E5 Disappearing?

[Worf]

Up until last Autumn there was no problem round here getting E5 "petrol". It is essential for my garden machinery (2 stroke) and my old vehicles run better on it. Recently however it is becoming more difficult to find a garage that actually stocks it. Is it just me?
Do any of the additives being peddled as ethanol killer actually do anything

[Alan Drover]

No problems here.

[NoBeardNoTopKnot]

Better to accept, sooner or later it must go. Long game, unless something causes significant change - unlikely - give even  one logical reason for it to stay?

It's not about me - 'tis pointless to think it is. eg: I've swapped out the rubber in my set-up. It's not something I will win if I don't.

[Phil2014]

I think I'm the only person who hasn't had bother with e10? Our lawn mower sits in the garage for 6 months with e10 in it every year (I know I should drain it) come March, turn the key and away it goes, same with the land rovers.
Phil.

[Myles (Mr Fox) Davison]

We have quite a good supply of E5 'super' up here - our most local supermarket doesn't sell it but there are plenty of places nearby. I only use it in the Porsche and (if I ever dig it back out) the Honda Blackbird (motorbike) engined kitcar. Both are capable of running 95 E10 as they have knock sensors, but I prefer to run 98/99 in them.

[Paul4978]

E5  around here ok.
Will need to change rubber stuff soon though I think

[Richard]

I think I'm the only person who hasn't had bother with e10? Our lawn mower sits in the garage for 6 months with e10 in it every year (I know I should drain it) come March, turn the key and away it goes, same with the land rovers.
Phil.

No

I run my old Stiga Villa Something sit on mower with Briggs and Stratton engine on Euro95/e10. I've been doing that for as long as I have it, almost 8 years now – except for when I had accidentally filled it with 2-stroke and it sort of wanted to suffocate the grass in stead of mow it. During winter it sits outside with the e10 still in it.

In the beginning I pampered my Series 2a with e5, or Euro98 with "at the very most traces of ethanol," as Avia explained, but the last few years I run it on Euro95/e10, so far without any problems...

Richard

[John]

I find it in most Tesco's around here, and you get Tesco points

[Richard]

In France they still offer Euro95/e5, which contains up to 5% ethanol or 15% ETBE. I had to look up the last one, ethyl tert-butyl ether, which according to Wikipedia "offers equal or greater air quality benefits than ethanol, while being technically and logistically less challenging." It doesn't absorb moisture, like ethanol does. It does however have a low biodegradability, I read on the French Wikipedia, making it a "problematic pollutant for phreatic tables".

Richard

[autorover1]

Up to now no issues in Herefordshire . Morrisons have it & most branded Fuels

[John]

Do any of the additives being peddled as ethanol killer actually do anything

Good point
When lead was taken out of petrol we bought additives to put the lead back in which I can understand but how does a additive take out or remove the effect of ethanol work

[Wittsend]

Obviously an additive can't remove ethanol from the petrol ...  but it can "neutralise" the corrosive effects of the ethanol in the petrol. Ethanol is actually quite corrosive compared with straight petrol which is why we have problems with some rubbers, plastics, fibre glass and metals.

I don't know the actual chemistry as to how the additives work   

Ethanol Fuel Treatment

There are other similar products on the market.

Are these just Snake Oil
The FBHVC also endorsed "Valve Master" when everyone was panicking about valve seat recession with unlead petrol. This fear never came about 

Any 60 yr old rubber is probably well past its best and hoses and such like should have been replaced a long time ago as part of the routine vehicle maintenance. There are rubbers now able to withstand the effects of ethanol. New carb parts/diaphragms and O-rings are/should be ethanol resistant. There should be no excuse for a Series Land Rover not to run on E5 or E10 petrol.

Another type of fuel additive is a fuel preservative. These help stop the petrol from "going off", they stabilise the fuel so it's good for a few years - the petrol remains bug and jelly free.

I've used both of these with good results 



Available from all good garden centres or marinas (or eBay).

After Armageddon I'd like to see the return of full fat leaded petrol 

[Alan Drover]

Agree. The return of Esso Golden, the Shell pump with the blue globe and Cleveland Discol with Alcohol would be very welcome.

[Gibbo103]

One of our local garages still sells leaded 4star. It's rather expensive though

[DogDave]

If anyone struggling with finding E5 I'd recommend an app called Petrol Prices. It's free and you can see on a map what stations have E5 (or other fuels) and what prices, it's very handy when in an area you don't know so well.