Skip to main content
Gerry | Vanagon
Checking account...
← vanagon.com home · Continue the discussion in the forum
Subject:Re: gas prices- a canadian perspective
From:jimt
Date:Sun, 6 Mar 2005 14:56:36 -0700

I have been digging into alcohol for about a week now and finally found some
more recent data.  Actually only a year old.  It was in a canadian article
by a guy evaluating alcohol as a historical fuel.

I finally got a clear statement on the corrosion that is mentioned in some
alcohol slamming parts.  Methyl is the main culprit requiring almost all of
the fuel system to be stainless steel.  A Canadian company actually was
running a test fleet of vehicles on pure methyl for a period of time.
Project was shut down because nobody made injectors that would function long
enough on methyl. The entire fuel system was stainless steel. There was no
mention of the company but I found another reference to what appears to be
the same testing and evidently they ran two fleets.  One was running pure
ethanol as well.  Anybody know who it may have been and where I might
contact them for reports?

Everything I have been finding is saying that blends of ethanol are far
superior to methyl.  Using blends above ??? (cannot find the limit anywhere
in reliable data) of ethanol starts to play serious havoc with the ECU on
OBD engines and that reprogramming is needed.  Only reliable engine data I
can find is that a ceiling of 15% ethanol and normal operations of 10%
ethanol and no more than 5% methyl.  From a couple of vehicle mfr.  After
seeing the corrosion problem with methyl I can see why no more than 5% on
it.  BTW the 10 and 15% figures match what is available in the pumps in
various parts of Canada and the US.
����������������������������������������
jimt
Planned insanity is best.
Remember that sanity is optional.
http://www.tactical-bus.info (tech info)
http://www.westydriver.com