I’ve used ethanol in all my vehicles — cars, trucks, motorcycles, lawn mowers and boat motors — since the mid-1980s and I’m completely satisfied with it. However, I recently fell into information that expanded my knowledge of that product:
1. E10 is 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline. E15 is 15% ethanol, 90% gasoline. E85, however, according to the Department of Energy, can legally range from 51% to 83% ethanol content. That variation is allowed because ethanol vaporizes poorly in cold temperatures, so fuel companies increase the percentage of gasoline during winter months in northern regions to ensure good cold-starts.
2. The term “Flex Fuel” acknowledges the fact the level of ethanol “flexes” with the season.
3. Despite some owner’s manuals, ethanol is safe for use in small engines, but it needs to be used with discretion. In the early days of ethanol, the alcohol sometimes attacked rubber hoses and gaskets in fuel systems. Modern small engines are now equipped to deal with ethanol.
4. The other issue with ethanol is “phase separation.” Water is attracted to ethanol. When an ethanol fuel sits unused for a long time, water is drawn to the ethanol and the water/ethanol can settle to the bottom of the tank, fuel bowl, fuel line, etc., and cause problems.
