Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange
Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [ethanol]

An alcohol often used as a gasoline additive.

19 questions
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I accidentally fueled my car with E10 (10% ethanol). What should I do next?

So I have a 2000 Honda Civic LX that is around 130k miles now. In Las Vegas, I put E10 (I hadn't known what it was before this...), and had to get it fixed. The engine light had started blinking and my car had started shaking (similarly to how it…
plf94
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Is it even possible to buy gasoline anymore that does not contain ethanol in the US?

I can't remember the last time I went to a gas station and it didn't have a notice that the gas contained some quantity of ethanol. As I understand it, ethanol is harder on my engine than regular gasoline, is a boondoggle in terms of the…
JohnFx
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Why is there no drop-in biogasoline like there is drop-in biodiesel (e.g. NEXBTL)?

I have always wondered why there is no drop-in biogasoline like there is drop-in biodiesel. For example, NEXBTL by Neste can be run at 100% mixture in conventional diesel engines. It is different from conventional fatty acid methyl ester type of…
juhist
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CEL comes on when using fuel with ethanol

I have 3 Ford vehicles: a 2001 Taurus, a 2006 Taurus, and a 2008 Explorer. All of them have V6 engines. The check engine light for all 3 comes on at times. If I use gasoline without ethanol, the CEL usually turns off within the first tank. But,…
W.ROYCROFT
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What is E85 gasoline and how can I avoid it?

My new mower says not to use E85 gasoline. What is E85 gasoline, why should I avoid it, and how do I know if I'm buying it?
C. Ross
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E10 petrol safety

I sometimes visit Finland taking my car, though I am not living there. There's a kind of petrol marked E10. Somewhere I've read that this kind of petrol can be harmful for some kind of cars (for the tubing from gas tank to the engine in particular).…
k102
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Can I use 10% ethanol gasoline on equipment that recommends against it?

Not as simple as the title suggests.. I wouldn't hesitate to drive a few more miles to find ethanol-free gas for the snow blower and generator, but there is none to be found. After looking around for a bit, I was told the state passed a bill last…
JML
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Does converting an older motor to ethanol have significant risk or damage?

A specialist Chrysler garagiste helped me figure out some programming issues for free over a phone call, and he said "I wouldn't advise converting an older motor to ethanol, because the bearings can get worn into a gas regime, and if you change it,…
bandybabboon
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Is Stabil ethanol treatment a suitable alternative to ethanol-free gas?

I'm not a fan of the E10 ethanol-blended fuel (10% ethanol/90% gasoline) that is extremely common here in the US. I'm no expert, but I've heard and read that it is often damaging when used in either small engines or passenger vehicles. Thus I try…
Nathaniel is protesting
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Need explanation on Commanded EGR and ethanol%

There are 2 PIDs listed in this Wiki page - Commanded EGR and ethanol%. I have tried getting the values from some cars but have not succeeded. I am curious to know what do these 2 PIDs mean? Can someone please give a sample data set (if you have)…
Soumya Sen
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Does E85 fuel increase oil consumption?

I have a 2003 Opel Meriva which I run on 50% gas / 50% E85. According to my own experience and Meriva forums, this is about as much ethanol as the engine can take without tripping the engine electronics warning light. I've made at least 20,000 km on…
Dmitry Grigoryev
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What percentage of ethanol can my ford take?

What is the highest percentage of ethanol my car can take? I have a ford escape 2007. I have been putting in either 10% or 20%. Thank you
parker
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Small Engine Storage

I get conflicting info concerning small 4-cycle engine storage and would appreciate any recommendations. My snowthrower is stored in the off season April thru Oct. The manual for the engine says run the engine 'til dry, remove the spark plug and…
Extonite
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Can I safely use E10 95 octane unleaded in motorbikes?

I live in a country where unleaded 95 octane fuel is disappearing in favour of its 10% ethanol-blended counterpart: 95 octane E10. The only non-ethanol unleaded alternative is unleaded 98 octanes. Now, I've read up a bit on ethanol and its pros and…
JoErNanO
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Would ethanol-free gasoline avoid damage related to low usage?

My Mom recently got a brand new Tacoma and the dealer told her that she might want to consider Ethanol-free gas as it would prevent the engine from becoming "jacked up" (damaged) if not driven for a month or longer. She lives in a tropical region…
Matt
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