3 ms·

Plus, ethanol is bad in cold weather climates. As I understand it, it can phase separate and put a bunch of water in your tank (basically).

pbreit 12y ago
The opposite: ethanol serves as a gas-line antifreeze.
- leetrout 12y ago
  Ethanol most certainly causes fuel to capture and retain more moisture. Not sure about any antifreeze properties but on the whole it's not good for small carbureted engines.
- hueving 12y ago
  Ethonal free gasoline doesn't freeze easily either so that isn't relevant.
  - upofadown 12y ago
    The ethanol absorbs any water and stops it from separating out. If the water separates out it can freeze in the fuel line and cause a blockage. In my part of Canada people were actually somewhat happy when the 10% ethanol showed up as it meant that you didn't have to add any fuel line antifreeze over the winter.
- ars 12y ago
  It's sort of both. Ethanol does absorb water from the air. But that's how it works as a gas-line antifreeze: It absorbs undesired water from the fuel line and mixes with it so that you can burn it.
leetrout 12y ago
I live far below the Mason-Dixon line and I can't comment on ethanol in colder climates but I can tell you that I treat any ethanol gasoline for my small single cylinder engines in the can when I fill it up since we have such high humidity in the South in the summer and the ethanol will increase the moisture content in the fuel.
bcg1 12y ago
This is true but actually not as much of a problem as self interested make it out to be. Other than the propaganda reason (i.e., to make people think "85" is the octane) the reason that it is called E85 is that it is only 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Ethanol by itself it not volatile enough to start an engine in cold climates so they spike it with gasoline. Also you're correct it can phase separate but you could just as easily blame the gasoline for that problem as the ethanol... and if you tend to drive your gas tank down to near empty it reduces the problem even further.

pbreit 12y ago

The opposite: ethanol serves as a gas-line antifreeze.

leetrout 12y ago
Ethanol most certainly causes fuel to capture and retain more moisture. Not sure about any antifreeze properties but on the whole it's not good for small carbureted engines.
hueving 12y ago
Ethonal free gasoline doesn't freeze easily either so that isn't relevant.
- upofadown 12y ago
  The ethanol absorbs any water and stops it from separating out. If the water separates out it can freeze in the fuel line and cause a blockage. In my part of Canada people were actually somewhat happy when the 10% ethanol showed up as it meant that you didn't have to add any fuel line antifreeze over the winter.
ars 12y ago
It's sort of both. Ethanol does absorb water from the air. But that's how it works as a gas-line antifreeze: It absorbs undesired water from the fuel line and mixes with it so that you can burn it.

leetrout 12y ago

I live far below the Mason-Dixon line and I can't comment on ethanol in colder climates but I can tell you that I treat any ethanol gasoline for my small single cylinder engines in the can when I fill it up since we have such high humidity in the South in the summer and the ethanol will increase the moisture content in the fuel.

bcg1 12y ago

This is true but actually not as much of a problem as self interested make it out to be. Other than the propaganda reason (i.e., to make people think "85" is the octane) the reason that it is called E85 is that it is only 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Ethanol by itself it not volatile enough to start an engine in cold climates so they spike it with gasoline. Also you're correct it can phase separate but you could just as easily blame the gasoline for that problem as the ethanol... and if you tend to drive your gas tank down to near empty it reduces the problem even further.