when liquid fuel is left in them to aerate, dry out, leave residue and dry out rubber components like the accelerator pump and stick the float needles, clog jets, etc, etc. letting a carbed engine sit for more than a few months can always bite you but sometimes you get lucky.

 

Yup. Like the others are saying its fine so long as the car is running. When you store it, just be sure to flush it out with the pure stuff first.

 

I stored my 79 last winter with E10 in the tank and a good fuel stabilizer and it was fine when I started it up 5 months later. Ran like a champ and started like the day it was stored. I agree E10 is really nothing to worry about even on older cars from the 60's if the carb has been rebuilt in the last 10 years as the rebuild kit likely had nitryl or similar "rubber" parts which resists breakdown from ethanol.

 

My 1972 Ford's owner's manual said that it was acceptable to run gasohol.

"Gasohol" is what they used to call 10% ethanol.

 

i'm sure there was exceptions even before then and i forget exactly when they started phasing out leaded fuels.

 

You couldn't get leaded fuels anymore after 1994.

 

I am no petro chemical engineer, but when tearing down the carb i have seen phase separation which i would believe is due to the alchohol. As it carries bits of crap with it(where i still can't figure out where the crap comes from), i believe this is why my carb gets clogged. Although i forgot to mention that Stabil has become my new best friend since last year. I forgot where i read this but it is the only stabilizer that doesn't use a different form of alchohol as a sovent, inhibitor, emulsifier, ect., but should only be used for storage purposes!

As for the alcohol, i can say that i have never seen the amount of varnish in my vega(which uses non ethanol) as i have seen before in the belair. And they sit side by side in the garage until i take the vega to the strip. Also, i've never saw the need to use stabil in her(not that that is important) as she only sits for about 3 months at a time. I guess the controls for this study are a bit biased, but who knows

 

Also my mech fuel pump was always submurged in fuel and the diaphragm still got eaten through! Im pretty sure that has to be due to the alcohol

 

ethanol will strip the inside of your fuel tank clean, so anything that gasoline will not disrupt the alcohol will pull off the walls and push through the fuel system.

 

Same thing with Chem-tool B12 (the Seafoam nock off)... Its the same as Seafoam, but it is cut with acetone. It'll pull Kreem gas tank liner and suck it right down into a petcock!!

 

But you'd think my filter would catch it and get clogged first. What i have is very very fine sediment that looks like sand from the beach. I always had a feeling it was from the filters at the gas stations. then the crap gas separates and the sediment falls and gets trapped in the water portion and builds.

 

It could be a substrait from an esterfication reaction... But its been a few years since my organic chem classes.



EDIT: Are you premixing? What else is in your fuel tank?

 

Its a 56' belair so no premix (unless i could find some tetraethyl lead). nothing but gasoline in this tank! and two steel lines! i am going to run her down since the stabil doesn't last forever and then fill her up with non eth. when i gets some time off of work. going to have to plan a trip around getting gas

 

The main thing with gasohol, is to make sure you dont have "Viton Needles" The alcohol just loves to "eat" the rubber ends... The fast answer is to get full brass, or stainless steel needle and seat assy.s.

Manitoba has mandated a minimum of 10% Alky in the lower and mid range fuel blends and Premium is 100 % gas....

 

Those being the only type available in any rebuild kit currently available for the Nikki (and also having been standard in the Nikki), your recommendation would be...?

 

Talk to any of the guys that mod the Nikki.. see what they suggest I have no experience with them past removing them and tossing them on the shelf..

 

correct me if im wrong but viton is the only material that will stand up the ethanol mixed gasoline.

 

Viton Will not stand up to alcohol... You will need stainless steel or brass needle/seat assy's to survive..