I was just listening ito a story on the radio about a lot of Florida boaters having issues with ethanol e10 gas they used at some marinas. It seems, that the gas left in the tanks, draws waterl, and will eventually separate with the water from the gasoline. Probably not a problem if you burn though a tank of gas regularly, but if you garage your car though the winter, it could lead to major fuel line problems in the spring. Since just about every gas station I have been at the last 6 months sells, or at least says it's gas can contain up to 10% ethanol, I think I will be emptying my tank for the winter.

Has anyone else had a problem with this? Just wondering.

 

^^

just another reason why ethanol is bad...

 

Curious to know as well now. I know ethanol is bad but almost every gas station has the 10% ethanol in it now. I was told on this forum that was ok and can't really do much about it. I was also told to have a full tank of gas when you store the car for the winters so wondering if that has change.

Basing the info given by the OP, is it still a good idea to store the car with a full tank of gas during the winters? TIA.

 

Yes, ethanol is hydroscopic. That means it absorbs water. It's a problem us (radio control, nitro powered) modelers have had forever. Nitromethane, which is our primary fuel ingredient, is even more hydroscopic than ethanol.

It's important to empty tanks of these kinds of fuels, or internal rust will become your companion!

Norawkus, it does make sense to also fill up your tank, as then there is as little surface area as possible to absorb water from the air. When you store modeling fuel, you squeeze the plastic bottle to get all the air out, then put the cap on, I guess the 'full tank principle' works on the same thinking.

 

I actually saw a gas station in my area yesterday that advertised "no-ethanol gas" for $2.78/gal. Regular here is now down to $1.95 for the normal E10.

 

In the motorcycle world storing your vehicle is pretty common. The most used practice is to fill it up as much as possible and store in an area with relatively static temperatures. The thinking is that if all the area is used up then there's no room for condensation to form.

But motorcycle gas tanks are extremely simple and the fill hole is direct into the tank. I'd think that a car's filling system might include some routing, so the "fill up tank as much as possible" advice may not apply. Not sure

 

...get out there and give your car a shake down a couple of times a week.

 

As usual, I'm shooting from the hip and should do my own research before chipping in with my two cents but I have heard that ethanol is a nightmare, especially for the folks in the law care business... I have been told that Amzoil makes and additive that helps mediate many of the issues ethanol causes... might be worth looking into... also, our flee manager recommends throwing something called Sea Foam into a tank of gas every now and then... bought a can of the stuff and have never had the confidence to use it... will try to find out what the Amzoil product is but I suspect one of you might already know... ethanol is the suck, for sure.

 

ahhh! now I'm all worried because I only drive my S2000 during the weekends now and so that means the fuel will sit in my car for quite a while before I fill up with new fuel.

do you guys think that's long enough for the water to separate from the fuel? I hope not. please reassure me someone.

 

haha, just dump acetone in your tank. acetone dissolves both water and hydrocarbon compounds.