Can I run Ethanol?

[Huney1]

2003 Taurus with the Vulcan engine and it is NOT flex fuel. Local gas station has 89 & 93 octane but both contain 10% ethanol and wonder if it would run OK in my car. They have 87 octane with no ethanol and I run it all the time but wonder about the 10% ethanol gas. At long last, gas is down to $2.02 here in SC on the coast near Savannah, GA. Still a rip off but lot better than $2.75 I guess my gas mileage is about par, 20 around town and if I don't let it idle with the AC on it gets 22. Never had it on a road trip so can't give highway mileage.

I know higher octane won't make any difference in my engine but just wanted to know if the ethanol will harm the engine, cat converter, injectors, gaskets, filters, rubber hoses or what not.

[way2old]

The 10% blend will not hurt anything. About 90 to 95% of fuel has some alcohol/ethanol blend in it.

[Millermagic]

I remember when we went to Alabama in April, I didn't know about it. We had a hard time getting gas beucase it didn't say only 10%. I thought all the gas stations suddenly converted to E-85.

I am, however, interested to see what the 10% ethanol does in the winter with moisture and freezing up.

[Huney1]

Thanks way2old.
Millermagic sez: " I am, however, interested to see what the 10% ethanol does in the winter with moisture and freezing up." Doubt it will have much effect this far South where it rarely freezes and we get snow maybe every ten to twenty years. Living on the coast humidity would concern me because we have high hunidity here most all the time, presently 74F with 74% humidity.

Mainly wanted to know if I could use it in a pinch if they ran out of regular 87 octane. Enmark is the station that has ethanol and I never really looked before so I'm going to look at Hess and Shell and a few more and see if theirs has ethanol.

In 1975 Brazil played it smart and began developing their ethanol from sugar cane refineries and thirty years later 85% of their vehicles run on 75% gasoline & 25% ethanol. TV show said if America started to develop the same program today as Brazil it would take us 15 years to catch up. Plus it is a whole lot more enviromentally friendly and does not emit near the noxious exhaust and green house gases that American gasoline does.

"Each year the Brazilian authorities regulate the blend ratio in accord with world oil and sugar prices, reaching up to 25 percent at the pump. These efforts paid off. According to Brazil's Minister of Economic Development and International Trade, Luiz Fernando Furlan, "an analysis of our balance of payments shows that the increasing replacement of gasoline by ethanol saved some US$ 43.5 billion between 1976 and 2000."

Good article on that here: http://www.brazzil.com/content/view/9412/79/

Hmmmmm . . . If it saved Brazil 43.5 million, . . . how much do you think it wold save the USA?

[Willyum]

Gasoline in places like Denver and Las Vegas have had 10% ethanol during winter months for many years. Just take a look at the label on the pump.

[Millermagic]

I believe every gas station has to have the 10% Ethanol gas now. However, if you have a non-ffv taurus (regular vulcan and duratec), you cannot run E85.

[zombie13]

Originally Posted by Millermagic

I believe every gas station has to have the 10% Ethanol gas now. However, if you have a non-ffv taurus (regular vulcan and duratec), you cannot run E85.

Like Miller said...

I think all standard gas is a blend of some amount of ethanol and gasoline. Several years ago the oil companies were required (I think) to convert from MTBE to Ethanol for one of the additives.

Z.

[Millermagic]

Regular gas ... if it can be called that now, is 10%. E85, which requires FFV, is 15%. That makes me feel great about it.

[shorod]

Originally Posted by Millermagic

Regular gas ... if it can be called that now, is 10%. E85, which requires FFV, is 15%. That makes me feel great about it.

Wait a minute, "regular" is 10% ethanol, right? And E85 is 85% ethanol (15% petroleum-based), not 15% ethanol.

-Rod

[Markb873]

Gas in Detroit has been 10% Ethonol for as long as Ive put gas in cars, so about 8-9 years at least.

[Willyum]

Are several E-85 dispensing fuel stations in Las Vegas (NV). Some time back was an article in the Review Journal telling that a non equipped vehicle can safely run two tanks of E85 without damage but that's it, go back to petroleum. I don't want to be the one to try it but am sure that a lot of rental cars get filled with the lower price stuff when topped off before being turned back in.

[Millermagic]

Originally Posted by shorod

Wait a minute, "regular" is 10% ethanol, right? And E85 is 85% ethanol (15% petroleum-based), not 15% ethanol.

-Rod

Guess I wasn't thinking there ... haha.

[way2old]

Gotta watch Rod there Miller. Very little gets past him

[shorod]

That's the Systems Engineer coming out in me. I spent most of that week reading customer specs, trying to make sure they weren't trying to get something past us. That mentality carried over to the forum.

-Rod