Ethanol Fuel and Vintage Vehicles - Ethanol Education

Auto manufacturers found that when exposed to ethanol, the critical rubber components of a vehicle's fuel system, such as its hoses, fuel pump, and internal carburetor pieces, quickly deteriorated, leading to premature failure. They also learned that because oxygen-rich ethanol attracts water, it could corrode some metals over time. New-car fuel systems were revised during the '80s to accommodate low-level ethanol-blend fuel and featured specific fuel lines and rubber hoses and seals.

Ethanol As An Oxygenate
In addition to regulating fuel additives, the EPA establishes and maintains tailpipe emissions standards, which seemingly tighten every few years. Its Clean Air Act of 1990 requires that Reformulated Gasoline (RFG), an oxygenated fuel that burns cleaner and is commonly used in smog-laden areas, contains a maximum oxygen content of 2 percent. Ethanol was the fuel oxygenate of choice throughout the Midwestern corn-belt, while methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE) was used elsewhere.

Over time, the EPA determined that MTBE negatively effects the environment. Many states responded by imposing restrictions on the amount of MTBE that can be blended with gasoline, while others banned its use entirely. Ethanol is widely used along with MTBE, or as its complete replacement, to oxygenate gasoline. And though ethanol blending isn't yet an EPA requirement, some reports claim that today as much as 70 percent of America's gasoline is blended with it.

The Future Of Ethanol
In an attempt to lessen our country's dependency on the importation of foreign crude oil, the federal Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires that the EPA develop a program focusing on renewable fuel use. The EPA responded with its Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which mandates that Americans consume an increasing amount of renewable fuel each year. This includes 11 billion gallons of ethanol in 2009, 15 billion gallons of it by 2015, and 36 billion gallons by 2022.

Industry leaders believe that at the current rate ethanol is consumed, we'll miss the 2022 mark by more than 20 billion gallons. In March 2009, national organizations representing ethanol producers approached the EPA and asked that it raise the current 10-percent ethanol cap to a maximum of 15 (E15), citing that in addition to greater renewable fuel consumption, it will also create domestic jobs and improve the environment.

At the time of printing, the EPA hasn't yet agreed to increase the ethanol-blend cap. Its main concern is the long-term effects that higher ethanol levels might have on the emissions systems of existing vehicles on the road. Supporters of the increase claim none. The EPA is presently considering an increase to a maximum limit of 13 percent (E13), while it performs its own testing. And if no ill effects are found, we'll likely see E15 fuel at the same service stations that presently offer E10 in the near future.

How Does Ethanol Affect Hobbyists
The EPA doesn't presently require service stations to offer renewable fuel blends, so gasoline without ethanol may be available in your area. The EPA also doesn't require that service stations disclose if its pumps dispense ethanol-blended fuel. Most states do require a label affixed to such pumps when the ethanol-blend content exceeds 1 percent, however. A list of those states is readily available using a quick Internet search.

Without such disclosure, it's likely that some hobbyists are unknowingly feeding their vintage Pontiacs a steady diet of ethanol-blended fuel and they probably experienced some type of fuel system component failure at some point in the past. As previously mentioned, this may include rubber hose or seal failure, a sunken float, or even metal corrosion. Due to alcohol's cleaning nature, ethanol can also loosen fuel system deposits, potentially clogging fuel filters, metering jets, or fuel-injector nozzles.