ethanol gasoline

[yaykittyeee]

I wouldn't usually use ethanol gas in my supra but I will be moving in about a month to an area where the closest pure gas station is at least an hours drive away. I've heard ethanol can do some bad things to older cars like mine(i have a 1991 turbo supra) and I don't want that. What would be the best way to protect my car from being damaged by ethanol?

[cre]

You flat out cannot run straight ethanol or E85 in your supra. The best you could do would be to upgrade your injectors for some flowing at least 25% more volume and add a wide band and fuel controller.... then you need to replace all the incompatible parts in the rest of the fuel system (primarily hose and pump).

[yaykittyeee]

thanks for the advice. i'm going to look at replacing the incompatible parts first. I've also heard of additives that will help counter the bad effects of ethanol. I don't know how useful these actually are but i'll look into it

[cre]

There is no additive that will make up for how corrosive E85 is other than adding back 75% gasoline... or a couple gallons of raw oil to the mix, lol. :P

Ethanol is highly corrosive to older rubber compounds, seals and coatings used in many old gas tanks... mmm... clogged fuel filters galore. If you're willing to risk an engine fire or the possibility of having to replace that miserable fuel filter on a frequent basis, have at it. The other, safer option, is to replace anything which you're unsure of: fuel lines, injector O-rings, fuel pump (potentially a BIG fire hazard) and fuel tank (or try to find a way to make sure the interior is not coated with anything).

There are a lot of benefits but there is a hazard to it.... Anyone looking to do this would be well advised to avoid cutting corners or fooling themselves by putting faith in what they already suspect is bad advice.

I know a few people who've done this now and a couple have been lucky so far with only replacing injectors, fuel lines and the washers in the fuel system. I still don't recommend the "run it 'til it breaks and then just fix that part" strategy.... especially not with fuel. The people I know who've done it all have newer vehicles (the oldest is a mid 90's Porche and the newest a Toy 4x4, early 2000's I think).