Fuel
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,932
Likes: 32
From: Broomfield, CO
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 110
Likes: 0
From: Hilliard,Ohio
That's where i go.........am I missing something?
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Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,391
Likes: 4
From: Upstate NY
After being a fuel tech for 7 years and seeing whats in gas tanks especially after the whole ethanol additive replaced mtb in fuel. The one thing i can say is use a new station that is high volume. Fuel now has a issue with the ethanol that the longer it sits or the more sediment and water it collects in the tank causes it to phase separate.
What happens is the ethanol has a closer molecular bond to water than gasoline, so when water gets in there instead of settling to the bottom and separating like it use to pre ethanol, it absorbs the water. Thats why they sell ethanol as dry gas to remove water from your tank. Now days its pointless to buy dry gas. but they still love to sell it.
Problem is when it reaches maximum water absorption in the fuel it completely breaks down the fuel and it causes the gasoline to separate from the ethanol which creates a layer of low octane fuel, a layer of highly water enriched ethanol and a layer of water. The low octane fuel is the least of your worries, the water soaked ethanol will destroy your fuel system and engine seals rings and gum up your lines. The water will cause its own issues as well. So as I said new stations have new tanks and lines which take less water on.
The reason I said high volume stations is because thats less time for the tanks to condensate, this is and especially big issue with the higher octane fuels because the tank fill turn over is much less than that of a tank of 87 octane.
Also if a pump is pumping very very slow, hang it up and go to the next station. That means the ethanol filter on the gas pump has been triggered and its trying to block the phase separated fuel.
What happens is the ethanol has a closer molecular bond to water than gasoline, so when water gets in there instead of settling to the bottom and separating like it use to pre ethanol, it absorbs the water. Thats why they sell ethanol as dry gas to remove water from your tank. Now days its pointless to buy dry gas. but they still love to sell it.
Problem is when it reaches maximum water absorption in the fuel it completely breaks down the fuel and it causes the gasoline to separate from the ethanol which creates a layer of low octane fuel, a layer of highly water enriched ethanol and a layer of water. The low octane fuel is the least of your worries, the water soaked ethanol will destroy your fuel system and engine seals rings and gum up your lines. The water will cause its own issues as well. So as I said new stations have new tanks and lines which take less water on.
The reason I said high volume stations is because thats less time for the tanks to condensate, this is and especially big issue with the higher octane fuels because the tank fill turn over is much less than that of a tank of 87 octane.
Also if a pump is pumping very very slow, hang it up and go to the next station. That means the ethanol filter on the gas pump has been triggered and its trying to block the phase separated fuel.