At 08:59 AM 6/13/2000 -0500, Bob Shaw wrote:
>Ethanol is not MTBE, which is made with Methal Alcohol which will
>will blind and kill you, but with Ethal Alcohol, which is a major
>component in "adult beverages". The pollution difficulties with MTBE
>do not appear to be a problem with Ethanol. However, some carbs with
>plastic parts do not tolerate ethanol well, as the alcohol may
>dissolve some forms of plastic. Here in Nebraska a large number of
>people use the stuff, trying to help the corn market and there are
>some benefits, though minimal, to the agriculture economy (my family
>is involved in agriculture, but I am not directly involved) and it
>does cut the amount of pollution. Ethanol is made of corn alcohol and
>gasoline in a 10% mixture. However, the two do not bond well so
>there may be some problem with the alcohol precipitating out of the
>fuel and you may end up with as much as 25% alcohol, depending on how
>long the fuel has been stored and the level of the storage tank when
>you fueled up.
>
>I personally try and avoid using the stuff in my cars, as they do not
>run as well with it. YMMV
>--
>Bob Shaw
>Check out Shaw's Garage at http://www.mlcltd.com/shawsgarage/
>My British Car is NOT leaky - it's merely marking its territory.
Geez Bob, what kind of Cornhusker are you? Shouldn't you be peddling your
homeland's products?
As a former Nebraska resident and a graduate of the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln (aka "Harvard of the Plains"), I'm going to have to pitch
the wonders of gasohol.
Gasohol (10% ethanol in gasoline) became in vogue during the gas shortages
of the 70s. Ethanol, unlike gasoline, is a renewable energy source. It was
used to stretch out limited petroleum supplies. The only problem is that it
costs more to make ethanol (about $2 a gallon last I heard) so it doesn't
become economical until gas gets really expensive. Thus it used to be
subsidized by US or state governments so that gasohol could be sold at the
same cost as gasoline.
Its main advantages are that its cleaner burning and will clean out/prevent
fuel deposits. It also absorbs moisture, making it a good fuel line
antifreeze during winter months. Usually, the gas antifreeze sold in stores
is methanol, another form of alcohol, but ethanol works about as good.
Disadvantages are that your car may have initial problems when you first
start using it as it cleans out the fuel deposits. Its more prone to vapor
locks which was a problem with my 65B during the summer. But only because
the DPO had replaced the fuel pump with an aftermarket one mounted on the
firewall by the carbs. Ethanol is a lower BTU fuel so there will be a
slight decrease in gas mileage with gasohol.
I have heard that some cars cannot burn ethanol due to the types of seals
but I don't think MGs had any such problem. I burned gasohol in my 65B for
several years with no problem. I thought it was the wonder fuel at the
time. Less deposits, no fuel line freezings. I'd use it now except they
don't sell gasohol here in Montana.
David
67 BGT
71 BGT
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