Switch to ethanol fuel has motorcyclists yelling 'foul' Saturday, April 15, 2006 BY BUD WILKINSON Copyright 2006 Republican-American Chris Fischer calls the problem "a nightmare." His off-road bike has suddenly conked out on him, causing him to crash, and his 2005 Yamaha Royal Star street motorcycle has twice been in the shop to have its carburetors cleaned since Connecticut switched completely from gasoline with the additive MTBE to an ethanol blend last year. "The new fuel is so bad," said Fischer, who is among a growing number of motorcyclists in the state who are finding themselves sidelined by clogged carburetors and fouled fuel jets. "If you park your bike for more than, in some cases, two weeks, there's a good chance you're going to have problems," he said. The problem is especially bad for Fischer because not only does he ride, he also owns Cycle Performance, the Yamaha-Suzuki-Kawasaki dealership in Torrington. Like other area dealerships, Cycle Performance's service department has recently experienced an upswing in engine problems among its customers. Cycle Performance service manager Gary Hatstat estimates that he's seeing at least five bikes a week with fuel system issues. "If the bike leaves and in two weeks has the same problem, it doesn't make us look good," he said. Added Fischer, "We get customers who come in who think we're trying to steal from them or scam them." That number may rise, too, now that riders are getting their bikes out of winter storage. Don Garneau, service manager at Canton Cycles, the BMW-Victory-Triumph dealership in Winsted, agrees the odds of a fouled engine increase when a bike sits for a prolonged period. Garneau has also recently seen more cases of bikes not starting or idling improperly. "When we take them apart, they usually have this unusual collection of stuff on the jets. We've been attributing it to the change in gas," he said. As a result, bike owners are now facing potentially expensive repair bills and are running the risk of riding unsafe cycles that could leave them stranded or worse. Pat Goss, who hosts the "Goss' Garage" segment on the "Motorweek" television show on PBS and Speed, places the blame for increased motorcycle engine problems directly on the more environmentally-friendly, corn-based ethanol. Goss in an e-mail to RIDE-CT. "The first is that mixing an ethanol blend with an MTBE blend can cause a chemical reaction that turns the stuff into black goo that clogs fuel lines, fuel filters and often carburetors and fuel injectors." Another problem is the chemical reaction that occurs when ethanol comes in contact with the epoxy coating that some owners and service departments use to coat the inside of gas tanks, especially on older motorcycles, to prevent rust. "The ethanol causes the epoxy to dissolve -- again into a thick glue-like substance that clogs fuel system components," Goss reported. Speaking later by phone from his garage in Maryland, Goss further explained, "The ethanol is very detergent and causes dirt that's built up over years to come loose." All gas stations in Connecticut have been selling an ethanol blend since late last fall, although Mobil stations made the switch nearly a year ago and Getty outlets five years ago. MTBE (or methyl tertiary butyl ether), which has been known to contaminate drinking water, was phased out over a five-year period. "Ethanol acts like a scrubber," agreed Michael Fox, executive director of the Gasoline and Automotive Service Dealers Association in Stamford. Any rust, dirt or corrosion in the fuel system will get picked up. He also warns against mixing ethanol gas with any leftover MTBE gas that might be in the tank. "You do not want to mix half a tank or three-quarters of a tank that's MTBE with one quarter or one-half of a tank that's ethanol, because there's going to be a varnishing effect, where (the gas) turns to a thick varnish," said Fox. He suggests either running the tank dry or draining it before adding the ethanol blend or, in the case of fuel injected bikes, emptying the tanks, replacing the filter, running a tank of ethanol and then changing the filter again. Goss concurred "changing the filter twice is probably a good idea," although Hatstat and Garneau said they haven't encountered problems with fuel-injected bikes, only carbureted ones. Fox said that "probably less than one percent" of bikes should be affected by the change in gas. But local motorcycle dealerships see a greater problem and don't believe that the solution is that simple. Hatstat said that as a preventative measure on all new bikes, along with bikes that come in with problems, he's automatically changing the aluminum needle valve in the carburetor and replacing it with chrome one, which isn't as apt to corrode. Both he and Garneau advise bike owners to add gasoline stabilizer every time the tank is filled and to the drain carburetors if the bike isn't going to be used for two weeks or longer. For customers, getting their idled bikes back on the road can be costly. "It's hurting the wallet. It's lightening the wallet," said Garneau, explaining that pulling and cleaning a carburetor can take three or four hours at a cost of $75 per hour for labor. Hatstat also worries that a stuck needle valve could result in gas linking out of the overflow tube on the engine and igniting when coming in contact with a hot engine. "It's a safety issue," he said. "For people taking their bike out of storage, you should pay attention to what the bike is doing before starting it." RIDE-CT is a regular feature on motorcycling. Harwinton-based journalist Bud Wilkinson rides a 2004 Triumph Sprint ST, which is fuel-injected. He may be reached by e-mail at budride-ct.com if you have a story suggestion or comment.
owning a couple of mid 1970s bikes has me pondering things a bit. ethanol, in addition to being a powerful solvent that will release all sorts of stuck deposits in the fuel system, is seriously hygroscopic and this is a humid environ here. this excerpt from Wikipedia on E85 sheds some light, there's lots more info out there Risks E85 Ethanol is not all good, it can also do damage, like prolonged exposure to high concentrations of ethanol may corrode metal and rubber parts in older engines (pre-1988) designed primarily for gasoline. The hydroxyl group on the ethanol molecule is an extremely weak acid, but it can enhance corrosion for some natural materials. For post-1988 fuel-injected engines, all the components are already designed to accommodate E10 (10% ethanol) blends through the elimination of exposed magnesium and aluminium metals and natural rubber and cork gasketed parts. Hence, there is a greater degree of flexibility in just how much more ethanol may be added without causing ethanol-induced damage, varying by automobile manufacturer. Anhydrous ethanol in the absence of direct exposure to alkali metals and bases is non-corrosive; it is only when water is mixed with the ethanol that the mixture becomes corrosive to some metals. Hence, there is no appreciable difference in the corrosive properties between E10 and a 50:50 blend of E10 gasoline and E85 (47.5% ethanol), provided there is no water present, and the design was done to accommodate E10. Nonetheless, operation with more than 10% ethanol has never been recommended by car manufacturers in non-FFVs. Operation on up to 20% ethanol is generally considered safe for all post 1988 cars and trucks. This equates to running a blend of 23.5% of E85. Starting in 2013[3], at least one US state (Minnesota) already has legislatively mandated and planned to force E20 (20% ethanol) into their general gasoline fuel-distribution network. Details of how this will work for individual vehicle owners while maintaining automobile manufacturer warranties, despite exceeding the manufacturer's maximum warranted operation percentage of 10% of ethanol in fuel, are still being worked as of late-2005. However, the choice of transitioning to a 20% ethanol blend of gasoline is not without precedent; Brazil, in its conversion to an ethanol-fueled economy, determined that operation with up to 22% ethanol in gasoline was safe for the cars and trucks then on the road in Brazil at the time, and the conversion to a 20% blend was accomplished with only minor issues arising for older vehicles. Recently, conversion to a 24% blend was accomplished in Brazil. In addition to corrosion, there is also a risk of increased engine wear for non-FFV engines that are not specifically designed for operation on high levels (i.e., for greater than 10%) of ethanol. The risk primarily comes in the rare event that the E85 fuel ever becomes contaminated with water. For water levels below approximately 0.5% to 1.0% contained in the ethanol, no phase separation of gasoline and ethanol occurs. For contamination with 1% or more water in the ethanol, phase separation occurs, and the ethanol and water mixture will separate from the gasoline. This can be simply observed by pouring a mixture of suspected water-contaminated E85 fuel in a clear glass tube, waiting roughly 30 minutes for the separation to occur (if it does), and then inspecting the sample. If there is water contamination of above 1% water in the ethanol, a clear separation of alcohol (with water) and gasoline will be clearly visible, with the colored gasoline floating above the clear alcohol and water mixture. For a badly-contaminated amount of water in the ethanol and water mixture that separates from the gasoline (i.e., approximately 11% water, 89% ethanol, equivalent to 178 proof alcohol), considerable engine wear will occur, especially during times while the engine is heating up to normal operating temperatures, as for example just after starting the engine, when low temperature partial combustion of the water-contaminated ethanol mixture is taking place. This wear, caused by water-contaminated E85, is the result of the combustion process of ethanol, water, and gasoline producing considerable amounts of formic acid (HCOOH, also known as methanoic acid, and sometimes written as CH2O2). In addition to the production of formic acid occurring for water-contaminated E85, smaller amounts of acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) and acetic acid (C2H4O2) are also formed for water-contaminated ethanol combustion. Nonetheless, it is the formic acid that is responsible for the majority of the rapid increase in engine wear. Engines specifically designed for FFVs employ soft nitride coatings on their internal metal parts to provide formic acid wear resistance in the event of water contamination of E85 fuel. Also, the use of lubricant oil (motor oil) containing an acid neutralizer is necessary to prevent the damage of oil-lubricated engine parts in the event of water contamination of fuel. Such lubricant oil is required by at least one manufacturer of FFVs even to this day (Chrysler). For non-FFVs burning E85 in greater than 23.5% E85 mixtures (20% ethanol), the remedy for accidentally getting a tank of water-contaminated E85 (or gasoline) while preventing excessive engine wear is to change the motor oil as soon as possible after either burning the fuel and replacing it with non-contaminated fuel, or after immediately draining and replacing the water-contaminated fuel. The risk of burning slightly water-contaminated fuel with low percentages of water (less than 1%) on a long commute is minimal; after all, it is the low temperature combustion of water contaminated ethanol and gasoline that causes the bulk of the formic acid to form; burning a slightly-contaminated mix of water (less than 1%) and ethanol quickly, in one long commute, will not likely cause any appreciable engine wear past the first 15 miles of driving, especially once the engine warms up and high temperature combustion occurs exclusively. For those making their own E85, the risk of introducing water unintentionally into their homemade fuel is relatively high unless adequate safety precautions and quality control procedures are taken. Ethanol and water form an azeotrope such that it is impossible to distill ethanol to higher than 95.6% ethanol purity by weight (roughly 190 proof), regardless of how many times distillation is repeated. Unfortunately, this proof ethanol contains too much water to prevent separation of a mixture of such proof ethanol with gasoline, or to prevent the formation of formic acid during low temperature combustion. Therefore, when making E85, it becomes necessary to remove this residual water. It is possible to break the ethanol and water azeotrope through adding benzene or another hydrocarbon prior to a final rectifying distillation. This takes another distillation (energy consuming) step. However, it is possible to remove the residual water more easily, using 3 angstrom (3A) synthetic zeolite pellets to absorb the water from the mix of ethanol and water, prior to mixing the now anhydrous ethanol with gasoline in an 85% to 15% by volume mixture to make E85. This absorption process is also known as a molecular sieve. The benefit of using synthetic zeolite pellets is that they are essentially comparable to using a catalyst, in being infinitely reusable and in not being consumed in the process, and the pellets require only re-heating (perhaps on a backyard grill, in a solar reflector furnace, or with heated carbon dioxide gas collected and saved from the fermentation process) to drive off the water molecules absorbed into the zeolite. Research has also been done at Purdue University on using corn grits as a dessicant. [4] Once the ground corn becomes water logged, the corn grits can be processed much as the zeolite pellets, at least for a number of drying cycles before the grits lose their effectiveness. Once this occurs, it is possible to run the now water-logged corn grits through the natural fermentation process and convert them into even more ethanol fuel. Running a non-FFV with too high of a percentage of ethanol will also cause a lean air fuel mixture. A lean mixture, if allowed to persist over considerable periods of time, will cause overheating of pistons and will eventually cause engine damage. It will also cause premature catalytic converter failure. This is also why the check engine light will illuminate if you mix more than around 50% to 60% E85 by volume with your gasoline in a non-FFV. If this happens, just add more 87 octane regular grade gasoline as soon as possible to correct the problem. (Some premium blends contain up to 10% ethanol; to correct the problem as quickly as possible, always add regular grade gasoline, not premium grade gasoline.) These lean mixture problems will not happen in a properly-converted vehicle.
Reads like an excellent way to get rid of the older and antique vehicles. Why can't gasoline just be gasoline, including the lead. This constant tampering has more than just a little to do with all the pump price escalations. Eventually, it won't make any difference what gasoline costs because it won't run in anything anyway, and won't be needed.
yah, in addition to the two 1970s period bikes, my 1930 Model A is not going to be pleased either. several cork and rubber gaskets in that one. :^( may have to see about avation fuel for it.... #$%&!%!%
The ethanol-tainted gasoline showing up at gas stations now is not E-85... the percentage ethanol being added (replacing MTBE) is less than 10%... I agree with you it is bad news. Adding this crap (and associated cost) to gasoline, along with the government's tax share (which far exceeds the oil company's profits) is anoutrage. It's pathetic how Joe Sixpack thinks the high pump prices are the fault of the evil Big Oil Companies. S.
heh, and those taxes aren't even close to what europeans get hit with. amazingly, life goes on in europe and japan quite nicely thank you. i have a close relative who works for the local gummint as an inspector for certain building permits and the thing they say all the time is that people could care less about anything until it inconveniences them. then they whine and moan about how bad things are and why didn't someone else do something about it. they never take the time to actually pay attention and understand what is going on before it finally causes them discomfort. owning a couple of vehicles that get 8-10 mpg then yelling when fuel costs go up and looking for someone to blame other than themselves is the quintessential example. this country could stand to have $5/gal gasoline. that would finally make people truly sit up, take notice and do something to change their wasteful habits. this whining about "i can't afford to go to the movies because the gas is costing so much" is only the beginning. i'm talking serious pain causing mandatory shifts in lifestyle and business. it will make alternative energy sources economically feasible and oil will be reserved for more useful purposes than just burning it up. those days are coming to an end within this century, possibly as little as 25 years. england damn near deforested their island until they figured out it was fucked up to burn all their wood for heat. coal came into use as a result and wood then went almost exclusively into housing, shipbuilding and other constructive purposes rather than burning it. and wood is renewable! i am seeing more and more two wheeled vehicles in daily use around here, which is a good thing. the long term is going to be the construction of effective mass transit. after 50 years of letting the railroads decline to support the long distance trucking industry, the true economics of scale will come into play. a couple of GM locomotives can haul those trailers far more efficiently than each trailer requiring it's own tractor rig. trucks will be reserved for short run regional delivery. urban centers will realize that 12 lane freeways to serve hundreds of thousands of individual cars carrying one person each is ridiculous and an anachronism from a more simple time. motorcycling will be a real joy when that happens. big empty roads, yessir! when bill blames a government/business conspiracy for oil prices, in addition to being quite funny, he stands as a shining example of the ignorant whiner who is now suddenly inconvenienced, doesn't know why and needs someone aside from himself to blame. he doesn't realize worldwide demand is outstripping worldwide supply. it's that simple. the same day bush announced he was halting filling the american strategic petroleum reserve so more oil could be on the market, the chinese announced an agreement with saudi to fill their newly established strategic reserve. the chinese purchase, the first of many, will take the equivilent of every drop of saudi production for ten days, or nearly 3% of the annulal saudi output. that chinese/saudi agreement didn't come about in one day. the common bozo may think halting purchases for the US SPR will make a difference, but he's wrong. the saudis, iranians, venezualans and every other producing exporter of oil and gas don't care who buys it, there is a line of customers out the door and easily available supplies are diminishing. both the alaskan north slope and the north sea fields are in decline. mexicos cantarell field has started to slip. russian output had dropped. the saudis wont admit to it but even ghawar may be cresting from their practice of flooding the fields with water and starting to diminish. simultaneously, literally billions of people in china and india are achieving the middle class dream and they want a piece of the good life action too. as a result the producers can't keep up with customer demand today. demand is increasing, supplies are slipping and it's getting harder to find replacement supply. it's there, but the fields are smaller and more marginal, the product more difficult to get out. that sends the costs up. oil and gas won't disappear, but it will go to the highest bidder for more useful added value end product purposes like medical devices, fertilizers and plastics, rather then something to be burned. as for ethanol, it's a mixed bag that may require more energy to create than it ultimately produces. it just happens to be in a convenient quasi-renewable form that can temporarily fill in the fuel gap for current automotive technology as we transition to a new age. i'd rather have my ethanol over ice, with a nice aged smokey oak barrel flavor to it anyway.
