Hello was wondering if people have thoughts on the use of ethanol in Minis...

As in will it cause any damage or extra wear and tear on the engine.. As there seems to be alot of talk about it at the moment and on ACA tonight they say go to their website to see if your car will run it ok.. But of course the Mini is not listed..

They say anything after 1986 will be fine but where does that leave us Mini drivers and other owners of classic and old style cars?

I also read this on a website taken from a link from the ACA website..

"Vehicles with carburettor fuel systems may experience hot fuel handling concerns and may experience a lower level of durability in some fuel system components.

Some manufacturers advise not to use E10 with any model equipped with a carburettor because of material incompatibility."

Full article is here...

http://www.autoindustries.com.au/ethano ... 00001.html

So whats your thoughts on this?

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Opinions expressed by me are of my opinion only and are copyrighted to Kinkabell Corporation? 2006.

Hmm, lets see....Don't use it.
The 5c you save now will build up when the engine needs new bits.

I think a call to Midel would give the best answer.
Ethanol can effect plastics in carbys and fuel hoses.

My 1984 Austin Montego's handbook says NOT to run ethanol fuel. It has a 1275 with a hif44.
It may just be a case of changing the floats, the needle and seat and the fuel hoses.
Maybe the fuel pump as well.
Maybe the fuel gauge float and O ring in the tank.

Cans manufactured before 1986 cannot be run using ethanol fuel (aparently they said on ACA)

Ethanol is a really tricky area. ive read reports both on the environmental benefits we could get from running it, as well as reports saying that it's corrosive, and can really do some pretty nasty damage to the inside of an engine.

atm, as much as i want to help the environment, i'd be avoiding it like the plague. there's a very big push on through the media atm, due to the high petrol prices, but i think this has more to do with the government pushing an agenda. the largest ethanol producer in the country is headed by someone who is very good friends with Little Johnny, which makes me a little bit cynical. would Honest John sell out the hard working populace to help his mates? you bet your arse he would.

all this said - newer cars with a conversion kit can convert to higher strength ethanol blends, and there are some very good outcomes for the environment. so if higher petrol prices can start bringing that, and other new fuel technologies to light, then that's great.

i have some links i will dig out later with some of the conflicting data.

They reckon you get better economy? I don't see how, when alcohol has 1/3 the calorific value of petrol...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Australian Government has regulated ethanol to 10%

Actually, most plastics are ethanol safe.
Most rubber gaskets aren't, and neither is cork.

IMHO Leave it for the EFI engines

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Too many cars, and too little time.

They also said that the effective evaporation of the ethanol out of the tanks at the servo actually makes it worse than the cO2 coming out of your exhaust right now.

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Cheap, Fast, Reliable. Choose two.

And to make ethanol they have to BURN the cane.... so much for less pollution.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

For years they burnt the cane feilds before harvesting, some still do. But as for mini's keep away from the blended fuel.

Based upon the reports we got last time this thing blew up, cars need to be extensively modified ($$) to run enthanol or built from new to run it like they do in Brazil. In Brazil the ethanol is half the price of petrol, and according to a friend who has recently moved over fuel economy is worse, top end power is down noticeably, however when cruising it is impossible to tell the difference.

Notice the conflicting information coming out on ethanol. Some say its good for the environment, others say is it worse, some say it will make transport cheaper, others that fuel economy is worse. Now the Government is proposing that ethanol up to 5% could be added to our fuel without the need for labelling. No wonder there is a lack of trust about what is going on, and hence the taxpayers will most likely have to fund an "education" (propaganda) campaign about ethanol.

What can we do about it. Simple. If you live in a marginal electorate, call your local member and voice your opinion.

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One should never skimp on the zip ties.

Howard said, it wouldn't make fuel prices any lower. I'd give it a wide berth. I like how he wants to run Government cars on it to prove it won't damage the engines.The problem is they only keep them for 12 month's or 20 000 km's so the pour bastard that buy's them next will have all the problems.

Well I dont like it much myself but what can we do?

I mean its ovious howard dont get a hoot about the anyone but his dam them to hell yankie friends which discusts me so much so I better stop talking about it before I get too mad...

Anyway if they go ahead with putting this ethanol in what can we do? Harley says dont use it.. Which I personally prefer not to use it and in fact I would rather pay more for non ethanol based fuel.. But if the weak excuse for a prime minister howard says that its going to be added to the fuel what can we do? As it appears we wont even know if it has ethanol in it or not..

So in other words we will not have any choice or will we?

Also just out of curiosity does anyone know if ethanol will be added to the full range of fuels you can purchase? Such as will it be added to the higher octane rated fuels such as BP Ultimate 98 etc....

I mean if ethanol is not going to be added to the higher octane rated fuels then we should be ok.. But if it is then we are in trouble...

Personally I think it would make better sense to add ethanol to only the standard range of fuels and leave the higher octane rated fuels alone.. That way it gives people a choice on what they want to buy.. I mean its not as if everyone buys the higher octane rated fuel anyway..

So I guess this is the question for the moment. And that being if anyone knows if they will be adding ethanol to the higher octane rated fuel..

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Opinions expressed by me are of my opinion only and are copyrighted to Kinkabell Corporation? 2006.

here is one of the links i discussed earlier. it is a literature review prepared by the government. note - this means they have done no tsting themselves, only reviewed the testing/results/findings of others.

http://www.deh.gov.au/atmosphere/fuelqu ... cle-fleet/

it's quite clear that actual testing is required in this country before we agree to allow ethanol to be used. however, the government looks like it will push through legislation that the oil companies will be able to include ethanol in their fuel blend without informing the consumers.

the questions that need to be asked, tested, and the public informed on:
- will this do damage to pre-1986 vehicles?
- what will the figure of ethanol content be? 5%? 10%? 20%?
- will petrol prices fall?
- will this help our sugar industry?
- is the production of ethanol in large quantities any better than the production of current fuels?
- are there any environmental benefits from allowing ethanol blends in fuel?
- is there an environmental benefit to allowing high ethanol content fuel (say, E85) to be sold in australia, and new vehicles manufactured to be able to use it?
- is this going to mean more rewards for the oil companies, and the companies that produce ethanol as a by-product of their current operations (The Manildra Group), but more doom and gloom for consumers?