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rudysmallfry

60 Minutes Ethanol story

rudysmallfry
17 years ago

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/04/60minutes/main1588659.shtml

In case you missed it, CBS did a story on Ethanol. They mention in one section that Ethanol can actually ruin some cars. I think mine's one of them. As I put in a previous post, my mileage is off almost 25% since CT switched to the additive. I'm bringing it to my mechanic tomorrow. Hopefully he'll find the culprit. I'll be really bummed is this is going to be a long term Ethanol side effect.

Comments (8)

  • rudysmallfry
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Duh, wrong forum. Please ignore.

  • terryr
    17 years ago

    Might be the wrong forum....but...you have to understand that ethenol burns cleaner. In a way, you could say it is a cleaner. It keeps your engine cleaner. If your engine is dirty, it will put all that dirt most likely in your carburator. If it's a newer car, the ethanol won't cause that problem because your engine won't be as dirty as an older car. And if your mechanic can clean out the gunk (assuming it's an older car), your engine will be cleaner and therefore your car will run better. Personally, I think 60 minutes is being an alarmist. If what you burned was E85 and your car isn't rated for it, then yes, you might have damaged your car. But any responsible gas station will not allow a car rated for E85 to be put in. E85 is 85% ethenol and 15% gas. On the other hand, most stations in the midwest have added 10% to the gas. That is not enough to ruin a car's engine. Here, it's made from corn. It helps the farmers and it helps the economy. If you're burning E85, your mileage is off because you don't get the mileage as you do with regular unleaded gas. It costs less yes, but the mileage won't be there. It's a trade off of sorts. You pay more and get the mileage, or you pay less and get less mileage. Ethanol based gasoline has been around since the mid 70's. This isn't something new.

    Terry

  • lisa11310
    17 years ago

    OH this is just too funny, I have done this myself!

  • putzer
    17 years ago

    "60 minutes is being an alarmist."

    When aren't they?

  • dirt_dew
    17 years ago

    Brazil is NOT dependent on foreign oil because they run on alcohol! Vehicles do need to be ready to accept it. Many cars had problems with the switch to unleaded gas. What about lawn mowers, chipper shredders, chain saws, power generators, etc? We do need alternatives. We need to be aware of possible side affects of alternatives.

  • catherinet
    17 years ago

    On the news last night I heard that you have to have a "flex" fuel system in your car to be able to use ethanol. And that your mileage WILL go down by something like 15 percent. But I think we have to keep in mind what we're trying to accomplish, and that's to become less dependent on fossil fuels, and that may mean lower mpg.
    Don't worry about posting in the wrong forum. At least you didn't tell us about your prostate problem or something.......... :)

  • terryr
    17 years ago

    The flex fuel system is to run E85 in your car, not running unleaded with 10% ethenol. You don't need anything special to run 10% ethenol. As for cars that tried to run unleaded in a regular car, I never heard of anyone having a problem. In fact, most people were removing the catalytic converter off their new vehicles, in order to still burn regular gas. If a car was marked unleaded only, the gas station could receive a $10,000 fine by putting in regular. Most lawn mowers, chain saws, tillers etc, all use oil mixed in with the gas. Any lawn mower made since the mid 70's, takes unleaded gas. It won't hurt it by having 10% ethenol in it. It will depend on the vehicle, but most burning E85 find they come out even.

  • woodsmower
    13 years ago

    Think there's an additive (stabil) that you can use to prevent damage from using ethanol in your mowers....

    Here is a link that might be useful: Ethanol Info

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