Dr. Auto. Smyrna, TN. Domestic and Import Auto Repair. Here’s our two cents worth on the ethanol fuel issue, or considering the rapidly rising costs of EVERYTHING, maybe it should be two dollars worth!
Somebody, somewhere, decided we needed to water down our gasoline by installing a combustible formulation of corn called ethanol. Funny thing is, despite the fact the fuel is not 100% gasoline, it has still not lowered the price. One thing it has lowered however, is the quality of the fuel. Lower fuel mileage and loss of performance are the short term effects that can be present. At this time we are not certain about the future as ethanol has not been in use long enough. We do know that ethanol will hold a limited amount of water and can experience a phase separation which allows the moisture and ethanol to settle at the bottom of the fuel tank. This can create corrosion issues and performance issues if the vehicle is run low on fuel. Ethanol is also a mildly acidic molecule which accelerates the corrosion process in iron-based alloys, aluminum, brass, bronze, silver, lead, and other alloys which are found in the fuel system of most vehicles.
Considering most gas stations have ethanol in their fuel and the government is set to increase the allowable percentage, what do we do about the bad news this liquid corn has cropped up? Well, here is the good news. There are steps that can be taken to curb the harm created by ethanol. DR. Automotive is proud to feature an ethanol fuel kit produced by the BG Company. This two part kit contains a drying agent to remove the moisture in the fuel system and an amino based dispersant designed to clean the fuel system and inhibit corrosion. It is recommended about four times a year if your vehicle is a user of ethanol based fuel. Cost for this kit is a mere $22.
The good news is you can fight the ethanol monster with a small, quarterly investment. The bad news is, if the beast goes unleashed, you could be facing much larger costs down the road.
If you’re experiencing issues with your automobile, please contact us at 615-220-0971 or contact us here.