[Healeys] Bad running due to ethanol in gas?

[Steve B. Gerow]

Geez Bob, according to the link you sent, there are 4 stations in California that sell non-ethanol gas - the closest one to me is in Ridgecrest, 150 miles - hardly a solution. 

If you'd actually read my post below, you would see that I didn't say my 8% ethanol gas was over-mixed, I only said there's an incentive for distributors to over-mix ethanol into gas. It may indeed be over mixed for Healeys, though. Do you know what the ethanol percentage was of the gas we were typically running, say, a year or two ago was?

What I'm saying here is my car and those of others I know are running somewhat badly now and I suspect the gas may be the problem. 

Just because 10% is allowed, which was presumably arrived at in coordination with the current car manufacturers, doesn't mean it will run in our old carbureted cars without problems.

-- 
Steve Gerow



>  -------Original Message-------
>  From: Bob Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net>
>  To: Steve B. Gerow <steveg at abrazosdata.com>
>  Cc: healeys at autox.team.net <healeys at autox.team.net>
>  Subject: Re: [Healeys] Bad running due to ethanol in gas?
>  Sent: Sep 03 '11 17:51
>  
>  Let's see ... my car runs bad, my gas has ethanol; therefore, ethanol is the cause of the bad running.  I know science
>  is unpopular these days, but that doesn't mean it doesn't still apply.  Try this: empty your tank as much as possible,
>  then buy a tank of gas that doesn't have any ethanol--it's still available: http://pure-gas.org/.  If your car stops
>  running badly, you've proved your hypothesis; if not, time to look elsewhere for the cause of the problem.
>  
>  The vapor pressure of gasoline--it's measured by Reid Vapor Pressure
>  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_Vapor_Pressure)--varies during the course of the year; lower in summer, higher in
>  winter (usually).  It's closely monitored and controlled to reduce vapor loss and hence smog and, yes, the formulators
>  consider its effect on combustion (that's why the VP is higher in the winter).
>  
>  10% ethanol is allowed; how is 8% 'over-mixed?'
>  
>  FWIW, the oil industry people I've heard espouse on the subject hate having to put any ethanol at all in their
>  gasoline--they want to sell petroleum, not moonshine.
>  
>  Bob
>  
>  
>  
>  On 9/3/2011 5:17 PM, Steve B. Gerow wrote:
>  > Lately I've been experiencing bad running - loading up on taking off from a stop sign. Better in cool weather, worse in hot weather. It's like the fuel is now more volatile and vapor-locks at a lower temperature.
>  >
>  > A number of other collector-car drivers have mentioned similar problems.
>  >
>  > I did online research and bought an inexpensive kit which reveals the percentage of ethanol in the gas.
>  >
>  > My last tank, Unocal 76 Regular, which ran badly, turned out to be 8% ethanol.
>  >
>  > Pictures of the test, the kit and a link to the supplier's website which has lots of information on ethanol in gas, and how tax breaks are incentivizing suppliers to over-mix to a higher percentage of ethanol than is allowed by law.
>  >
>  > http://www.pbase.com/stevegerow/healey_tech
>  >
>  
>  
>  --
>  *******************************************************************
>  Bob Spidell           San Jose, CA            bspidell at comcast.net
>  
>  *******************************************************************