I am starting to see alot more fuel at the pumps that are listed as containing Ethanol. What effect does this have on the oil due to some blowby ect. Or is this a mute subject and not a factor in the oil preformance?
Ethanol and engine oil
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MolaKule
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Well, its an oxygenator (supplies more oxygen for cleaner combustion) and it's only
at a 10% level, so other than maybe a little more water added to the blowby, I wouldn't
expect to see any difference.
at a 10% level, so other than maybe a little more water added to the blowby, I wouldn't
expect to see any difference.
Patman
Staff member
The one thing I definitely notice with the gas that contains 10% ethanol up here is that it kills the gas mileage. I'm not alone in this either, all my friends report the same thing (and most of them are as anal as me about keeping mileage records too!)
On average it seems to cause a 2 to 3 MPG loss! So much for being better for the environment, when it makes you use more fuel.
I can't imagine it would hurt the oil though.
On average it seems to cause a 2 to 3 MPG loss! So much for being better for the environment, when it makes you use more fuel.
I can't imagine it would hurt the oil though.
Amen about the mileage! In Chicago we switch to "boutique" gas for the summer, and whatever that is gives even worse mileage (our gas has 10% ethanol year-round).quote:
Originally posted by Patman:
The one thing I definitely notice with the gas that contains 10% ethanol up here is that it kills the gas mileage. I'm not alone in this either, all my friends report the same thing (and most of them are as anal as me about keeping mileage records too!)
On average it seems to cause a 2 to 3 MPG loss! So much for being better for the environment, when it makes you use more fuel.
I can't imagine it would hurt the oil though.
The weird thing is that when I get far enough outside of the metropolitan area to have access to the "old gas," my gas mileage can shoot up as much as 6 - 7 MPG.
Same thing in Houston. The "reason" they put the ethanol in is to cause older, non-computer controlled, to run leaner and reduce emissions. How many non-computer controlled cars are on the road today? For the rest of us, the computer senses the leaner condition, richens the mixture, and of course burns more gas, increasing emissions.
Patman
Staff member
The one thing that sucks for us is that our Sunoco 94 octane is all that ethanol stuff, otherwise the next best octane level without ethanol is only 92 octane. For some of us f-body guys that have a few mods, 92 octane isn't quite enough (especially those with ported MAFs or more agressive spark advance curves via reprogramming)
on my last car i avoided ethanol gas like the plague because my mileage would drop badly.
on an extended drive (360 miles), mostly interstate, i had to fill up with 10% ethanol, and my mileage actually was up 1 or 2 mpg higher than normal. imagine my surprise. i haven't tried it since, and my mileage has repeated the all time high a couple of times.
i have a 2002 impreza 2.5rs, 11,000+ miles.
my biggest long term concern with ethanol is the reaction it has with seals and gaskets. most fuel systems are designed to handle ethanol today, but it wasn't that long ago that fuel system components could be eaten up by ethanol or other high alcohol fuels.
on an extended drive (360 miles), mostly interstate, i had to fill up with 10% ethanol, and my mileage actually was up 1 or 2 mpg higher than normal. imagine my surprise. i haven't tried it since, and my mileage has repeated the all time high a couple of times.
i have a 2002 impreza 2.5rs, 11,000+ miles.
my biggest long term concern with ethanol is the reaction it has with seals and gaskets. most fuel systems are designed to handle ethanol today, but it wasn't that long ago that fuel system components could be eaten up by ethanol or other high alcohol fuels.
This is just one more of those, "We've got to do something, even if it doesn't work." ideas. We ar currently going through another one of those in Houston, the 55MPH speed limit. They say it's to reduce emissions, but they based their predictions on a model even the EPA says is invalid. Todays cars produce the same emissions at 55 or at 75. Even if we all parked our cars and walked, it would still not do the trick as industries are the primary culprit.
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