Stuart---If ethanol has any (adverse) effect on the Triumph fuel system,
I think it should take a very long time to develop. (No facts to back
this up, tho.) I tend to not worry about things I cannot change, so I
use the fuel that's commercially available. In California, we seem to be
the guinea pigs for all of the emission control advocates, ala the MTBE
addition many years ago.
My thoughts about ethanol (alcohol) is as some others have
replied...mileage will be down somewhat, as the ethanol has less energy
than gasoline. There IS some benefit to those motors on the verge of
detonation, tho, as alcohol burns cooler than gas. It also can raise the
octane level of gasoline, other ingredients being equal.
It is also known that alcohol absorbs water, which can sound good if you
suspect there might be water in your tank. Yet when water and alcohol
encounters gasoline, the water falls out of suspension, and goes to the
bottom of the container. (I saw this when experimenting with various
blends of water injection years ago)
Any water in the tank should quickly find its way to the outlet, and on
to the engine. We also know that some water doesn't mean the engine will
run ratty, so long as fuel is delivered at the same time. As a test to
this, one can squirt (gun) water into a fast running engine, and the
engine will merely slow down, but not falter. It has been suggested that
mixing liquid soap with such water can clean the valves, tho this is
another story.
I know of no product that should be added to the tank to offset any
perceived unwanted effects from the alcohol .
Dick Taylor
Los Angeles
'73
From:
stuartt@tlthompson.com(Stuart Thompson)
Could today's gasoline (with a mix of 10% ethanol) have any harmful
effect on a system originally built to run on leaded gasoline? Should I
be adding anything to the fuel when I fill up? I'm just curious to see
what others are doing, if anything. Thanks!
Stuart Thompson
'74 TR6 - Dallas, TX
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