Date:         Sun, 19 Nov 2000 13:02:38 -0800
Reply-To:     Dave Bayer <daveb@CP.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dave Bayer <daveb@CP.NET>
Subject:      Re: Ethanol & fuel system parts
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

> >         I have used fuel containing 10% ethanol in all of my Vanagons for the
> > past 10 years and longer with absolutely no problems whatever caused by
> > this fuel.  I live in Iowa, the midwest of the USA, and this fuel is
> > available at nearly every gas pump, offered at 89 to 90 octane for the
> > same price as 87 octane. It is really the highest selling fuel on the
> > market here.
>
> This is the advantage of sticking with 87 Octane gas - less ethanol.

        Except that ethanol is renewable and it a good octance
booster. It has has good solvent properities (as can be seen as
alcohol being used as a solvent in industries) and removes a lot
of varnish and sludge that has deposited in your tank - as with
biodiesel, after running your first tank full thru a van that
has been using straight gasoline (no methyl or ethyl containing
additives), you will want to replace the fuel filter which may
now be full of sludge.

        FYI: MTBE which is found in reformulated gasoline (the
stuff that's used here in California) has the same drying/rotting
effect on fuel hoses. That line about ethanol eating away your
hoses is true for older vanagons which may have used natural
rubber fuel lines, but is not true for vanagons with synthenic
rubber fuel lines. Not sure of MTBE's solvent properities though.

dave

P.S. This list is getting a very high noise to signal ratio.