The Affects of Ethanol in Your Fuel Tank

Protecting Your Engine From Ethanol Damage

When it come to engine maintenance and protection, it's important to know what it is you are putting in. In this post, Synthetics Northwest in Salem has some information to share about ethanol, and how to protect your engine against damage.

A Common Problem Caused by Ethanol

With current gasoline being sold in the U.S with an ethanol intake up to 10 percent with an authorized increase to 15 percent, being aware of the impact this will have on your engine is crucial to minimizing engine damage. Because ethanol is hygroscopic (it prefers water to gasoline), the bond between ethanol and gasoline can be broken when water (from means like condensation) is introduced. When this occurs, ethanol bonds with the water and sinks to the floor of your gas tank where it can cause the formation of insoluble debris that can block the flow of fuel and impact your vehicles performance. Eventually, this mixture is pulled into, and travels throughout, your engine where it can cause combustion chamber temperatures to increase and lead to serious engine failure.

Protect Your Engine From Ethanol Damage

To help protect your engine against ethanol related damage, use a specifically formulated additive such as AMSOIL Quickshot®. Designed to be used at each fill up, Quickshot® contains potent cleaning agents to clean deposits throughout your engine. For more information, check out our online store, or give us a call on 503 371 7184 and speak with one of our fuel additive experts about protecting your engine from Ethanol damage.