E85 Shelf Life
Apr 24, 2014, 05:29 PM
#1
E85 Shelf Life
I have not started my Evo since Buschurs Shootout in Aug. Spring is finally here and the roads are clean from the recent rains. So I decided to fire up the Evo. The fuel in it is from the beginning of August 2013 and the tank was three quarters full. I decided to drain it and install some fresh E85 from Mollies in Manheim Pa.
Below is two pictures of the old and new E85. The new has a black rubber cap in it.
I use 1.5 oz's of Lucas Safeguard Ethanol Fuel Conditioner with Stabilizers per gallon.
As can be seen here, the nine month fuel has a different color then the fresh fuel.
There was no visible rust, water etc. in the old fuel. It smelled the same, but I am glad I drained it and replaced it with fresh E85.
The vehicle is kept in a climate controlled building with low humidity. The old fuel may have worked just fine
Below is two pictures of the old and new E85. The new has a black rubber cap in it.
I use 1.5 oz's of Lucas Safeguard Ethanol Fuel Conditioner with Stabilizers per gallon.
As can be seen here, the nine month fuel has a different color then the fresh fuel.
There was no visible rust, water etc. in the old fuel. It smelled the same, but I am glad I drained it and replaced it with fresh E85.
The vehicle is kept in a climate controlled building with low humidity. The old fuel may have worked just fine
Last edited by Roadrunr; Apr 24, 2014 at 05:55 PM.
Apr 25, 2014, 08:15 AM
#4
Yes, but nine months apart. The fuel was clear when it was fresh. The color change may not effect the volatility of the fuel
I will not let E85 in my tank more then six months after seeing this color change.
I will not let E85 in my tank more then six months after seeing this color change.
Last edited by Roadrunr; Apr 25, 2014 at 08:21 AM.
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May 13, 2014, 08:00 AM
#9
no reason for ethanol to decompose or oxidize at room temperature. i bet the yellowing is due to the gasoline or perhaps one of the fuel additives. most important thing is too keep it sealed from the environment to prevent water absorption. this can cause the ethanol to separate from the gasoline. was there any sign of fuel separation or stratification?
May 14, 2014, 08:49 AM
#11
This is the classic selfperpetuating myth. I heard from Joe who heard from Jeff that E85 turns to poop after seven days. People need to do some reading, but to give you a break, its hard to find accurate information. A quick search on Google brings up several forum discussions where people continually perpetuate the myth of E85 has having at best, a 90 day shelf life.
Ethanol is in fact more stable than gasoline when stored properly. At typical storage temperatures, it neither oxidizes nor decomposes while gasoline will readily oxidize. The reason the OP's fuel changed color was because of the gasoline and not the ethanol. The only unique issue to ethanol is that it will absorb water from the air. This can cause two issues. First is that during low temperature combustion (i.e., when a motor is cold), the water and ethanol produce an acid that can potentially do some damage. The other issue is that when enough water is absorbe into E85, the ethanol will stratify at the bottom of the container. However, for E85, the amount of water that needs to be absorbed for these things to happen is quite substantial - about 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of water per gallon of E85. They key to storing E85 (and gasoline) is to put it in a fully sealed, dark colored container. Its better for the gasoline if the drum is completely filled so there is less oxygen to react with the gasoline. Under these conditions, E85 will have a shelf life that is better than gasoline. Should be no problem to keep it for 1 year, and there are several reports of people having successfully used E85 after storing it properly for 1 year.
If you all want to do some reading, here is a useful article:
http://ethanolrfa.3cdn.net/dd9e74ce1..._rbm6bdgh3.pdf
Ethanol is in fact more stable than gasoline when stored properly. At typical storage temperatures, it neither oxidizes nor decomposes while gasoline will readily oxidize. The reason the OP's fuel changed color was because of the gasoline and not the ethanol. The only unique issue to ethanol is that it will absorb water from the air. This can cause two issues. First is that during low temperature combustion (i.e., when a motor is cold), the water and ethanol produce an acid that can potentially do some damage. The other issue is that when enough water is absorbe into E85, the ethanol will stratify at the bottom of the container. However, for E85, the amount of water that needs to be absorbed for these things to happen is quite substantial - about 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of water per gallon of E85. They key to storing E85 (and gasoline) is to put it in a fully sealed, dark colored container. Its better for the gasoline if the drum is completely filled so there is less oxygen to react with the gasoline. Under these conditions, E85 will have a shelf life that is better than gasoline. Should be no problem to keep it for 1 year, and there are several reports of people having successfully used E85 after storing it properly for 1 year.
If you all want to do some reading, here is a useful article:
http://ethanolrfa.3cdn.net/dd9e74ce1..._rbm6bdgh3.pdf
May 15, 2014, 06:36 AM
#12
This is the classic selfperpetuating myth. I heard from Joe who heard from Jeff that E85 turns to poop after seven days. People need to do some reading, but to give you a break, its hard to find accurate information. A quick search on Google brings up several forum discussions where people continually perpetuate the myth of E85 has having at best, a 90 day shelf life.
Ethanol is in fact more stable than gasoline when stored properly. At typical storage temperatures, it neither oxidizes nor decomposes while gasoline will readily oxidize. The reason the OP's fuel changed color was because of the gasoline and not the ethanol. The only unique issue to ethanol is that it will absorb water from the air. This can cause two issues. First is that during low temperature combustion (i.e., when a motor is cold), the water and ethanol produce an acid that can potentially do some damage. The other issue is that when enough water is absorbe into E85, the ethanol will stratify at the bottom of the container. However, for E85, the amount of water that needs to be absorbed for these things to happen is quite substantial - about 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of water per gallon of E85. They key to storing E85 (and gasoline) is to put it in a fully sealed, dark colored container. Its better for the gasoline if the drum is completely filled so there is less oxygen to react with the gasoline. Under these conditions, E85 will have a shelf life that is better than gasoline. Should be no problem to keep it for 1 year, and there are several reports of people having successfully used E85 after storing it properly for 1 year.
If you all want to do some reading, here is a useful article:
http://ethanolrfa.3cdn.net/dd9e74ce1..._rbm6bdgh3.pdf
Ethanol is in fact more stable than gasoline when stored properly. At typical storage temperatures, it neither oxidizes nor decomposes while gasoline will readily oxidize. The reason the OP's fuel changed color was because of the gasoline and not the ethanol. The only unique issue to ethanol is that it will absorb water from the air. This can cause two issues. First is that during low temperature combustion (i.e., when a motor is cold), the water and ethanol produce an acid that can potentially do some damage. The other issue is that when enough water is absorbe into E85, the ethanol will stratify at the bottom of the container. However, for E85, the amount of water that needs to be absorbed for these things to happen is quite substantial - about 1/2 to 2/3 of a cup of water per gallon of E85. They key to storing E85 (and gasoline) is to put it in a fully sealed, dark colored container. Its better for the gasoline if the drum is completely filled so there is less oxygen to react with the gasoline. Under these conditions, E85 will have a shelf life that is better than gasoline. Should be no problem to keep it for 1 year, and there are several reports of people having successfully used E85 after storing it properly for 1 year.
If you all want to do some reading, here is a useful article:
http://ethanolrfa.3cdn.net/dd9e74ce1..._rbm6bdgh3.pdf
