As Hawaii transitions to the use of E-10 Unleaded, many car owners may rely on their auto mechanics and service technicians for information about how the new fuel may affect their car's performance. Therefore, it is vitally important for members of auto service and repair community to have accurate information about ethanol-blended fuels.
Although it may be new to Hawaii, ethanol (up to 10% by volume) is a common component of automotive fuel.
Ethanol is already being used in most states, and in some states, gasoline containing up to 10% ethanol (Also known as E10 Unleaded) has been used for more than 20 years!
All auto manufacturers approve the use of E10 in their warranties.
Click on a question below to read its answer.
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Ethanol is highly refined beverage (grain) alcohol, approximately 200 proof, and can be made from natural products such as corn, sugar, and wheat. Ethanol that is used for fuel has been denatured with hydrocarbon, rendering it unsafe to drink.
E10 Unleaded fuel is a mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline (E for ethanol, and 10 is for 10%). Automobiles that normally use unleaded gasoline for fuel can also run using E10 fuel. E10 is NOT considered an alternative fuel (it's still 90% gasoline).
Another type of ethanol-blended fuel is E85. E85 refers to a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% unleaded gasoline. E85 is an ALTERNATIVE FUEL and is for use in ALTERNATIVE FUEL and FLEXIBLE FUEL vehicles.
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All Hawaii fuel distributors were required to begin to distribute E10 to retail stations and fleets by April 2, 2006.
Up to 15% of each distributor's monthly volume may be distributed WITHOUT ethanol. If a fuel distributor delivers 1,000,000 gallons of fuel in a month, at least 850,000 gallons must contain 10% denatured ethanol. The other 150,000 gallons can be delivered without ethanol.
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Yes. Other components of gasoline, such as olefins, can cause deposits that result in fouled fuel injectors. However, since 1985, all ethanol blends and nearly all non-ethanol gasolines contain corrosion inhibitors and detergent additives designed to prevent injector deposits. These detergents have been very effective in alleviating the problem of fouled fuel injectors.
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No.
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Ethanol is an efficient solvent, and therefore, the use of ethanol-blended fuel may result in loosened contaminants and residues collecting in the fuel filter. The fuel filter may need to be changed if it is restricting fuel flow. Once the system is clean, the fuel filter's normal maintenance schedule may be followed. This problem is not very common, and is more likely to occur in older cars that used leaded gasoline.
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Some mechanics do not have correct information regarding ethanol-blended fuel, and like many people, the only thing they know about gasoline is that some of it is blended with ethanol. Some mechanics will suspect ethanol when there appears to be a fuel-related problem with an engine. One reason for this is that in many states, ethanol is the only gasoline component that requires an identifying label.
There is also sometimes confusion between E10 Unleaded and E85.
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When E10 fuel is contaminated with over 0.5% water, the ethanol and water mixture will separate from the gasoline and fall to the bottom of the gas tank. The fuel system must then be drained and new fuel added. Before using ethanol-blended fuel for the first time in an older small engine, all water should be removed from the tank.
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