Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevermore
I believe it was a general statement from a buddy of mine that definitely knows more about cars than me. I'm glad our cars are fine with it, but maybe he just meant it can damage other cars. I will definitely keep this is mind.
|
There are two categories of vehicles that don't play well with ethanol in the fuel.
Cars made before about 1975. The further back you go the worse effects the ethanol has. This was mostly due to the fact that the majority of the hoses and seals were still made of natural rubber and other materials that would dry out very quickly if there was any ethanol at all in the fuel. They could literally dissolve in E85. These cars don't like unleaded fuel as it is so when you start adding ethanol they just say "screw you" and start to leak.
Two stroke engines well up into the late 90s. These are the engines that perpetuate the myth that ethanol is bad for newer cars. Boats, snowmobiles, etc that use two stroke oil to lubricate can have issues since the oil does not work properly with higher levels of ethanol. The ethanol washes the oil off of the surfaces where it should stick. This is why you will find that most marinas have ethanol free fuel.
Any 4 stroke engine built in the last 40 years or so can handle all the ethanol you can throw at it perfectly fine.