Update, melted rubber in gas tank

[Mongler07]

I've stopped using Ethanol Pump Gas in anything that I care about; Small Engines Motorcycle etc.

I've proven that when a vehicle sits for long periods the Ethanol in the Gasoline becomes extremely corrosive and eats away a lot of engine and fuel system components.

Ethanol Free Pump Gas is available in some areas of AZ.

I pay about .25-.50 more a Gallon for Ethanol-Free Pump Gas.(its advertised in AZ. as a Blue Dollar Amount on their Gas Station Signs).

I've switched over to VP Racing Fuel for my Bikes and Off Road Vehicles that I don't drive everyday.

I look at the added expense for VP Fuel as Insurance a I save money from not having to fix corroded/ faulty fuel system components from Ethanol Related Pump Gas issues..

i have to disagree to the point that we have to define the term "sits for a long period of time" I do the same for my classic car and for the motorcycles for winter but both fuels have issues sitting for a long time. nothing wrong with ethanol fuels, and the corrosion you speak of actually comes from the water that the ethanol absorbs from the air. combine that with poly chains from gas...

 

[DesertRat]

i have to disagree to the point that we have to define the term "sits for a long period of time" I do the same for my classic car and for the motorcycles for winter but both fuels have issues sitting for a long time. nothing wrong with ethanol fuels, and the corrosion you speak of actually comes from the water that the ethanol absorbs from the air. combine that with poly chains from gas...

I'm not doubting you as there are different formularies of Pump gas depending on Season and Company.

There are includes varying degree of Pump Gas contaminates cause during the production, transportation and storage of Pump Gas, (Such as Gas Station and Tanker contaminators).

We used 87 Octane with a "stated" amount of 10-15% Ethanol at the Pump.

With our situation we actually removed the OEM Gas Tank and an Aftermarket Gas Tank for a 64 Chevy Truck to test the affects of today's pump gas.

We put about 32 ox of Unleaded Pump Gas into Both Tanks.

After 48 hours we used a Bore-scope first with the tank with fuel, then drained each Tank.

The Bore-scope showed significant corrosion in BOTH Tanks at the top of the fuel level line in each Tank (so we surmised that the presence of Oxygen accelerated the Corrosion with Ethanol Fuel..

We also needed a third tank so I used a small engine tank for a Third Test.

We used Ethanol Free VP 94 Unleaded Racing Fuel.

We checked it at 48 Hrs and No Corrosion.

We then let it se for 30 days, (like you would for a unused 2nd vehicle) and No Corrosion or observed and/or Fuel Degradation present with the VP Fuel.

Afterwards I found this Oak Ridge Lab tests on Ethanol Fuels and corrosion that somewhat validated out simple tests.

This report outlines how; a type of Construction Material Used; a Water Content in Fuel; and the specific Ethanol Concentration causes varying corrosion events depending on base condition and concentrations present;

ORNL/TM-2013/143 May 2013
Oak Ridge Laboratories
Engine Materials Compatibility with Alternate Fuels

https://info.ornl.gov/sites/publications/Files/Pub42125.pdf

There's also a ton of related articles from SAE.
Here's one explaining Ethanol Fuel induced Corrosion on Fuel Pumps back in 1997

Surface Corrosion in Ethanol Fuel Pumps​

https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/971648/

Enjoy

J
Lifetime Member
Society of Automotive Engineers(SAE)

 

[Mongler07]

I'm not doubting you as there are different formularies of Pump gas depending on Season and Company.

There are includes varying degree of Pump Gas contaminates cause during the production, transportation and storage of Pump Gas, (Such as Gas Station and Tanker contaminators).

We used 87 Octane with a "stated" amount of 10-15% Ethanol at the Pump.

With our situation we actually removed the OEM Gas Tank and an Aftermarket Gas Tank for a 64 Chevy Truck to test the affects of today's pump gas.

We put about 32 ox of Unleaded Pump Gas into Both Tanks.

After 48 hours we used a Bore-scope first with the tank with fuel, then drained each Tank.

The Bore-scope showed significant corrosion in BOTH Tanks at the top of the fuel level line in each Tank (so we surmised that the presence of Oxygen accelerated the Corrosion with Ethanol Fuel..

We also needed a third tank so I used a small engine tank for a Third Test.

We used Ethanol Free VP 94 Unleaded Racing Fuel.

We checked it at 48 Hrs and No Corrosion.

We then let it se for 30 days, (like you would for a unused 2nd vehicle) and No Corrosion or observed and/or Fuel Degradation present with the VP Fuel.

Afterwards I found this Oak Ridge Lab tests on Ethanol Fuels and corrosion that somewhat validated out simple tests.

This report outlines how; a type of Construction Material Used; a Water Content in Fuel; and the specific Ethanol Concentration causes varying corrosion events depending on base condition and concentrations present;

ORNL/TM-2013/143 May 2013
Oak Ridge Laboratories
Engine Materials Compatibility with Alternate Fuels

https://info.ornl.gov/sites/publications/Files/Pub42125.pdf

There's also a ton of related articles from SAE.
Here's one explaining Ethanol Fuel induced Corrosion on Fuel Pumps back in 1997

Surface Corrosion in Ethanol Fuel Pumps​

https://www.sae.org/publications/technical-papers/content/971648/

Enjoy

J
Lifetime Member
Society of Automotive Engineers(SAE)

yea i know... but the fact in the chemistry is that ethanol alone is relatively safe... Here is a quick summation i just grabbed from google
Ethanol can react with oxygen to form acetic acid, which is a corrosive compound. While ethanol itself isn't inherently corrosive, its ability to absorb water and create a corrosive environment is the primary concern. This water, combined with ethanol, can lead to corrosion of fuel system components. When ethanol and water mix, they can create a corrosive environment that accelerates the corrosion of fuel system components, especially metals like aluminum, brass, bronze, silver, lead, and their alloys.

 

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

Same here, non-ethanol in everything except my Jeep.

Why not the Jeep Cooter ? I use Ethanol free in all my gas engines. We have a fuel terminal 2 miles from the house that has public pumps. Makes it real easy for the locals.

 

[Rocket Scientist]

It's hard to find ethanol free fuel where I live, and if you do they want a fortune for it