E85

[Vevapower]

How long does phase separation take to occur?

"."

[rednose]

Probably longer than 5 days which is how often I fill up so I should be ok, right?

[ratter]

copy and paste answer

Courtesy of Scott Irwin

Did you know? In a 10% Ethanol Blend, it takes as little as 18 gallons of water in a 6,000 gallon tanks to cause Phase Separation. In a 2% blend it takes only 3.6 gallons to cause Phase Separation

What is ?phase separation?, and how do I deal with it?
If significant amounts of water are present in a fuel tank with gasoline that contains ethanol, the water will be drawn into the fuel until the saturation point is reached for the three-component mixture of water + gasoline + ethanol. Beyond this level of water, phase separation could cause most of the ethanol and water to separate from the bulk fuel and drop to the bottom of the tank, leaving gasoline with a significantly reduced level of ethanol in the upper phase. If the lower phase of water and ethanol is large enough to reach the fuel inlet, it could be pumped directly to the engine and cause significant problems. Even if the ethanol water phase at the bottom of the tank is not drawn into the fuel inlet, the reduced ethanol level of the fuel reduces the octane rating by as much as 3 octane numbers, which could result in engine problems.

The level at which phase separation can occur is determined by a number of variables, including the amount of ethanol, the composition of the fuel, the temperature of the environment and the presence of contaminants. It is very important (A) that the system is inspected for significant quantities of water in the tank before using gasoline with ethanol and (B) to limit exposure of the fuel tank to excess water. If phase separation has occurred, it is necessary to completely remove all free water from the system and replace the fuel before continuing operation. Otherwise, engine problems could occur.

[possum]

based on that information with a blend of 85% ethanol, A full tank of fuel with the possibility of phase seperation occuring would require at least 1.734L of water in the tank for a sedan and 2.0655L for a ute.

Any fuel with nearly 2l of water in it will cause problems

Edited 16/01/13 10:29 AM by possum

[rednose]

that's a alot of water to have in your fuel tank

[Vevapower]

Ok so unless you accidentally pour 2 litres of water into your tank you should be ok.

Scare tactics gone mad.

"."

[ratter]

The first thing you need to know about ethanol is that it is hygroscopic. Hygroscopic means that it will readily absorb moisture from its surroundings. In our case, the "surroundings" would be the atmosphere, and that atmosphere contains water. The higher the humidity, the greater the amount of water, and the greater the rate of water absorption by the ethanol.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Air is water.........?

[rednose]

But how long would it take to absorb 2L of water from the atmosphere?

[Vevapower]

But unless you leave your petrol cap off all the time and dont keep lids on your gerry cans you really haven't got a worry in the world.

Good example was when Ricky's Ute sat at cms for 5 months with a full tank of E85 and once the motor was finally in it started and ran without issue.

"."

Edited 16/01/13 10:53 AM by Vevapower