Ethanol Myths & Rumors

Nothing new in the automotive industry comes along without detractors, and ethanol is not exempt. Among the many ethanol myths are these:

• vapor lock
• plugs fuel lines and/ or fuel injectors
• can't be used in small engines
• ethanol use is discouraged by auto mechanics
• E-10 ethanol can't be used in your older vehicles

Many of today's drivers have never experienced vapor lock, if you have then you know what an absolute pain it is. For those of you who don't know what vapor lock is and what causes it please read on.

What is vapor lock?

Basically vapor lock is where the gasoline in your gas line turns into a gas. Once this happens the liquid pumping fuel pumps ceases to pump, thus stalling your engine out. This also causes the fuel pump to lose its prime which will prevent you from quickly restarting your vehicle. The majority of the time your vehicle will restart once the engine & fuel system cools down enough that the gasoline in the lines or fuel pump returns to a liquid state.

Does ethanol suffer from or contribute to vapor lock? The answer to vapor lock is really in the current design of automotive fuel systems. Past fuel system designs had the fuel pumps mounted on the front corner of the engine with fuel lines running close to the engine block and even exhaust manifolds in some cases. Fast forward to today 's fuel systems and you will notice that nearly all fuel pumps are now located in the fuel tanks. Also the fuel lines are run to the engine in such a manner that they are never exposed to direct heat (other than normal engine compartment heat).

What about ethanol plugging lines, filters, or injectors?

This condition actually was caused by the waxy deposits (called olefins) left behind by gasoline. Once a vehicle was converted over to ethanol there was a cleansing effect that took place the residue was naturally picked up by the fuel filter. Once the fuel filter was serviced no further accumulations took place. One note about ethanol versus gasoline is that ethanol burns 100% and leaves no residue behind like gasoline does.

Ethanol and small engines, good or bad?

The use of E-10 unleaded ethanol in lawn mowers, snowmobiles, ATVs, and a host of other small engines are approved by manufacturers such as Briggs & Stratton, Honda, Toro (aka Lawnboy), Kohler and even Snapper.

Is ethanol recommended by auto mechanics?

Any auto technician that advises against the use of E-10 ethanol simply do not have their facts correct. A good many misinterpret fuel system problems with the introduction of ethanol to an older vehicle. The exists an offer by E-10 advocates for anyone to produce any proof of engine damage caused by the use of E-10 ethanol. To this date no one has taken them up on the offer so it seems safe to assume that no such problems exist.

Can ethanol be used in older cars?

The problem that existed in the older cars has nothing to do with ethanol but rather has to do with the fact that these older engines were designed to run on leaded fuel. Just using unleaded fuel in these older engines presented a problem of poor performance from unleaded gasoline. Since then the oil companies have added toxic chemicals to gasoline enabling them to raise the octane rating for the older engines. Ethanol on the other hand raises the octane in gasoline by about three points using a natural additive that runs fine in the older engines.