E10 Not Suitable For Older Cars

[TPI]

http://www.racq.com.au/

E10 not as cheap as it looks and not suitable for all cars

RACQ (Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (Australia)) is warning motorists that running a car on ethanol-blended petrol to save money at the bowser is likely to be false economy.

E10's maximum three cents a litre price advantage over regular unleaded petrol (ULP) is not enough to compensate for higher fuel consumption from the ethanol blend.

E10 is increasingly 'headlined' on service station price boards because of its slightly lower pump price. However, with RACQ's own field testing confirming other independent research that indicates around three percent higher fuel consumption when using E10, a minimum discount of four cents a litre would be needed at current price levels to make use of the ethanol blend more economical than regular ULP.

RACQ advises motorists who want to get the best value from the fuel they buy to check closely the relative pricing of regular ULP and E10.

They should also ensure their motor vehicle is compatible with 10 percent ethanol blend petrol. While E10 is safe to use in most recent-model cars, the most reliable independent research indicates it should not be used in some 30 percent of the current

petrol-engine fleet.

To check if your vehicle is E10 compatible, contact your car's manufacturer or importer or go to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries website.

Capability of vehicles to satisfactorily operate on Ethanol Blend petrol</H1>Submission - 1st June, 2006

The Australian Government has limited the level of ethanol in petrol in Australia to a maximum of 10%, or E10. Most new and many older vehicle models can run on ethanol blended petrol. Vehicle manufacturers and importers have provided the following information on the capability of their vehicles to operate on ethanol fuel blends up to a maximum of 10% ethanol, subject to the fuel meeting the octane requirements for the vehicle and complying with relevant mandatory Australian fuel quality standards and particularly proper blending of the ethanol into the petrol. To avoid operational issues, vehicles should be maintained in accordance with manufacturer's servicing procedures using genuine replacement parts. This will ensure that the fuel systems of vehicles listed as suitable to use either E5 or E10 blended petrol continue to be ethanol tolerant. The information below provides technical reasons why some models cannot use ethanol blended petrol.

For more information about national fuel quality standards or about national labelling requirements for ethanol blends, please visit Department of the Environment and Heritage or Department of Industry, Tourism & Resources.

REASONS WHY E10 IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR SOME CURRENT MODELS

The Australian Design Rules (ADRs) are harmonised with international standards as specified in the UN ECE Regulations. The same requirements apply throughout the European Union. New vehicles certified to these standards will increasingly use advanced emission control technologies that strictly control the engine's operating parameters and have therefore more stringent fuel quality requirements.

The maximum level of ethanol blended petrol in Europe is E5.

Depending on what markets certain models are sold in, Australian vehicles may be built to either a European specification (E5 compatible) or some other specification that is E10 compatible. This is the reason recommendations regarding E10 suitability will differ from one manufacturer to another.

The use of E10 petrol in vehicles that are E5 compatible may also result in material compatibility problems in the fuel system.

REASONS WHY ETHANOL BLENDED PETROL IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN SOME OLDER VEHICLES

Introduction

The following information outlines the key reasons why vehicle manufacturers do not recommend the use of any ethanol/petrol blended fuels in vehicles made before 1986. This information is also applicable to post-1986 vehicles listed as unsuitable to use ethanol blended petrol.

Ethanol has a number of important chemical and physical properties that need to be considered in a vehicle's design.

Carburettor Equipped Engines

Vehicles made before 1986 vehicles were predominantly equipped with carburettors and steel fuel tanks.

The use of ethanol blended petrol in engines impacts the air/fuel ratio because of the additional oxygen molecules within the ethanol's chemical structure.

Vehicles with carburettor fuel systems may experience hot fuel handling concerns. This is because the vapour pressure of fuel with ethanol will be greater (if the base fuel is not chemically adjusted) and probability of vapour lock or hot restartability problems will be increased.

As a solvent, ethanol attacks both the metallic and rubber based fuels lines, and other fuel system components.

Ethanol also has an affinity to water that can result in corrosion of fuel tanks and fuel lines. Rust resulting from this corrosion can ultimately block the fuel supply rendering the engine inoperable. Water in the fuel system can also result in the engine hesitating and running roughly.

Fuel Injected Engines

In addition to the issues mentioned above for carburettor equipped engines, the use of ethanol blended petrol in fuel injection systems will result in early deterioration of components such as injector seals, delivery pipes, and fuel pump and regulator.

Mechanical fuel injection systems and earlier electronic systems may not be able to fully compensate for the lean-out effect of ethanol blended petrol, resulting in hesitation or flat-spots during acceleration.

Difficulty in starting and engine hesitation after cold start can also result.

Exhaust And Evaporative Emission Levels

Lean-out resulting from the oxygenating effect of ethanol in the fuel may affect exhaust emissions.

Of more concern is that fuel containing ethanol can increase permeation emissions from fuel system components, particularly those that have aged for nearly 20 years. Therefore the increased vapour pressure of fuel with ethanol (if the base fuel is not chemically adjusted at the refining stage) will lead to increased evaporative emissions.

Edited August 22, 2009 by TPI

[Tywais]

Moved to the Motor forum.