Ethanol going to 10%... the rot sets in for good

[danno]

I use BP Ultimate now in my BMW R1100RS as it has a plastic tank. I’m sure the Ethanol in cheaper fuel has expanded the tank a little as the seat doesn’t quite
push forward and lock in on the highest position.
Also some of the fairing bolts don’t quite line up.

I don’t use any particular brand in the Vin and often fill up at Tesco. The engine does suffer a bit from popping and backfiring but not sure if it’s down to the fuel.

 

[Cyborg]

I believe it’s the water ( from the hygroscopic ethanol ) and not the ethanol itself that causes the plastic to expand. Although my knowledge of chemistry is pretty much limited to turning beer into urine, I’d wager a cheeseburger that it’s the water.

 

[ClassicBiker]

I always got lost when my chem prof said two moles per liter. I still have a hard time with that.

 

[BigEd]

I came across this video clip on another website. A simple way of testing to see if there is any alcohol in your petrol. If there is it will not tell you how much.
Alcohol in petrol test

 

[vibrac]

I came across this video clip on another website. A simple way of testing to see if there is any alcohol in your petrol. If there is it will not tell you how much.
Alcohol in petrol test

To find how much there is simply take a sample of fuel (say 100 cc) in the measuring jar add food colour to 10cc of water add it to fuel, shake untill the/any water separates and read off the measure where the water joins the fuel so if its 17cc then its 7cc ethanol
In larger quantities the colored water mix could be the trick to bottom drain off the ethanol leaving low grade petrol ready for adding a octane booster to get up to something near the old 4 star (come back 4 star all is forgiven) but of course we would never do that.

 

[Little Honda]

All depends on what petrol you put in and even then by what random events ethnol was added then after buying how much you had in the tank when it was put away, how warm or cold the storage was, how dry the air in the storage was etc etc. So many many variables any of which produces the bad effects of ethanol you were lucky to avoid. I sometimes think that the unleaded scare of a few decades ago was started on purpose to get this real 'scare' to be ignored. As to knowing what is actually in your petrol brand all we have to go on ( with the exception of esso) is by rumor and word of mouth, Its just parrt of the entire bio fuel shambles I have no doubt that sometimes none or way over the 5% of ethanol is added. and who do you think checks the content ? certainly not local weights and measures.

_As long, as ethanol is cheaper than petrol, there will be someone to increase profit by mixing. If your engine
runs erraneously after refill, empty tank and refill with best quality available, before dismantling yr carb.

 

[oexing]

I do not believe that ethanol was cheaper than petrol. The actual price of petrol is only maybe a quarter of what you pay at the station and I do not believe ethanol grown from plants is cheaper than that. So I do not expect to find much of it in super plus or any kind that is not bound to a certain added percentage by the legislator.
Ethanol is certainly a big factor in aviation when piston engines are run on mogas. Avgas is leaded fuel and no alcohol guaranteed, but price is very high and supply difficult in many countries. The problem is any water in the tanks mixed in alcohol may freeze at high altitudes - which you would not want at all.

Vic

 

[BigEd]

Another link here from the DucatiST groups. It shows a simple way of calculating the amount of ethanol in your petrol. (If any.) It mentions the use of a graduated cylinder but if you don't have one you could improvise puttting you own marks on a suitable container.
https://www.delphiautoparts.com/gbr/en/toolbox/how-test-alcohol-content-gasoline

And from another DucatiST post:
A quote from their website https://www.esso.co.uk/fuels-faqs:
The majority of unleaded 95 Octane petrol sold in the UK contains up to 5% ethanol as required under the Government’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO).
There is currently no requirement for renewable fuel (such as ethanol) to be present in super unleaded (97 grade petrol).
Esso super unleaded petrol (Synergy Supreme+ Unleaded 97) is ethanol free (except in Devon, Cornwall, the Teesside area and Scotland). We would therefore advise anyone who has concerns about the presence of ethanol in petrol to use Synergy Supreme+ – providing they do not fill up in Devon or Cornwall, the Teesside area or Scotland.

And for your nearest UK Esso station: https://www.esso.co.uk/stations
If you do a search to find your nearest Esso station there is a link on the found page to give details of which grades of fuel are available there.

 

[vibrac]

And from another DucatiST post:
A quote from their website https://www.esso.co.uk/fuels-faqs:

Dear old Ducati they get there in the end
It worth noting that when Esso put that on their web site FAQ 18 months or more ago, they were (and probably still are) the only petrol company to actually say so, all the other claims are by rumor, guess work and "my mate's brother met a guy in the pub who works on tankers and he said...."
If you wonder how they can do 0% ethanol, the loophole (in this case I think its actually on purpose) in this case is that its 5% (or soon 10%) of the total refinery output has to be matched in Ethanol as regulated by .gov, NOT individual products.