Not very long ago the EPA OK’d 15% ethanol in gasoline. They originally OK’d it in 2010, but a class action lawsuit delayed this. Unfortunately, they ultimately have been able to get it OK’d. It is debatable if adding ethanol in gasoline does more good than harm to both the environment and to your car. Because of the harm that this gas can do to your car, I decided to look into what can be done to avoid it and why it is so bad for some cars.

Manufacturers of various automobiles have come out saying that cars older than 2001 should not use the 15% ethanol gasoline blend (with some voiding any warranties on the car if the 15% blend is used on even some cars newer than 2001). The reason for this is that these fuel systems where not designed for ethanol use. Because they weren’t designed for it, many parts of the fuel system (especially rubber parts) can begin to fail due to the use of this fuel. Beyond this, if a car is not run very often (for example a car that is mainly driven on the weekends) the ethanol can cause condensation to form in the gas tank and we all know water in your gas is never a good thing.

So, what can we do to keep our classic cars from having trouble with this new higher ethanol fuel? First find out if your state makes gas stations put a notice if their fuel contains ethanol. Some states (such as California, where I live) do not require any notice that gasoline contains ethanol (because of this most stations in the state do contain ethanol). Other states do require a notice although some states only require it if the ethanol level is over a certain percentage. If you live in a state that doesn’t require notice, you can purchase a testing system that will let you know if your gas does contain ethanol from Internet suppliers. You can find a list of states that require ethanol labeling on the Internet also.

If you live near water and are not able to get ethanol free gasoline at any local gas stations, you may be able to get it at a local marina gas location. Boaters have been very successful in keeping ethanol out of their gas, so most locations designed for filling up boats will not have any ethanol in the gas. If you can’t get gas without ethanol anywhere near you, try to do a few things to keep the effects on your car to a minimum. First, use an ethanol gas additive. These additives will help reduce the wear of components not designed for ethanol (Sta-Bil makes a very good ethanol treatment that I have used and it appears to have worked well). You may also want to buy your gasoline from a gas station that uses good additives. For example the Techron in Chevron gasoline may help reduce the affects of ethanol by reducing the affects of any condensation that forms in your gasoline.