Alcohol in fuel

What is the highest percentage I can run ?
any bad advantages ?

2003 Impala v6 3.4L

The less the better.It plugs fuel filters fast!!!!

I've never heard of it clogging the fuel filers..... I mean, they are running E85 which is 85 percent alcohol on some GM trucks. What you have to worry about is the corrosive nature of the alcohol. If your car is not designed for high percentages, the alcohol will corrode gaskets, tubes, injectors. Pretty much anything the wrong kind of plastic or not stainless steel I think. It will probably also decrease your mpg the higher the percentage you go. Alcohol has lots of octane, but less oomph.

A friend of mine who has a garage is changing 10 times as many clogged fuel filter as he normally does.He told me it was bcuz of the alchohol in the fuel.He is from Brazil where they have been using alchohol for a long time and he claims it corrode stuff that ends up clogging fuel filters.

Hmm, I guess that makes sense. If they are running the alocohol in vehicles that were not designed for that much alcohol, I can see that. I mentioned this yesterday to a friend of mine in the vehicle services department at my local university. The trucks\SUV's owned by the university all run on ethanol from one of the state pumps. He said they have not had any increase in fuel filters plugging. I know GM has been a big supplier of cars to brazil recently, but what do you bet that they are running lots of cars not designed for ETOH.

I always thought that was so strange that Brazil was using 50% on up alcohol when their Northern neighbor is Venezuela, who has tons of oil ( especially now since they through Exxon mobile out of the country last week) and they pay $0.14 per gallon of gas.

thanks for the answers , i was kind of thinking that my fuel filter might be clogging because of other symptoms, can the impala tolerate 10% ethenol alcohol ?

i remeber the same stories of corrosion back when they tried alcohol in the 1980s. Also alcohol absorbs water and i beleive it can be difficult to start a vehicle running large % of alcohol. Also may be difficult in extreme hot or cold. I know for a fact that Honda in the late 70s had a MC for non usa sale that would run on alcohol, it had a plenum that you had to fill with gas. You would start it with gas and switch over to the alcohol.

Yes, 10% should be fine. Most of us have used E10 at some point and don't even know because not all states require labeling for it because it is considered to be completely safe for all modern cars (will not void warranty). ETOH can take moisture from the air, but it shouldn't matter because it stays in solution. I'm pretty sure that the fuel line water treatments are ETOh based because the small amounts water will go into suspension and burn. With the faze out of MTBE (SP??) ETOH is becoming even more common because it is being used to replace it. ETOH has a much higer octane rating (like 103 or 107) so adding 10% to reg grade gas boosts the octane to at or above premium.

I always thought that alcohol had higher octane or some characteristick that made it favorable for racing.

There are two E85 stations within a 10 mile radious of where I live, one is a county facillity for the busses and county vehicles...
So do you see conversion kits to convert gas cars to run E85 ?
I saw some guy on the news that makes modern stills and sends them out, one step in the process makes the alcohol poisonous, only can be used for fuel.
I think it is either going to be alcohol or diesel running on vegitable oil.
Actually the diesel scenario would be rather cool, because there is only one place that could make vegatible oil for the world and that would be the USA.
:p

If you read boating news 10% alchohol has been a nitemare with boat motors clogging the filters etc. Many Boats are being towed in daily

I always thought that alcohol had higher octane or some characteristick that made it favorable for racing.

There are two E85 stations within a 10 mile radious of where I live, one is a county facillity for the busses and county vehicles...
So do you see conversion kits to convert gas cars to run E85 ?
I saw some guy on the news that makes modern stills and sends them out, one step in the process makes the alcohol poisonous, only can be used for fuel.
I think it is either going to be alcohol or diesel running on vegitable oil.
Actually the diesel scenario would be rather cool, because there is only one place that could make vegatible oil for the world and that would be the USA.
:p

Yea, ETOH has a much higher octane rating which is great for racing, but not so great for the rest of us. Remember, octane is a rating of gas's ability to resist premature detonation under high compression. Higher octane gas has no benefit for most cars and can actually be detrimental to them because they may not burn hot enough to get complete combustion.

I've looked around for a conversion kit, but apparently such a thing does not exist as a set. It is probably possible, although really expensive to change out everything needed though (junkyard).

Know how they make the ETOH poisonious????? They add gasoline to it, lol.

If you read boating news 10% alchohol has been a nitemare with boat motors clogging the filters etc. Many Boats are being towed in daily

Yea, I just looked that up. Apparently the older fiberglass tanks are degraded by ethanol. I've also heard of problems where boats get water in the tanks. To get it out, you can normally just suck out the water layer and the gas is still good. With ETOH in the tank, the water and alcohol mix and it just won't run if there is enough of it.

How long do you think it will be before a local gas station tries to extend the gas in their tanks by adding good ol water. If they don't add too much, the cars would run, just really badly.

wrparks thats what i heard too, i posted something like that in my first post ... or second. Alot of the automobile remidies to remove water in gas tanks or gas line freeze ups is alcohol because it mixes with water.

I still think within the next 10 years we will be all driving diesels running on vegetable oil.... no more pollution, lead from emissions, might just have to worry about high colesterol :grinyes:

Yea, I just looked that up. Apparently the older fiberglass tanks are degraded by ethanol. I've also heard of problems where boats get water in the tanks. To get it out, you can normally just suck out the water layer and the gas is still good. With ETOH in the tank, the water and alcohol mix and it just won't run if there is enough of it.

How long do you think it will be before a local gas station tries to extend the gas in their tanks by adding good ol water. If they don't add too much, the cars would run, just really badly.


Ya boaters have been going nuts..I think alot of gas stations have fiberglas tanks.I wonder if its degading the in ground tanks and ending up in our tanks? AND WRPARKS you are right we are probley running on 2% H2O

billy069 Good point, never thought of the under ground tanks. . I can not find it now, the other day I was looking on the internet for a 90 degree adapter for my fuel rail for the fuel pressure gauge. I think the serpentine belt is tooo close. Anyway I read this link where this guy moved his fuel filter into the engine compartment. For the filter he used this mini, cleanable K and N filter. I might like to replace the existing filter with a cleanable one, don't know if I want it in the engine compartment. By the way the K and N had those A and N fittings , you know thise aircraft type, so it is not a direct replacement. Anyway I am going to change my filter this weekend, it is only $10 at wall mart, Fram I beleive.