Shell vs. BP vs. Esso Bioethanol content

[Andrew911sc]

Okay I will try remove the fuel from my car I imagine the easy way would-be take one pipe off the fuel pump and run it dry ?. Then I will research what's in the area and get back yo you guys in once did start to ring petrol station but once i realized they had not a clue what I was asking I gave up 

Edited November 26, 2019 by Andrew911sc

[PeterK]

... or just undo the drain plug (providing it comes out and the tank isn't too full) ??

[SP72]

Esso SUL now 99Ron and still ethanol free (in most areas)

https://www.esso.co.uk/en-gb/fuels/petrol

 

[Roy M]

Local news reports on a teeside refinery manufacturing ethanol for E10 fuels - supposedly being introduced in September 2021.

MP on TV obviously had absolutely no idea what he was talking about ( nothing new there though)

[Ian Comerford]

Thought this might be of interest

[MarkJ]

do all branches of esso have the super?  There's only one Esso garage in my area and its small so not sure if they have it. (as I keep thinking of signing up to the PCGB Esso card for Ethanol free and discount fuel)

[SurlySurdi]

On 15/10/2019 at 10:24, MarkJ said:

anyone got one of those esso fuel cards through PCGB? I very rarely use Esso so didn't bother but wondered if worth going out my way to fill up with one of their loyalty cards ?

Guys my local Esso station is where I go to refuel with 99 Ron Supreme, I use a fuel card issued by fuelpecker (for Esso). It saves me, wait for it......6p per litre! On a full tank that's approx. £4 off. Not only that, any member of my family can use my card on any of their cars, petrol or diesel. Every type of fuel has a per litre saving which varies depending on the standard cost per litre.

I have no affiliation, just wanted to point out the savings we can make. I emailed the website and they sent me the card. You link it to a debit card and a few days after using their card your debit card is charged with the actual cost minus the discount applied. Hope you all find that potentially useful.

BTW fuelpecker is independent of Esso (https://fuelpecker.com/user). On the page shown click on the link to email them to join, they will then send you a link to register.

Edited March 3, 2021 by SurlySurdi

[Chris_911]

Dear Chris,

Thanks for your mail. 

At the present time, due to covid, Fuelpecker is not accepting any new customers nor issuing any more cards until further notice. 

We have taken note of your request and details.

Tom

[SurlySurdi]

2 hours ago, Chris_911 said:

Dear Chris,

Thanks for your mail. 

At the present time, due to covid, Fuelpecker is not accepting any new customers nor issuing any more cards until further notice. 

We have taken note of your request and details.

Tom

Such a shame, I’m sure they’ll be accepting new members soon enough, bl&%*y covid!

[MarkJ]

On 03/03/2021 at 20:52, Chris_911 said:

Dear Chris,

Thanks for your mail. 

At the present time, due to covid, Fuelpecker is not accepting any new customers nor issuing any more cards until further notice. 

We have taken note of your request and details.

Tom

was that through PCGB Chris or as an independent customer?

[Chris_911]

Not through PCGB - I am not a member.

Just via their website - the link that was posted.

[Ian Comerford]

I borrowed this from ddk as I thought it might be of interest.

Corrosion of Metal Components
Ethanol has increased acidity, conductivity and inorganic chloride content when compared to conventional petrol which can cause corrosion and tarnishing of metal components under certain conditions. These characteristics are controlled in the ethanol used to blend E5 and E10 European and UK petrol by the ethanol fuel specification BS EN15376 in order to help limit corrosion. 
Corrosion inhibitor additives can be very effective in controlling ethanol derived corrosion and are recommended to be added to ethanol in the BS EN15376 standard. It is not clear if corrosion inhibitors are universally added to ethanol for E5 and E10 blending so as an additional precaution it is recommended that aftermarket corrosion inhibitor additives are added to E5 and E10 petrol. 
These aftermarket ethanol corrosion inhibitor additives often called ethanol compatibility additives are usually combined with a metallic valve recession additive (VSR) and sometimes an octane booster and have been found to provide good protection against metal corrosion in historic and classic vehicle fuel systems.

Elastomer Compatibility
As the ethanol molecule is smaller and more polar than conventional petrol components, there is a lower energy barrier for ethanol to diffuse into elastomer materials. When exposed to petrol/ethanol blends these materials will swell and soften, resulting in a weakening of the elastomer structure. On drying out they can shrink and crack resulting in fuel leaks. 
Some aftermarket ethanol compatibility additives claim complete protection for operating historic and classic vehicles on E10 petrol. The FBHVC is not aware of, or has tested any additives that claim complete fuel system protection with respect to elastomer and gasket materials for use with E10 petrol. The FBHVC therefore recommends that elastomer and gasket materials are replaced with ethanol compatible materials before operation on E10 petrol.

Air/fuel Ratio Enleanment
Ethanol contains approximately 35% oxygen by weight and will therefore result in fuel mixture enleanment when blended into petrol. Petrol containing 10% ethanol for example, would result in a mixture-leaning effect equivalent to approximately 2.6%, which may be felt as a power loss, driveability issues (hesitations, flat spots, stalling), but also could contribute to slightly hotter running. Adjusting mixture strength (enrichment) to counter this problem is advised to maintain performance, driveability and protect the engine from overheating and knock at high loads.
Modern 3-way catalyst equipped vehicles do not require mixture adjustment to operate on E10 petrol because they are equipped with oxygen (lambda) sensors that detect lean operation and the engine management system automatically corrects the fuel mixture for optimum catalyst and vehicle operation. 

Operating Classic & Historic Vehicles on E10 Petrol
If you should decide to make the necessary vehicle fuel system modifications together with the addition of an aftermarket additive to operate your classic or historic vehicle on E10 petrol. The FBHVC strongly recommends that you regularly check the condition of the vehicle fuel system for elastomer and gasket material deterioration and metallic components such as fuel tanks, fuel lines and carburettors for corrosion. Some plastic components such as carburettor floats and fuel filter housings may be become discoloured over time. Plastic carburettor float buoyancy can also be affected by ethanol and carburettors should be checked to ensure that float levels are not adversely affected causing flooding and fuel leaks. 
Ethanol is a good solvent and can remove historic fuel system deposits from fuel tanks and lines and it is advisable to check fuel filters regularly after the switch to E10 petrol as they may become blocked or restricted. If your vehicle is to be laid up for an extended period of time, it is recommended that the E10 petrol be replaced with ethanol free petrol which is available from some fuel suppliers. Do not leave fuel systems dry, as this can result corrosion and the shrinking and cracking of elastomers and gaskets as they dry out.

[GimmeShelter]

Thank you

[Richot1989]

On one of my old cars (1950 XK120) I had a very near disaster when driving - I could smell petrol and stopped, opened the bonnet to see petrol literally pouring out from the bottom of one of the SU carburettors!!  Fortunately the engine has a cross-flow head with the carbs on the opposite side to the exhaust manifolds!!

On contacting Burlens ( the SU supplier) they said that this was no uncommon - the ethanol in the petrol had dissolved the glue in the cork matrix gasket in the carb!!

Gaskets now replaced with ethanol resistant material and only use Esso 99+ petrol.

 

As an aside, I got my Esso fuel card in July.