very important for life and performance.
07-16-2010, 12:38 PM
#26
too much ethanol in a 2 cycle engine will blow it. a lot of 2 stoke oils will not mix with too much ethanol in the gas. read some of the reports of boat owners also--ethanol is eating there plastic tanks and if you dont drive it frequenty (every wk) the water attraction is a big problem.
do a search of the amount of bmw's that are having expensive engine problems from ethanol. There is more to this than meets the eye? We do have a unque car. I think it bears watching.
OD
do a search of the amount of bmw's that are having expensive engine problems from ethanol. There is more to this than meets the eye? We do have a unque car. I think it bears watching.
OD
07-17-2010, 10:26 AM
#29
Has anyone actually had a problem in an RX8 that was traced to ethanol? Because every car since 1996 is manufacturer with E10 in mind..
It causes problems with marine fuel tanks because more of then than not fuel sits there a lot longer than in your car, plus not all are sealed fuel systems like our cars. Moisture gets in and the rest you can figure out... however that's a failure of marine systems to build for E10, not a gas problem in itself..
Post on the subject from BMW forums (the ones having all the prolems
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...00#post3430148
It causes problems with marine fuel tanks because more of then than not fuel sits there a lot longer than in your car, plus not all are sealed fuel systems like our cars. Moisture gets in and the rest you can figure out... however that's a failure of marine systems to build for E10, not a gas problem in itself..
Post on the subject from BMW forums (the ones having all the prolems
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...00#post3430148
07-17-2010, 01:18 PM
#30
Registered
this is a very good explanation
"RELAX!! You don't need the State of TX to regulate how much ethanol is in gasoline. The EPA stipulates no more than 10 vol% and the EPA fines are much greater than the State of TX could ever levy. In all likelyhood, your gas did not have more than 10% ethanol in it. When gasoline is blended with ethanol at fuel terminals (think big gas stations for tanker trucks), the ethanol is metered out as is the gasoline as is the final blend. Screwy equipment can happen (very very very rare), but if it did and you got too much ethanol, truth be told you probably wouldn't have noticed (except maybe mileage).
Let me guess, the bill was for draining your fuel tank, flushing fuel lines and injectors, and maybe replacing your fuel filter. If your mechanic was really trying to take you through the ringer, they might've replaced your fuel pump. Sound like what you had repaired???? If so, I think you had what's known as an ethanol phase separation. With 10% ethanol blends (E10), the fuel can absorb a little bit of water, but if it gets too wet, the water will drop out and pull the ethanol out of the gasoline. A very little bit of water (maybe 1 cup or a few tablespoon) can cause 15 gallons of E10 to phase separate. 10% of 15 gallons is 1.5 gallons, so that couple tablespoons of water you had may have turned into a gallon or more of water phase (ethanol/water mix). Obviously if you've got 1 gal of water/ethanol mix in the bottom of your tank, that's what's feeding your engine....hence why you stalled out and needed the repairs.
I don't know if you've lived in TX for a long time or just recently moved, but these problems typically happen to people who live in areas without ethanol and then they pump their first tank of E10. If they've got enough water in their tank from the non-ethanol gasoline (developed over the years) it can cause these problems. They're very rare, but more common when an area/fuel brand converts to ethanol.
Oh, by the way, you may be wondering what qualifies me to make this determination. I work for an integrated oil and gas company that has seen these issues before. Sorry to be enigmatic, but I can't reveal my employer to you. Please just trust me if what I've said matches up with what you experienced. Also, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, spread the word in the BMW community that these issues are NOT DUE TO HIGH ETHANOL! BMW doesn't know what they're talking about when it comes to fuel and they've spread some serious misinformation that's hurting BMW owners. If you or anyone you know experience these symptoms and a mechanic says high ethanol, tell them to take a fuel sample out of the tank and look at it for water. If they see two different liquids in it, it's an ethanol phase separation, not high ethanol."
"RELAX!! You don't need the State of TX to regulate how much ethanol is in gasoline. The EPA stipulates no more than 10 vol% and the EPA fines are much greater than the State of TX could ever levy. In all likelyhood, your gas did not have more than 10% ethanol in it. When gasoline is blended with ethanol at fuel terminals (think big gas stations for tanker trucks), the ethanol is metered out as is the gasoline as is the final blend. Screwy equipment can happen (very very very rare), but if it did and you got too much ethanol, truth be told you probably wouldn't have noticed (except maybe mileage).
Let me guess, the bill was for draining your fuel tank, flushing fuel lines and injectors, and maybe replacing your fuel filter. If your mechanic was really trying to take you through the ringer, they might've replaced your fuel pump. Sound like what you had repaired???? If so, I think you had what's known as an ethanol phase separation. With 10% ethanol blends (E10), the fuel can absorb a little bit of water, but if it gets too wet, the water will drop out and pull the ethanol out of the gasoline. A very little bit of water (maybe 1 cup or a few tablespoon) can cause 15 gallons of E10 to phase separate. 10% of 15 gallons is 1.5 gallons, so that couple tablespoons of water you had may have turned into a gallon or more of water phase (ethanol/water mix). Obviously if you've got 1 gal of water/ethanol mix in the bottom of your tank, that's what's feeding your engine....hence why you stalled out and needed the repairs.
I don't know if you've lived in TX for a long time or just recently moved, but these problems typically happen to people who live in areas without ethanol and then they pump their first tank of E10. If they've got enough water in their tank from the non-ethanol gasoline (developed over the years) it can cause these problems. They're very rare, but more common when an area/fuel brand converts to ethanol.
Oh, by the way, you may be wondering what qualifies me to make this determination. I work for an integrated oil and gas company that has seen these issues before. Sorry to be enigmatic, but I can't reveal my employer to you. Please just trust me if what I've said matches up with what you experienced. Also, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, spread the word in the BMW community that these issues are NOT DUE TO HIGH ETHANOL! BMW doesn't know what they're talking about when it comes to fuel and they've spread some serious misinformation that's hurting BMW owners. If you or anyone you know experience these symptoms and a mechanic says high ethanol, tell them to take a fuel sample out of the tank and look at it for water. If they see two different liquids in it, it's an ethanol phase separation, not high ethanol."
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