Ethanol question

[BrianC9379]

I recently moved to a location where the closest gas station with ethanol free gas is quite a distance away from where I live. I’m inclined to use available high octane gas than has 10% ethanol and use a treatment for ethanol. Does anyone have experience with the use of Lucas Safeguard Ethanol Fuel Conditioner with Stabilizer for older Porsches? I have a 1987 911 Carrera 3.2. Thanks for any help or suggestions.

[rwest]

Ethanol isn’t going to be a huge problem if you burn through it quickly. If your car sits a lot, then for sure use some sort of stabilizer. Lots of guys recommend the blue marine Stabil. I have never used it myself as luckily I have an ethanol free station 2 miles from my house.

I use ethanol all the time when I take the car on a road trip, but always get the free in it during winter storage and whenever possible.

[HarryD]

When I was using E10, I used Marine Sta-bil. It contains additives for prevent fuel degradation and prevent corrosion of the wetted steel parts. The Lucas web site makes it sound like it is similar.

Be aware that none of these products address the issue of elastomer degradation. When I was using E10 in my bus, it has a clear fuel filter and there was ALWAYS large black particles floating in the bowl. When I switched to non-ethanol fuel, the black particles disappeared.

My $0.02

[spuggy]

Buy good quality gas and use it up. No worries.

I left a full tank of Chevon Premium (yeh, turbo with boost control - octane matters) in the 911 for almost 3 years. When I drained it into jerry cans, it was clear, and still smelt, well, like gas. Had to pump the last couple of gallons out through the fuel sender - pleasantly surprised to note the original gas tank astonishingly clean inside w/ zero sediment, no water or rust.

Put half a jerry can in the wife's Tacoma whenever I filled it up until it was all gone, zero issues. And the 911 fired straight up with fresh gas and a new battery. One reason not to dead-head EFI fuel rails...

Chevron was greatly preferred 20 years ago on the 944 forum for the additive pack, supposed to be much better than other brands. Also already has Techron injector cleaner in it. Been using it 20 years with both EFI and CIS and very happy with it.

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by spuggy

Buy good quality gas and use it up. No worries.

I left a full tank of Chevon Premium (yeh, turbo with boost control - octane matters) in the 911 for almost 3 years. When I drained it into jerry cans, it was clear, and still smelt, well, like gas. Had to pump the last couple of gallons out through the fuel sender - pleasantly surprised to note the original gas tank astonishingly clean inside w/ zero sediment, no water or rust.

Put half a jerry can in the wife's Tacoma whenever I filled it up until it was all gone, zero issues. And the 911 fired straight up with fresh gas and a new battery. One reason not to dead-head EFI fuel rails...

Chevron was greatly preferred 20 years ago on the 944 forum for the additive pack, supposed to be much better than other brands. Also already has Techron injector cleaner in it. Been using it 20 years with both EFI and CIS and very happy with it.

My black particle issues were with Chevron which I used exclusively. Their additive pack is great but does not address the E10 issues for older cars.

[917_Langheck]

My '84 3.2 owners manual states that 10% ethanol can be used. Whether or not Porsche tested the longevity of parts with this fuel type is unknown, but they did claim it could be used.

[Hi_Fi_Guy]

Being a 3.2 motronic car you are less likely to suffer the problems those of us with carbs face. That said, Sta-Bil makes an additive for stabilizing ethanol fuel you may want to consider.

VP Racing has a nice write up on their site about the longevity of typical ethanol fuels vs higher quality fuels. Worth reading.

[KNS]

Originally Posted by BrianC9379

I recently moved to a location where the closest gas station with ethanol free gas is quite a distance away from where I live. I’m inclined to use available high octane gas than has 10% ethanol and use a treatment for ethanol. Does anyone have experience with the use of Lucas Safeguard Ethanol Fuel Conditioner with Stabilizer for older Porsches? I have a 1987 911 Carrera 3.2. Thanks for any help or suggestions.

I've used that Lucas product for many years while my '84 Carrera was in semi storage and the only fuel available was 10% ethanol. The car got driven regularly but not enough to go through a whole tank of gas so the gas in the tank might be in there for months. Never had any drivability issues with the car or the product. I still use it if a car is going to sit for a while.

I'm fortunate now as there is 100% gas available nearby.

[BrianC9379]

Thank you.