Ethanol Free Gas Solved My Problems

[swiftymorgan]

Switching to ethanol free gas solved my hard re-start when hot problem that I've been fighting for years. I've read many similar threads on this forum with no clear solution. My 87 LX runs like new now. I'm doing a comparative mileage test now.

[carotman]

What was the ethanol percentage in the fuel you used? The OEM Manual says the car can handle up to 10%

[swiftymorgan]

What was the ethanol percentage in the fuel you used? The OEM Manual says the car can handle up to 10%

Not sure, the sticker on the pump says "May contain 10% Ethanol".

[2oodoor]

yes but they are slipping more than that in some of these places, even if it is intended or not. Not exactly like gasoline is handled for human consumption, even so.. hey they transport all types of fuel in the same trucks.

[carotman]

Anyway, I try to avoid ethanol as much as possible, except from time to time in the winter because of the hygroscopic benefits.

You get less gas milleage out of ethanol and less power.

[CzEcHy]

Where do you find ethanol free gas anyway?


I have the hard restart thing as well, always have had it when warm.

[gp02a0083]

most cars will be fine with a 10% blend. I did studies with 0-20% ETOH in gas, 83-84 octane. About 13.4-14.6% of ethanol in the gas will have adverse effects on power.

[Pnem3]

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought that 10% ethanol was a federal mandate in the USA. How can you buy gas that doesn't have at least that much?

[charliekuney]

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought that 10% ethanol was a federal mandate in the USA. How can you buy gas that doesn't have at least that much?

It's not federal, it's a city/state choice.

[Tomisimo]

Anyway, I try to avoid ethanol as much as possible, except from time to time in the winter because of the hygroscopic benefits.

You get less gas mileage out of ethanol and less power.

I used E85 10L to 50L 98 pump gas this winter in -25C in Sweden. Handled well, I noticed that the engine run smoother and didn't noticed any power differences or maybe it can be that on long distance travel you cant tell it.

[swiftymorgan]

Switching to ethanol free gas solved my hard re-start when hot problem that I've been fighting for years. I've read many similar threads on this forum with no clear solution. My 87 LX runs like new now. I'm doing a comparative mileage test now.
Follow up after 3 tanks of ethanol free gas: As a control I put in 3 gallons of gas with ethanol and the old hot hard start problem returned so I'm convinced ethanol additive is not suitable for CARBURETED hondas. I also switched my carbed ford 360ci truck to ethanol free gas and got a big performance boost and realized I was having the same hot restart problem as my accord just not as bad. I also posted a question a while back regarding high fuel tank pressure and I now believe this too is caused the low vaporization temperature of ethanol. After 3 tanks fuel economy is about the same however I am now driving in the hot part of the day with the a/c on.

My subjective conclusion: Ethanol vaporizes at a lower temperature causing vapor lock in CARBURETED systems because of the lower fuel supply pressure and causes excessive fuel tank pressure. It's my opinion the high tank fuel pressure caused by ethanol presents a significant safety issue in honda accords.

[MessyHonda]

i wish we had some here but it doent doesnt work

[Dr_Snooz]

Follow up after 3 tanks of ethanol free gas: As a control I put in 3 gallons of gas with ethanol and the old hot hard start problem returned so I'm convinced ethanol additive is not suitable for CARBURETED hondas. I also switched my carbed ford 360ci truck to ethanol free gas and got a big performance boost and realized I was having the same hot restart problem as my accord just not as bad. I also posted a question a while back regarding high fuel tank pressure and I now believe this too is caused the low vaporization temperature of ethanol. After 3 tanks fuel economy is about the same however I am now driving in the hot part of the day with the a/c on.

My subjective conclusion: Ethanol vaporizes at a lower temperature causing vapor lock in CARBURETED systems because of the lower fuel supply pressure and causes excessive fuel tank pressure. It's my opinion the high tank fuel pressure caused by ethanol presents a significant safety issue in honda accords.

Interesting theory. I'll have to think more about it. Thanks for posting!

[cygnus x-1]

Follow up after 3 tanks of ethanol free gas: As a control I put in 3 gallons of gas with ethanol and the old hot hard start problem returned so I'm convinced ethanol additive is not suitable for CARBURETED hondas. I also switched my carbed ford 360ci truck to ethanol free gas and got a big performance boost and realized I was having the same hot restart problem as my accord just not as bad. I also posted a question a while back regarding high fuel tank pressure and I now believe this too is caused the low vaporization temperature of ethanol. After 3 tanks fuel economy is about the same however I am now driving in the hot part of the day with the a/c on.

My subjective conclusion: Ethanol vaporizes at a lower temperature causing vapor lock in CARBURETED systems because of the lower fuel supply pressure and causes excessive fuel tank pressure. It's my opinion the high tank fuel pressure caused by ethanol presents a significant safety issue in honda accords.



Ethanol has a significantly lower energy content by volume than gasoline, so it makes sense that fuel without ethanol would give you better mileage and/or performance. I remember a cross country road trip several years ago where we noticed that the fuel mileage went up when we got into the states that didn't use ethanol as an additive.

Regarding the vapor lock and fuel tank pressure; it almost sounds like the treated fuel you are using has too much ethanol for the local climate. Fuel formulations do change with the seasons (more ethanol in the winter to help fuel vaporization) although it is June already. You would think they would be on the summer blend by now. You might try getting treated fuel from a different station and see if that matters. Also see if the pumps say how much ethanol is added to the fuel.

The fuel tank pressure shouldn't cause a safety problem if the relief valve is working properly. There is a relief valve on top of the tank that should vent to the charcoal can if the pressure gets too high. Might be worth checking that valve to see if it's stuck or maybe the line is plugged. There should be something about it in the service manual.


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