Fuel advisory for cold climates

[schreurs1]

Ive tried everything under the sun and it doesnt matter how much or little ethanol is in it, 2 spins and shes up and running. Granted the gas station where i work makes our fuel differently. We do it right with only the best fuel. we dont make winterblends or any crap like that. You want 89 with 10% ethanol, then you get 87 octane pure gas and 10% E98 straight form the ethanol plant. That is the difference.

[Bert]

It would also be interesting to back probe the computer and see what coolant and air temps you are reading before the weather warms up. Both mine started well at -10 F for a few days. The little tiny battery worked fine too in the red one.

I'll say one thing for Festys; the starters can really spin those little motors. My dad's 50,000 mi 05 Echo is much slower to catch, and fire ('course maybe I should be filling that tank with Premium next time around, and maybe the battery is not quite as new).

[Movin]

It would also be interesting to back probe the computer and see what coolant and air temps you are reading before the weather warms up. Both mine started well at -10 F for a few days. The little tiny battery worked fine too in the red one.

[Bert]

Ive got E30 in my 91 B6 with 226k and it fires up perfect when its -20F. Not sure what kinda gas you guys are getting.

You my friend might well be the recipient of 'bootleg' gas or maybe your car is tuned so well that it doesn't notice. I do like to hear stories like this though; us oldies tend to be pessimists. Try out a few other grades and at a different station. And get back to us.

[schreurs1]

Ive got E30 in my 91 B6 with 226k and it fires up perfect when its -20F. Not sure what kinda gas you guys are getting.

[Movin]

I was looking at barrel pumps for shop use, there was a great big warning sticker DO NOT USE WITH CORROSIVE LIQUIDS SUCH AS
WATER OR GASOLINE lol I am sure that means Oxygenated Gasoline

[Movin]

AV gas worked fine in my high compression snowmobile. The other with the stock engine runs fine on alke free regular.

[Bert]

Might as well buy race fuel in the 54 gallon drums..
at least you get a hundred and ten octane and and some lead..lol
*VP 110 LEADED $43.00 $385

If I were to fuel up with that 'high test' stuff specifically for an emissions-test I don't think the test facilities even have a provision for detecting lead anymore. Speaking of which; how does 'Avgas' compare to race fuel?
Anyway this is the fifth day of sub zero temperatures in central Ontario and the car still starts like a champ on Premium gas. With cold starts, long warm-up idles and stiff bearings and all that cold drivetrain stuff my fuel economy has dropped (to be expected) like a stone. Makes me wonder how far a big block gas Hummer can go on a tank of fuel in this weather and whether the owners have taken out second mortgages in order to fill up the tank twice as often.

[Movin]

Might as well buy race fuel in the 54 gallon drums..
at least you get a hundred and ten octane and and some lead..lol

*VP 110 LEADED $43.00 $385

[lessersivad]

Novel thinking but I strongly suspect that ethanol stays in solution with gasoline whether it has bound with water or not. The old-fashioned under-carb glass fuel bowls (with drain) would trap water though.

The formula I found, though I personally haven't tried it, is for 20 litre of E10 gasoline add 5 litre of water and shake. This mix supposedly "binds" the ethanol and water together which settles to the bottom.

This info is from a fellow in OZ that claims he no longer has problems with his small engines' fuel systems.

[Bert]

There IS a way to get the ethanol out.
Being ethanol is hygroscopic it's possible to remove it by adding water, after a 24 hour or overnight "settling" period, the water/ethanol can be drained from the bottom or the gasoline can be siphoned from the top.
Unfortunately the octane rating of the fuel will propbably be lower due to the ethanol being used as an octane enhancer.
This would become quite a project, but it could be done.

Novel thinking but I strongly suspect that ethanol stays in solution with gasoline whether it has bound with water or not. The old-fashioned under-carb glass fuel bowls (with drain) would trap water though.

[lessersivad]

There IS a way to get the ethanol out.

Being ethanol is hygroscopic it's possible to remove it by adding water, after a 24 hour or overnight "settling" period, the water/ethanol can be drained from the bottom or the gasoline can be siphoned from the top.

Unfortunately the octane rating of the fuel will propbably be lower due to the ethanol being used as an octane enhancer.

This would become quite a project, but it could be done.

[Bert]

Maybe they should back off the corn sqeezins during the coldest times
and make it out of pop corn instead, for a kicken start!!

You would think that gov'ts and testing laboratories would thoroughly evaluate new fuels under all conditions. I can just imagine the folks up in Iqaluit (E kal oow it) and Yellowknife cursing and swearing at vehicles that don't start at -40 F. I have a buddy that lives up that way and thanks to thermostatically-controlled remote starters they now don't have to leave their vehicles running non-stop when they're out in the tundra; as soon as the oil (or antifreeze) temperature dips to a certain number the vehicle re-starts and warms up for a pre-determined period of time before shutting off again. White gas-fired engine heaters have been outlawed for in-town use simply because they've caused too many accidental fires.

[Movin]

Maybe they should back off the corn sqeezins during the coldest times
and make it out of pop corn instead, for a kicken start!!

[Bert]

This is the second day in a row (over and above 'balmy' 0 F days) that temperatures have dipped well below 0 F (-8) and yet the car (93 EFI) has started beautifully. If you are a rust-belt Festy owner (or anybody with a 20 year old car) and still DD one of these pre-ethanol-blend cars do yourself a big favour and fill up with Premium-grade gas whenever there is a forecast of sub-zero temperatures.
My poor old 86-Carbed truck refused to start in real cold, with 5% Ethanol, already 15 years ago and I learned to switch it over to 'pure gas' during cold snaps. Now that Regular fuel (in Ontario) is further dliuted down to 10% E my Festy has suddenly afflicted with slow starts.