Ethanol is it as harmfull as they say?
 

Anyone with personal experience of ethanol problems?

yes

YES,boat ran like crap until i emptied the tank dry,and ran some 100 octane threw it.

I had custom built EFI motors. Ran OK but required a re-flash to deal with the lower O2 readings I was getting.

Yes, eating fuel sysytems,,,,,,outboards seem to be getting the worst of it

One thing is for sure, everyone has a new scape goat when they blow an engine :lolhit: Not saying that I am an ethanol fan, however I have heard some wild things blamed on it.

One thing for sure, it is not the ideal fuel for a marine application for a few reasons. One it its shelf life, ethanol begins to break down after just a few weeks vs a few months for gasoline. It is also hygroscopic, meaning it absorbs water quickly...more bad news for vehicles that spend their time in and around water. Boats engines also see a heavy load at all times above idle, inviting engine destroying detonation.

Ethanol itself has an extremely high octane rating. Mixing it with a lower grade less refined gasoline, say an 85 octane, will get the refiners to the 92 octane they desire at a lower cost. However, when the ethanol breaks down you are left with 85 octane fuel with water in it. Run that in your high performance, high compression, advance timed engine under a heavy load and you will find piston destroying detonation instantly. Modern engines with knock detection and the ability to retard the timing and richen fuel have a better chance of survival against a fixed timing carbureted engine.

Lastly Ethanol is made from the most important commodity in the US...CORN! If you don't know what is made from corn let me fill you in......everything! :D Not only it is our primary source of food products, it is also food for our food! The list of things we make from corn would blow your mind, do a quick google search.

So, with that being said. As we become more dependent on ethanol we drive up the cost of all fuel products and anything made from corn....great idea!

Yes,

Eating lines and absorbing water.

i read that every 6th row of corn goes to fuel,il bet the farmers love it!

There is actually an article in USA Today this morning that says it is significantly more problematic in cars than initially thought.


Imagine that! Big surprise there....

You are 90% correct on your points except you CANNOT get 92 octane from 85 by just adding 10% ethanol- 85 octane becomes 87.9 octane at 10%
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...n-ethenol.html
"Another thing to keep in mind is just do the math: IF base stock was only 80 octane and pure ethanol is 113-115 octane and the gas is SUPPOSED to be 10% (I have seen it higher) take 10 gallons and do the math- 9 gallons of 80 octane, 1 gallon of Ethanol, now multiply 9x 80 =720, add 114 to 720=834. Ok , now divide 834 by 10= 83.4 octane. If base stock was 85 octane, 85 x 9=765 + 114=879 divided by= 87.9 When you buy 93 octane they have to boost the base stock to a MINIMUM of 90.5 octane BEFORE adding the ethanol even if they make up the complete difference with the full 10% ethanol, so you are still getting pretty good fuel when buying 93 octane IF its actually what they claim it is, Smitty"