Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire HOW TO FIND THE PERCENT OF ALCOHOL IN GASOLINE

Seems relevant to the gas engine threads on the fire. This comes from VESTEST.COM Testing & Troubleshooting page.

If you think your fuel is suspect or you want to check the alcohol content yourself, here you go.


HOW TO FIND THE PERCENT OF ALCOHOL IN GASOLINE


Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area away from any sparks, flames, lit cigarettes, etc.

1. Use an 8oz. baby bottle.

2. Put in 1 1/2 ounces of water.

3. Put in gasoline from the suspect vehicle up to the 8oz. mark.

4. Cap the bottle and shake vigorously.

5. Set the bottle upright and wait a few minutes for separation.



Results:

If there is alcohol in the gas, the gas/water separation line

will be above the original 1 1/2 ounces of water line. How much

alcohol by percent can be determined by the chart below.



Line at Ounces Where Water & Gas Separate
Equals the Percent of Alcohol in the Gasoline

1 1/2 Ounces Zero Alcohol

1 3/4 Ounces 3%

2 Ounces 6%

2 1/4 Ounces 9%

2 1/2 Ounces 12 1/2%

2 3/4 Ounces 15 1/2%

3 Ounces 18 1/2%

3 1/4 Ounces 21 1/2%

3 1/2 Ounces 25%

3 3/4 Ounces 28%

4 Ounces 31%


This test is based on these facts: Alcohol blends with gasoline. Alcohol blends better with water. Water and gasoline don’t mix. When water, alcohol, and gasoline are all mixed together, the alcohol will combine with the water and the alcohol/water solution will separate from the gasoline.

Two types of alcohol are blended with gasoline: ethanol (grain alcohol), and methanol (wood alcohol). 10% ethanol and 5% methanol in lab tests have proven acceptable provided the methanol has correct co-solvents and a corrosion inhibitor. Plastics grow or swell at controlled rates if the alcohol is kept to these safe limits.

Methanol tends to deteriorate rubber, plastic and metallic fuel system components. The deteriorate

rate is a function of time rather than distance traveled, so a 50,000mile test completed in one year will not indicate what would happen during 50,000miles over four or five years. Components affected include fuel tank linings, in-tank fuel pumps, fuel injection systems, and nitrile rubber commonly used in vehicle fuel systems. Methanol significantly increases vapor pressure. When high enough, the vapor pressure can unseat the canister purge diaphragm and rupture it. There is more of a tendency to “vapor lock” when methanol is used in gasoline.

It takes two times as much alcohol as gasoline (HC) to get a 14.7/1 air fuel ratio. For systems designed to run on HC, excessive alcohol can have an affect on fuel injector pulse width. Most gasoline today has some alcohol.

This test will find out how much. Maybe the drive ability problem you are troubleshooting is due to too much alcohol in the gasoline.

www.Vestest.com The Vehicle Voltage Drop Website

This is how I have made my own Non-Eth fuel for my small engines. I start with a gallon of 91 octane, add 12oz of water dyed green and shake the living $hit out of it. The more you shake it the better the water/alcohol combine. Wait 24hrs and the water/alcohol mix will settle to the bottom and the gas will be very clear, not cloudy. I have a line at the 12oz. and 24oz. levels. The water/alcohol mix will always be at or just above the 24oz. line. This means I’ve pulled out 12oz. of alcohol from the gas. I rigged up a valve on the top of my bottle so when I carefully turn the bottle upside down I can let the water/alcohol drain. What is left is 87 octane non-eth pure gas! I have made many gallons of pure gas this way. There are now a few stations that sell non-eth in my area so I haven’t had to make my own for a while, but it’s pretty easy! Lots of videos on YouTube about this process.

Elk Country

Interesting info - thanks - and there was a time when it would have been helpful because the nearest non-eth gas pump was more than 100 miles away.

Had about eighteen 40 to 50 year old classic trucks of many sizes and that eth-added gas sitting in them became a big pain. Eventually cleaned several tanks, replaced flex fuel line connectors, fuel pumps (diaphragms shot), and cleaned/rebuilt quite a few carbs. Not to mention the number of filters used over time.

Changed home location and have sold/relocated a bunch of old trucks, and now can go to nearby airport and stock up on av gas (expensive) or drive about 25 miles to Tombstone and get non-eth gas.

All in all, t'was a lousy experience. Thanks Iowa and Kansas.

I haven't used that ethanol crap in years.

What clued me in!

I went through a pretty tough time when money was tight.
On the way home from work, I would stop and buy enough of the cheap, ethanol crap to get me home, back to work and back to that station.
That station was closed one morning, so I had to go to a Texaco station about 1/4 mile down the road.
All they had was "ethanol free" and it was more expensive than the ethanol junk.
When I got back to the other station the next morning, I had more fuel remaining than I normally did! WTH?

On a whim, the next payday I filled up with the good stuff!
The better, ethanol free gasoline made my vehicle ran better and got better mileage than with the cheap crap.
I haven't used that corn infused, watered down crap since.

BTW!
I had a buddy that couldn't figure out why his new, small pickup couldn't seem to get past a gas station.
I urged him to quit being a tightwad and buy the good gasoline.
He couldn't believe the difference 😃 in performance and mileage!
Talked my oldest into buying the good stuff. Kid only buys the cheap crap when "ethanol free" isn't available!
....and the kid is a tightwad!

Yep.

There are only a couple stations here that sell non-al. It's very expensive, usually 30 to 50 cents higher than the highest premium super duper stuff. I've tried it in the car and the increased mileage doesn't even come close to offsetting the higher price. I do run it in all my small engines and UTV, though.

55 cents higher here.

I buy the cheapest gas available for my vehicle. Nothing but the best for my small engines.

Non-ethanol is only twenty cents a gallon more here, the last time I checked driving costs it was a lot more per gallon, it cost more to fill up yet was cheaper per mile.

It's all we have bought for at least a decade unless traveling.

ALL our gasoline here is nonalcoholic.

There's one station in the neighborhood that sells non-ethanol premium gas. That's all I run in my Harley. The farmers' co-op 20 miles away has non-ethanol regular. That's what the lawn mower, chainsaw, pressure washer, and other small engines live on. Fired up the chainsaw for the first time in over a year, on fuel that's been sitting in the tank all that time- - - - -it took four pulls.

Not according to my testing on my work commute. Gave both a lengthy and honest comparison and it was an absolute wash. That extra money you save buys worthless filler. The good stuff was 91 octane premium and the extra mileage paid for itself. So why in the world would you run than watered down crap in any of your engines. I sure wouldn't.
Don't believe in the subsidies either. No ethanol in any of my engines, EVER!

Ethanol sucks chemically and politically!