Ethanol in Gas

87 Octane and ALWAYS add Mercury Quickleen. 1 ounce to every 6 gallons. Just MHO and $0.02.Jmtfrisco, Texas

Yes Kent, I see that too. I have seen all of the locals here…shell/texaco/exxon and even valero with the posting about ethanol. I usually use the valero stores for fuel. Some areas of the country may still have ethanol free gas, but not here in central Arkansas from what I have seen. Dont even get me started about Citgo/Venezuela… Of course you already know about the Quickleen. I have not tried the Marine Sta-bil yet, still have some of the regular Sta-bil to use. Good luck and Merry Christmas!96 Eyra/12 Mercury 175 Pro XS with 2015 single axle trailer2017 Victory Gunner

Kent, Two Fina stations here in Hot Springs have signage proudly stating “no alcohol added”. I see lots of boaters fueling at them. You might check up your way and see what you find if youre wanting to avoid the Ethanol. From what Im seeing, its going to be very hard to impossible in most areas to avoid the Ethanol anyway, so Im putting it way down my list of “worries.” John Helms Hot Springs, ARJohn Helms Hot Springs, AR

Depending on the area of the country, your local C-store regardless of the brand most likely gets its gasoline from the same pipeline terminal. For example, in central Arkansas all gasoline comes in via pipeline which is delivered out by I-40 on the east side of North Little Rock. All of the trucks pick up from the terminal and the different vendors who may blend in an additive such as MTBE or EtOH. Some of the national brands add addtional cleaners or detergents but they dont really do much. MTBE was required by EPA as part of amendments to the Clean Air Act. Typical of the government, MTBE was mandated without any investigation as to what problems might be associated with it. Unfortunately, MTBE is highly soluble in water and has a taste/odor at very low levels (depending on who you ask something like 5 parts per billon for odor and 20 ppb for taste) such that virtually any spill or other release into a drinking water supply will render it unfit for human use. Typical gasoline now contains either 10% EtOH or 10% MTBE both are oxygenates. MTBE is an ether while EtOH is old fashioned moonshine. Both present problems. Many areas of the country have banned MTBE because of the risks posed to water resources. Ask some of the guys in California where they cant take a motor on or even near the lake. Now for the more interesting and less technical. Other countries such as Brasil have used EtOH for years. In South America EtOH is cheap and it has been added to fuel for a long time. Ford has built vehicles there for years and from time to time would have problems with fuel pumps because the EtOH would essentially dissolve the plasticizer out of them. About 5 years ago when the US refineries were changing over to meet new EPA clean air requirements for fuel some of the same issues where seen, mostly in Fords related to oxygenate substitutes for MTBE.Also, with the price of gasoline ($1.35 yesterday the lowest I can remember in 3 or 4 years) going down, EtOH isnt going to be an additive of choice at $2.50 to $3.00 per gallon (at the rack price). I suspect that unless required by contract the jobbers arent going to double the price they have to pay for product. FYI John