Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Ethanol in Petroleum

That’s good to know about Esso’s premium fuel

Thanks for posting

I wonder why it’s only in certain areas though?

I use Shells V power because one of my best friends is a forecourt architect and works for just about all the major forecourt operators and he told me a while ago that all Shell garages have the most up to date moisture free tanks

Another friend of mine, (a car buddy) is obsessed with classic American cars and imports them and he told me that the first thing he has to do with most is completely change the fuel systems because of the poor quality of fuel in the USA - high water content from poor storage and ethanol

I will now have no hesitation in filling up with Esso’s Supreme fuel as well

I believe there are only 6 refineries in the UK so when you buy Esso or Tesco or BP in an area its likely all to come from the same refinery. Presumably the additives vary from brand to brand though I would be surprised if the supermarkets had the staff with technical skill to decide such issues. Much more likely is that Tesco is own brand version of say BP or Shell.

As for alcohol, I dont understand the issue. Ethanol has a higher octane rating than gasoline ( 109) so the timing should retard a bit with a mix of the two and the exhaust run a bit cooler. Maybe thats why Peters EML comes on - but I am speculating way beyond my knowledge here.

I always filled the Fezza with the cheapest 95 octane I could get and no issue. Mind you at 16mpg average I had to go cheap.

Howard,
there are two issues with ethanol.
Firstly is traps moisture in the fuel. as the water is immiscible it forms a layer or drops. When the water hits the engine the fuel dosing maybe right in volume but not in stoichiometric mix so you run lean.

Secondly the alcohol & water can attack fuel pipes , tanks, pumps etc. In my garden hedge trimmer it dissolved all the fuel lines in the tank!

I'm just worried that the car would fail a breath test......

Had that problem in Islay, wee car was in no fit state to be driven after a visit to Bruichladdich so had to walk back to the b&b
Islay-15133 by Calum Fraser, on Flickr

I did a RYA Powerboat course this week...part of a Safety Boat course I’m doing for my sailing club. It was interesting that they recommend disposing of fuel in the boat tank if it has been standing for over a month because of water content due to the Ethanol. Seemed a bit extreme to me as they have separation filters between tank and engine but they say they need 100% reliability and won’t take chances.

Calum, what a funny and quick-witted answer 👍😎.
I totally love your photo! Such a powerful contrast to red in the wet. Obviously a very nice and sharp picture despite the alcohol "problem".

Are you sure this isn't just a ruse by rescue boat helmsmen to regularly top up their cars with fuel from the club's rescue boats ?

Or they could go to the nearest Airfield and buy 5 gallons of AVGAS U/L. The international standard for aircraft fuel requires a 12 month "storage" life.