E 10 Fuel

[Tim Ward]

At the moment I don't use a fuel additive. Thinking of over winter storage and the fuel separating. Happened to my lawnmower last year. Looking for recommendations and what others use ?

Thanks Tim

[Goldstar]

If you’re worried about that you have 2 options. Fill up (brim it) with super from Esso I think it is that has 0 ethanol or drain it all and have no fuel in. Bonus with the second option is the tank can be removed quite easily when empty for maintenance if needed. Just fill up from a can after the lay up and off you go.

[trunt]

I post this on a regular basis..

Of course if you can get non ethanol great!

USA has been using E10 for 10? Years. I can’t buy anything else in my part of the country. run the tank low, then brim it with fresh fuel so that there is no space for condensation. Brimming is always a good practice E10 or not.

There are no additives that prevent separation. It’s just down the amount of water that gets in there. I do use “Sta-Bil” which is a non ethanol stabiliser.

I have had no problems..

Terry

[SteveD]

I also use Sta-Bil fuel stabiliser.

[mole42]

I use my car all the time, summer, winter, it doesn't get a rest. No problems.

[DJT]

I don’t lay my Stag up in Winter. It is available for use and frequently is, unless the roads are covered in salt.

If we look at the Stag fuel system objectively, where are problems with E10 going to occur? The tank is steel, so ought to be ok. The pump? I guess that depends on how old it is. I would hope that fairly new units would be suitable for E10. If not, then IF it suffers, replace it with one that is. I am sure that Burlen could advise. Fuel pipes/hoses? Only the flexible ones might suffer, so make sure they are replaced with R9 or better. They should be replaced every few years anyway, and R9 has been the recommended minimum standard for several years now. The carbs? What carb components (Strombergs) are susceptible? E10 is reputed to attack solder, but the floats are plastic not soldered brass like some. Likewise the fuel tank level sender float. The rubber components are the diaphragms, and they shouldn’t come into contact with the fuel.

I wonder if this E10 scaremongering is going to be similar to the loss of 4-Star in the move to unleaded. A non-event.

Time will tell I suppose. Terry says he has no problems in the US.

[Goldstar]

I find myself agreeing with Dave twice in the same week

[RobinLegin]

I use a product called by « Motul » which is a stabiliser for fuel with ethanol. It works on my 1955 Alvis’ fuel system where there are fibre washers.
i can confirm that my Stag started to misfire in France running on 95 Octane and was a pig to start when hot. Using 97 Octane improved it as did fuel from the oil majors.

[trunt]

I also have a 1967 MGB with SU carbs and I suspect Original SU pump, at least I have never replaced it in my 10 years of ownership and it wasn’t new back then. It’s mostly Steel fuel lines but yes I did replace any rubber fuel hoses, as I have done on every classic I have ever owned, why anyone would trust 50 year old rubber fuel hoses beats me..

+1 on the leaded comment Dave, common sense should eventually prevail.

[Tim Ward]

Thanks everyone for replies.

[DJT]

From the latest edition of Practical Classics. Worth reading:

83740722-BDFB-4065-BFBC-0A3A36BEE67B.jpeg

[Paul Kelley]

I posted on the E10 subject a while back. I contacted the PRA (Petrol Retailers Association) and they confirmed that E5 grade fuel will remain available, albeit at the 'super unleaded' pumps with a corresponding higher price. I know some of you opt for this more expensive fuel by choice already, but unless you're covering high mileages the marginal cost relative to all the other expenses is probably not worth getting worked up about. Besides, as our American cousins confirm, E10 is not the end of the road.

[Bakdraft007]

Fill up (brim it) with super from Esso I think it is that has 0 ethanol

I looked up on Esso's website to find one of their stations that had the zero ethanol fuel, (supreme+ 99) and as it happens my local station was one of the few that it said supplied it....I drove there only to find they didn't sell it and the person at the counter said they never did have it. I wonder if that is due to the middle part of their statement that excludes 50% of the country

On their website they say:
Although our pumps have E5 labels on them, our Synergy Supreme+ 99 is actually ethanol free (except, due to technical supply reasons, in Devon, Cornwall, North Wales, North England and Scotland). Legislation requires us to place these E5 labels on pumps that dispense unleaded petrol with ‘up to 5% ethanol’, including those that contain no ethanol, which is why we display them on our Synergy Supreme+ 99 pumps.

There’s currently no requirement for renewable fuel, like ethanol, to be present in super unleaded petrol although this could change in the future, in which case we would comply with any new legislation.

Can someone confirm that other Esso stations do have the supreme+ 99 fuel.....

[Goldstar]

It’s not a big deal. Change your hoses every few years and use one that is ethanol resistant. Simples.