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EPA confirms ethanol causes damage !
The American Environmental Protection Agency has acknowledged that overheating and component failures can be caused by ethanol in fuel. A media release from the American Motorcyclist Association says that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has publicly acknowledged that ethanol in gasoline can damage internal combustion engines by increasing exhaust temperatures and indirectly causing component failures. The EPA statements are found in a rule proposal issued by the Federal Trade Commission regarding a new label for pumps that supply fuel blends high in ethanol.According to the EPA: “Ethanol impacts motor vehicles in two primary ways. First … ethanol leans out the [air/fuel] ratio (increases the proportion of oxygen relative to hydrocarbons) which can lead to increased exhaust gas temperatures, increased piston crown temperatures and potentially increase incremental deterioration of emission control hardware and performance over time, possibly causing catalyst failure.“Second, ethanol can cause materials compatibility issues, which may lead to other component failures.” The EPA statements back the long-held position of the American Motorcycle Association, which has fought the distribution of E15 fuel blends in an effort to protect motorcycle and all-terrain vehicles from the damage that ethanol causes. “Now the EPA acknowledges that ethanol itself is harmful to emissions hardware and other components on all motor vehicles,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president for government relations. “It is time for the federal government to pause, take a hard look at this product and change its entire approach to ethanol in fuels.” E15 is a formulation that contains up to 15 per cent ethanol by volume. The EPA has proposed rule to roll back the requirement for wider distribution and use of E15 under its Renewable Fuel Standard. In Australia, the most common fuel blend that is sold in Australia is E10 – 10 per cent ethanol blended with 90 per cent petrol. E85 blended fuel with 85% ethanol is also slowly being adopted. Within the EU, the use of ethanol in fuel is strictly restricted to E5, being just 5%.
REASONS WHY ETHANOL BLENDED PETROL IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR USE IN OLDER VEHICLES: Introduction
The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries provides the following information which outlines the key reasons why vehicle manufacturers do not recommend the use of any ethanol/petrol blended fuels in vehicles made before 1986. Ethanol has a number of important chemical and physical properties that need to be considered in a vehicle’s design.
Carburettor Equipped Engines: Vehicles made before 1986 vehicles were predominantly equipped with carburettors and steel fuel tanks. The use of ethanol blended petrol in engines impacts the air/fuel ratio because of the additional oxygen molecules within the ethanol’s chemical structure. Vehicles with carburettor fuel systems may experience hot fuel handling concerns. This is because the vapour pressure of fuel with ethanol will be greater and probability of vapour lock or hot re-starting problems will be increased. As a solvent, ethanol attacks both the metallic and rubber based fuels lines, and other fuel system components. Ethanol also has an affinity to water that can result in corrosion of fuel tanks and fuel lines. Rust resulting from this corrosion can ultimately block the fuel supply rendering the engine inoperable. Water in the fuel system can also result in the engine hesitating and running roughly.
Fuel Injected Engines: In addition to the issues mentioned above for carburettor equipped engines, the use of ethanol blended petrol in fuel injection systems will result in early deterioration of components such as injector seals, delivery pipes, and fuel pump and regulator.Mechanical fuel injection systems and earlier electronic systems may not be able to fully compensate for the lean-out effect of ethanol blended petrol, resulting in hesitation or flat-spots during acceleration.Difficulty in starting and engine hesitation after cold start can also result.
Exhaust And Evaporative Emission Levels: Lean-out resulting from the oxygenating effect of ethanol in the fuel may affect exhaust emissions. Of more concern is that fuel containing ethanol can increase permeation emissions from fuel system components, particularly those that have aged for nearly 20 years. Therefore the increased vapour pressure of fuel with ethanol will lead to increased evaporative emissions.
Braking Bad & Improving your brakes (click on photo)
Kubota Generator Technical data
Fuel Filter Stupidity By Murray Morell
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ELECTRIC MOCCASIN Part 2 update continued
New” Oils and “Old” Cars Don’t Mix
By Mark D. Sarine
Have you heard about the “zinc” problem with modern motor oils? Many classic car owners and racers have experienced camshaft failures due to modern motor oils. Even worse, be prepared for the “zinc” to change in motor oils again later this Fall.
If you’ve not had the pleasure of having your camshaft go flat due to modern motor oils, consider yourself very fortunate. As an owner of an engine parts warehouse, I’ve seen hundreds of perfectly good camshafts ruined by modern motor oils. So when I read about the “new” API SN motor oil coming out this Fall, I started talking to the engine builders we supply parts. The engine builders all said the same thing – car owners don’t much know about these modern motor oils and the problems these oils create in classic cars and race cars. Knowing about the Cruise News, I contacted Mike to see if he could help us spread the word – modern motor oils are not good for your classic hot rods and race cars.
Here’s the facts:
“Zinc” or ZDDP as it is commonly referred to in motor oils is a type of chemical called Zinc DialkylDithioPhosphate, and “Zinc” has been the most common anti-wear additive used in motor oils for the last 60 years. I just call it “Zinc” because it is easier to say and spell.
“Zinc” is a remarkable chemical that protects engine parts from metal to metal contact under heavy loads.
“Zinc” works by creating a film on the iron and steel parts in your engine. Unfortunately, “Zinc” also creates a film inside modern Three Way Catalytic converters. This “Zinc Poisoning” limits Three Way Catalytic converter life to around 70,000 miles.
The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates that car manufacturers warranty Three Way Catalytic converters on new cars built since 2004 for 120,000 miles. To achieve this goal, the car manufacturers worked with the American Petroleum Institute (API) to create new, lower “Zinc” oils that allow Three Way Catalytic converters to live for 120,000 miles.
These new “Lower Emissions” oils have extended catalytic converter life, but they have shortened the life of flat-tappet camshafts.
Not long after these modern motor oils with less “Zinc” hit the market, we started to notice an increase in flat-tappet camshaft failures. At first, it was the race engine builders, so we shrugged it off as some new “trick” the race guys were doing that caused the problem. Then we started to see stock flat tappet camshafts going flat.
Things got ugly really fast. Every camshaft company started researching the problem. So did the Automotive Engine Rebuilders Association. Everybody wanted to know, why are cams going flat?
The answer was “Zinc”.
Lower “Zinc” oils work just fine in modern production car engines with overhead cams, and roller lifters. These modern engines don’t rev past 5,000 RPM.
Most hot rod and race motors have push rods, flat tappet lifters and rev beyond 5,000 RPM. These engines need motor with more “Zinc”.
The good news is that “High Zinc” oils are available.
If you have a classic car or race car, I highly recommend using the Joe Gibbs (or Penrite) brand oils.
We have seen a dramatic reduction in camshaft problems when our engine builders started using the Joe Gibbs brand oils. Since Joe Gibbs Racing is a NASCAR team, they are on top of all the latest advancements in technology, and they have developed oils that work. I’ve seen used parts from Joe Gibbs Racing engines that look brand new (even with over 600 miles on them).
If you’ve not had any problems so far, consider yourself very lucky. Switching to a “High Zinc” oil before the new API SN oils hit the shelves is like an insurance policy against having problems.
We like selling engine parts, but I hate seeing good parts go bad – Especially when they don’t have to.
by Mark D. Sarine
ETHANOL BLENDED FUEL.(Thanks to Classic M/cycle Club of S.Aust)
What is Ethanol? Well in simple terms it is alcohol distilled from waste green vegetation, like sugar cane. Australia accepted this as a boost to the cane industry as well greening our fuel.
There has been much talk about Ethanol and it’s effects when added to our petrol
but no one wants to make an official statement, in fact no statements of any kind have been made officially that answer our questions, or in essence to help to solve the new batch of problems that have arisen from tampering with our petrol. You be the judge.
The oil refineries now only make unleaded petrol, so additives, like ethanol are added to boost octane ratings up from what is really the old standard petrol. Ethanol is not the only additive used for this purpose, just the cheapest, and the most common. Australia had a limit set at 10 % (E10) but many samples show near 20% is being used, with this being planned as a new standard.
Some of the problems we have heard about are listed below.
• Hard starting in damp weather.
• Water in fuel. Blocking filters.
• Poor economy in normal everyday use.
• Dissolves tank sealant.
• Plays hell with fibre glass tanks. Disolves them and the mess causes engine siezure.
• Corrodes metal fuel tanks causing petrol leaks
• If sitting for a couple of months, corrodes most metals.
• corrodes inside the fuel jets causing lean mixture, and blockages.
• Rots fuel lines and tap seals, fire danger in the shed.
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