E-10 + 41 year old car = ????

[jcp123]

Basically, what can I expect from putting E10 into my '67 Mustang, being that it's getting legislated into everyone's lives now? Would I have to play with my carb's metering rods or ignition timing?

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Only thing you might have to worry about are any old rubber fuel lines, if you replace them with modern fuel injection hose it will be okay.

[jcp123]

Hmm...we replaced all the lines when we restored the car, probably around 2002-2003, though obviously that was way before anyone had really heard of ethanol. I'll keep an eye on them...I hate to go with FI hose, that stuff's expensive on a $7.50 an hour budget

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Oh ethanol resistance was mandated in new cars in the early 90s or so, so unless it was old stock hose, it will probably be fine.

[jcp123]

Oh wow, good to know, thanks! I hope too it wasn't old stock...if that place was anything like the parts house I'm at now, though, we go through a spool of 3/8" fuel hose every other month, so I doubt it was 10 years old when we got it.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

I would use premium gas in it, at least while trying to do any sort of trouble shooting, a friend of mine has a 78 corvette, and claims that when he has tried to run E-10 in it he has had to drain the gas tank as it would hardly run, same thing at the motorcycle shop, if someone brings a motorcycle in that just doesn't want to run right even tho it's getting fuel, spark, and has good compression we drain the gas and put pure gasoline in it, and the problem often goes away.
I learned the hard way by burning a hole in the piston of my motorcycle, twice, switched to non alcohol gas, and the bike ran better and the problem stopped.
if you have a newer car that has electronically adjusted timing, and a more complex carburetor, or fuel injection, then you should be fine.

[mulad]

The manual for my family's old 1984 Chevy said it could take up to 15% ethanol. Automakers have been designing stuff to be ethanol-compatible for a long time (though I'm sure it varies from supplier to supplier). I think the fuel crises of the 1970s and early '80s triggered that.

Well, 25-year-old vehicles are one thing. 41-year-old cars are another. Still, I imagine you're already using additives to compensate for unleaded gas?

The only problem I've heard of is marine applications where some boats used fiberglass fuel tanks. Supposedly E10 can break down the resin, though I haven't seen firsthand evidence.

[jcp123]

No, no additives - got hardened valve seats + proper valve guides when the motor was rebuilt, and because ours was the 2-bbl version, the compression ratio was still within the bounds of sanity. I just mainly didn't know if the ethanol would cause some kind of imbalance in the carb tuning, etc. Someone elsewhere also suggested that the ethanol could act as something of a solvent, dislodging and diluting into the fuel all kinds of contaminants? I wouldn't think it could be any worse than running a bottle of Chemtool through a tank...

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

well you haven't got 41 years of crap in there if it was stripped and rebuilt. Unless you've had some really nasty gas through it since, it should be fine.

[VetteOwner]

its fine. run it and enjoy. my dad puts E-10 in his 1960 vw and his 86 celebrity I put it in lmy 1980 chevette and weve had no problems. even our old boat of a caprece got e-10 and ran just fine till the tranny blew....

my chevette smanual says what mulads says, that its ok up to 15% and at least 85 octane