I have wondered why every few years I'd smell gas in my garage and get under my 72 Bug and find one or more of the rubber fuel lines coming out of the tank or going to the fuel pump were cracking and gas was leaking. We only have access to E10 here in Alabama. I have tried without success to find a station that sells regular octane in 100% gasoline but no luck so I guess I'm committed to changing out rubber lines every couple of years.
Mike in AL On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 6:51 PM, Mike <[email protected]> wrote: > Ethanol content in our gas eliminates the need for "DryGas". Not a bad > thing entirely. > Hygroscopic means that it attracts/absorbs water. > If there's water in your gas tank (whether from the gas-pumps or from > highly > humid air condensing in the airspace above a less-than-full tank). > It allows the contaminant to burn in the engine along with the gas. This > reduces octane as well as the combustion temps as the water cools the > mixture. > We're all E10 here in New England; "gasohol" from the 70's, right? > They water down our gas and then charge us more for the privilege! What a > deal (for them)! > So, now it's just a natural course of events to make the move to 15%, and > higher! > Shorter engine life means we buy cars more often to replace the worn-out, > too-expensive-to-repair ones we own now. > Yes, this stuff eats fuel lines. My 4-cycle weedwacker's clear fuel lines > crumbled to shreds over the winter, that never happened before! > I replaced it with thick-wall clear fuel line for my radio-controlled model > airplane; it's formulated for some pretty strong stuff. > But I have NO idea what to do for VW fuel lines..... > > Mike B. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bert Knupp > Sent: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 6:48 PM > To: 'Air-Cooled Volkswagen Discussion List' > Subject: [vintagvw] Ethanol in gasoline > > Volks, > > The European classic-car boards are lighting up in panic because of a > proposal in the European Community to mandate E10 fuel -- requiring 10% > ethyl alcohol (ethanol) in all retail motor fuels. You'd think war had > been > declared on old-timers and classics: Doom and destruction is being > forecast > for all the usual reasons, mostly revolving around the hygroscopic > characteristics of ethanol. Of course, here in the USA, we've had E15 at > our pumps for a long time. And lead-free gasolines even longer. > > The general question: What adaptations, if any, are required when ethanol > gets added routinely to motor fuels? Will our fuel tanks really rust away? > Will our butyl rubber fuel lines really turn to silly putty? Are we really > seeing any negative effects of our E15 gasoline on longevity, performance, > or economy? How about the absence of tetraethyl lead? In the USA, it was > the agriculture lobby that bought enough votes to require ethanol use. In > Europe, distaste for dependency on Khadafy and his ilk adds to the push > (though we've had our share of jingoism, too). What's the Real Story for > those of us who drive antique cars with antique engines? Are there any > additives we ought to consider? Changes in hoses and tubes? Fuel > treatments to spare our gas tanks? > > Bert Knupp in Music City USA > > |__n__ > (_____)º > (Ô\_|_/Ô) > ü ° ° ü > Polizeikäfer '70 > > > _______________________________________________ > vintagvw site list > [email protected] > http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw > > _______________________________________________ > vintagvw site list > [email protected] > http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw > _______________________________________________ vintagvw site list [email protected] http://lists.sjsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/vintagvw
