newshound wrote
Rod Speed wrote
Fredxx wrote
Dave Plowman (News) wrote

Been quite a few scare stories in the press about how E10
petrol - coming here later this year - will damage many older
cars. Much of it the usual press ********, after all E5 has been
around for quite some time, and is known to attack older
'rubber' flexible fuel pipes. Which don't last forever anyway.
Much of it generalization, but one specific was mentioned.

It attacks the solder used on carburetter floats
(those made of brass). Any comments?

You're probably already using E5 petrol, E10 is just more of the same.

The biggest concern is that ethanol is hygroscopic, it absorbs
water, and you don't want a watery fuel stagnating in your
fuel tank. Especially if you only use your car once in a while.

You can get ethanol corrosion inhibitor to slow/stop these effects.

I'm surprised the equivalent of diesel bug isn't an issue?

No bugs like an ethanol water mix.

I was going to say that too, then I realised that I don't
actually know what oxidises it to acetic acid. I assume
that is mediated by some biological activity.

I spose so, but yeast particularly does get killed by
higher levels of ethanol with fermentation of beer
and wine etc. And that happens at those levels of
ethanol. Tho certainly red wine particularly can
end up with quite bad sludge after decades.

As long as the fuel is dry or has corrosion inhibitor then it
shouldn't attack either lead (in old solder) or zinc (in brass).