Ethanol question
 

Is there ethanol in the gasoline throughout the year or do they only use it during wintertime?

Is the fuel sold in the wintertime somehow different from the fuel sold during the summer?

The reason I ask is my weedwacker was working perfectly until I filled it with fuel purchased yesterday.

Here it's 10% year-round and there's a sticker on the pump. I think summer blends are used until Sept. 15 when they switch over to winter blend.

The local tractor place said they've seen an increase in chainsaws weed eaters etc. since the ethanol change. The rubber float seat on carbs gets damaged as well. My friend races on the weekends and had to change his out to steel ones.
They sell some kind of additive for 2 strokes thats supposed to prevent this. Same as stabil only 4.00 more.

In NC, the sticker on the pump says "this fuel may contain up to 10% ethanol".

They use the word "may". I guess it's a secret if it does or not.

Since E85 went bust and the ethanol producers are stuck with millions of gallons of the stuff, our dear Congress enacted a 45 cent/gallon tax credit if the terminal operators will blend in ethanol to E10.

So, yeah, read "may" as "does" - don't see any of them passing up free government money.

On top of that, the EPA is getting ready to mandate E15 for 2006 and later vehicles. And they're asking for "input" from the OEM's about extending this back to MY 2001.

Hmmm, make everyone run E15 that eats out their fuel systems, so they have to spend a ton of money repairing or retrofitting their vehicles, or flat out have to buy a new vehicle from Government Motors. I can hazard a wild guess what the OEM's "input" will be.:mad:

Thank gawd both my vehicles are diesels.

Talking with a friend in Charlotte last night, from what he's heard the state of NC has mandated the use of E10. Meanwhile, if he goes over the state line to SC, there are stations advertising "ethanol free gasoline" - and they're doing a booming business.

How is this supposed to work? Separate gas pumps for older and newer cars? Does this work on the honor system? I don't see any way to enforce such a mandate on owners of the newer vehicles at this time, since they all accept the same fuel filler nozzles.

Hmmm, I can see it now - instead of just dipping tanks on diesels for off-road fuel, they'll be checking gas cars as well for ethanol.:rolleyes:

My first guess is the EPA doesn't give a hirsute rodents posterior about whether or not it's workable right now - as in the past, they'll simply throw out a new regulation, and then tell industry and the country to "deal with it and make it work".

IMHO, this isn't about air quality at all - this is simply Part B of the government propping up the ethanol industry. Part A was Congress enacting the 45 cent/gallon tax credit for blending E10. And now the EPA is kicking in with Part B to force everyone to buy this crap.

Worst case scenario - the EPA just says screw it and forces E15 down everyone's throats regardless of the MY of your vehicle, forcing everyone with a non-compatible vehicle to either retrofit or repair it, or buy one that is.

Do fuel companies go to winter blends for the lower 48 this early in the year?

And for you, they made ULSD.

At least ULSD doesn't rust out your fuel tank, corrode the metal fuel lines, or eat up the hoses and any plastic parts in your carb or fuel injectors, or send your fuel economy down into the basement.

Again, an example why the EPA must be dismantled.....out of control unelected bureaucrats running roughshod over the people.....

True,

True

Not quite. When ULSD came out there were a lot of injector pumps being replaced because of the shrinkage of the seals

Wrong. ULSD drops mileage. I lost about 5.5mpg (5-6) with the introduction of ULSD. Used to get 33 cruising at 85. No more. Not even close.

Is the EPA an independent organization or do they take "advice" from Congress?

The impact of ULSD on heat rate is approximately 1-2% at most, depending on the process used to reduce the sulfur content.