The Ford Barn

Gold Digger · 05-24-2014, 10:02 AM

Does anyone know of some kind of test strips or something to check for alcohol in gas that's supposed to be alcohol free. I've suspected some of the gas I've been buying is not what it's claimed to be.

160B · 05-24-2014, 10:26 AM

Gas usually contains some alcohol, which can sometimes be as much as 10 percent. Alcohol, however, can be harmful to the engine and it is important to determine the amount that is present

in the gas you use in your car or other engine. There are many alcohol test kits that you can purchase and use to test gasoline before using it in your car.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7767531_test...#ixzz32eBxdlFS

Here are links to two

http://fuel-testers.com/

http://www.fuel-testers.com/order.html

huddy · 05-24-2014, 02:19 PM

You don't need to buy a kit. Use an old glass measuring cup. Put equal amounts of water & gas and mark the water level, then mix thoroughly. Let it settle and observe how much water is now below the gas - it will be obvious. Since the water will mix with the alcohol but not the gas, the increase in water level is the amount of alcohol. You can get the percentage of alcohol by dividing this increase by the amount of gas originally used.

BlueSunoco · 05-24-2014, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huddy

You don't need to buy a kit. Use an old glass measuring cup. Put equal amounts of water & gas and mark the water level, then mix thoroughly. Let it settle and observe how much water is now below the gas - it will be obvious. Since the water will mix with the alcohol but not the gas, the increase in water level is the amount of alcohol. You can get the percentage of alcohol by dividing this increase by the amount of gas originally used.

I've done this and it works well.................

Mike V. Florida · 05-24-2014, 10:56 PM

I guess i drive mine too much as I don't seem to have the problems others have experienced.

SeaSlugs · 05-25-2014, 12:24 AM

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

yea weve had e10 for at least 20+ years around here with no issues...

e10 says it can contain UP TO 10% ethanol. so you may test it one week and its lets say 6% but next week its 9% due to a new delivery.

I would not worry about running it at all.

now if your paying for non ethanol gas (usually 30-40 cents higher) and you suspect your getting the e10 that's a whole nother story. Are you sure your buying the correct grade that is supposedly ethanol free? One station around here has only mid and premium at ethonal free - regular is e10 is why i ask.

How are you suspecting your getting ethanol gas? Not tryign to be stubborn or anything but im not sure how one could tell without a test kit...

Gold Digger · 05-25-2014, 07:39 AM

I have one station that claims to sell nothing but alcohol free gas and I have no reason not to believe them. Also we have 3 other stations that say if you buy premium you get no ethanol that concerns me. Had a friend that tried premium from one of these stations and screwed up all the rubber hoses on his lawn mowing equipment.

Tom Wesenberg · 05-25-2014, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gold Digger

I have one station that claims to sell nothing but alcohol free gas and I have no reason not to believe them. Also we have 3 other stations that say if you buy premium you get no ethanol that concerns me. Had a friend that tried premium from one of these stations and screwed up all the rubber hoses on his lawn mowing equipment.

I have yet to see a gas station where buying premium means no ethanol. The good gas was always a seperate pump labeled as such, and it usually sold for a dollar or so extra ove the cost of the cheapest 10% crap gas.

PSXPAK · 05-25-2014, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

I have yet to see a gas station where buying premium means no ethanol. The good gas was always a seperate pump labeled as such, and it usually sold for a dollar or so extra ove the cost of the cheapest 10% crap gas.

the places here that sell non ethanol only have 2 choices. regular ethanol added 87 or non ethanol 92. I live on the coast, they use it mostly for boats. the 2 pumps are separate and clearly labeled.

H. L. Chauvin · 05-25-2014, 11:34 AM

FWIW:

1. Have a 1947 Farmall Cub Tractor that had a full tank of 10% Ethanol mixed with roughly 4 ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil per 10 gallons whereby after sitting for four (4) years without running, it fired right up with no problems & used it all day.

2. Does Marvel Mystery Oil help adverse conditions caused by Ethanol gas? I have absolutely no idea --- maybe some can explain this.

3. But I know that cylinders wear more at the top because of increased heat & less oil reaching & lubricating very tops of cylinders; hence, after many miles, one can "feel" top cylinder ridges caused by cylinder wear "only" at tops of cylinders.

4. Top cylinder lubricant religiously added to gas at "every" fill up such as the vintage "Bardhal" or MMO, can extend the life of rings, cylinders, & valve stems ....... Experience: Remember our 1942 Desoto that my mechanic Dad kept for an unheard of 200,000+ miles without engine smoking -- even climbed Pikes Peak with it twice on vacations many years ago.

5. Top cylinder lubricant can also render slight further rust protection to the porous metal in rusty vintage gas tanks.

6. Have a nearby gas station/truck stop/casino where nationally advertised to have Ethanol Free Gas in their 97 Octane Premium selections at every pump. I asked the lady attendant which numbered pump had Ethanol Free Gas ...... she responded all Premium Gas is supposed to be Ethanol Free; but I don't trust my Boss, I buy Ethanol Free gas down the road. LOL

29 Tudor · 05-25-2014, 01:37 PM

Here in the Houston area, we have no station selling "real" gas. I have read of the water/gas test and it got me to wondering.... Could you use that to REMOVE the alcohol from the gas? For example, I have a 5 gallon plastic dewar with a spigot on the bottom. Could you put say 4 gallons of "crap" gas in it, add a gallon or so of water, shake it up and let the water/alcohol settle to the bottom and then drain it off, leaving "good" gas?

If that works, sounds like a product to me. Any chemists out there that could respond?

UPDATE: Just did a web search (Google is a wonderful thing) and it seems that people are already doing just what I suggested. Only difference is they suggest that 2 cups of (distilled) water to 5 gallon of gas is all that's needed. Might have to give it a try!!

SD

Chuck Sea/Tac · 05-25-2014, 04:48 PM

When HL Chauvin mentioned Bardohl, it reminded me of a story I heard at the hydroplane museum in Kent, (ten miles from the 2014 mafca meet) bardohl is in Ballard, a part of Seattle, and sponsored an unlimited hydroplane back in the 60's?. They won a legal case against the IRS, regarding writing off their sponsorship. Never had been allowed before. The reason they won, was because they showed the huge increase of sales after the racing sponsorship.

05-24-2014, 10:02 AM	#1
Gold Digger Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Arkansas & Alaska Posts: 685	Crap gas indicator Does anyone know of some kind of test strips or something to check for alcohol in gas that's supposed to be alcohol free. I've suspected some of the gas I've been buying is not what it's claimed to be.

05-24-2014, 10:26 AM	#2
160B Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Port Orchard, WA Posts: 1,498	Re: Crap gas indicator Gas usually contains some alcohol, which can sometimes be as much as 10 percent. Alcohol, however, can be harmful to the engine and it is important to determine the amount that is present in the gas you use in your car or other engine. There are many alcohol test kits that you can purchase and use to test gasoline before using it in your car. http://www.ehow.com/how_7767531_test...#ixzz32eBxdlFS Here are links to two http://fuel-testers.com/ http://www.fuel-testers.com/order.html __________________ 1931 160B & 1931 68B If you don't have time to do it right the 1st time, how do you have time to do it the 2nd time?

05-24-2014, 02:19 PM	#3
huddy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Central NY & Central CA Posts: 316	Re: Crap gas indicator You don't need to buy a kit. Use an old glass measuring cup. Put equal amounts of water & gas and mark the water level, then mix thoroughly. Let it settle and observe how much water is now below the gas - it will be obvious. Since the water will mix with the alcohol but not the gas, the increase in water level is the amount of alcohol. You can get the percentage of alcohol by dividing this increase by the amount of gas originally used. __________________ Owning an antique car is "start fixing one thing, find four other things that need fixing." Lather, rinse, repeat.

05-24-2014, 10:56 PM	#5
Mike V. Florida Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Florida between Sarasota and TampaSouth Florida Posts: 14,054	Re: Crap gas indicator I guess i drive mine too much as I don't seem to have the problems others have experienced. __________________ What's right about America is that although we have a mess of problems, we have great capacity - intellect and resources - to do some thing about them. - Henry Ford II

05-25-2014, 12:24 AM	#6
SeaSlugs Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Central, IL Posts: 3,968	Re: Crap gas indicator Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) yea weve had e10 for at least 20+ years around here with no issues... e10 says it can contain UP TO 10% ethanol. so you may test it one week and its lets say 6% but next week its 9% due to a new delivery. I would not worry about running it at all. now if your paying for non ethanol gas (usually 30-40 cents higher) and you suspect your getting the e10 that's a whole nother story. Are you sure your buying the correct grade that is supposedly ethanol free? One station around here has only mid and premium at ethonal free - regular is e10 is why i ask. How are you suspecting your getting ethanol gas? Not tryign to be stubborn or anything but im not sure how one could tell without a test kit... __________________ 1929 Model AA - Need long splash aprons!

05-25-2014, 07:39 AM	#7
Gold Digger Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Arkansas & Alaska Posts: 685	Re: Crap gas indicator I have one station that claims to sell nothing but alcohol free gas and I have no reason not to believe them. Also we have 3 other stations that say if you buy premium you get no ethanol that concerns me. Had a friend that tried premium from one of these stations and screwed up all the rubber hoses on his lawn mowing equipment.

05-25-2014, 11:34 AM	#10
H. L. Chauvin Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 4,179	Re: Crap gas indicator FWIW: 1. Have a 1947 Farmall Cub Tractor that had a full tank of 10% Ethanol mixed with roughly 4 ounces of Marvel Mystery Oil per 10 gallons whereby after sitting for four (4) years without running, it fired right up with no problems & used it all day. 2. Does Marvel Mystery Oil help adverse conditions caused by Ethanol gas? I have absolutely no idea --- maybe some can explain this. 3. But I know that cylinders wear more at the top because of increased heat & less oil reaching & lubricating very tops of cylinders; hence, after many miles, one can "feel" top cylinder ridges caused by cylinder wear "only" at tops of cylinders. 4. Top cylinder lubricant religiously added to gas at "every" fill up such as the vintage "Bardhal" or MMO, can extend the life of rings, cylinders, & valve stems ....... Experience: Remember our 1942 Desoto that my mechanic Dad kept for an unheard of 200,000+ miles without engine smoking -- even climbed Pikes Peak with it twice on vacations many years ago. 5. Top cylinder lubricant can also render slight further rust protection to the porous metal in rusty vintage gas tanks. 6. Have a nearby gas station/truck stop/casino where nationally advertised to have Ethanol Free Gas in their 97 Octane Premium selections at every pump. I asked the lady attendant which numbered pump had Ethanol Free Gas ...... she responded all Premium Gas is supposed to be Ethanol Free; but I don't trust my Boss, I buy Ethanol Free gas down the road. LOL

05-25-2014, 01:37 PM	#11
29 Tudor Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Magnolia, TX Posts: 161	Re: Crap gas indicator Here in the Houston area, we have no station selling "real" gas. I have read of the water/gas test and it got me to wondering.... Could you use that to REMOVE the alcohol from the gas? For example, I have a 5 gallon plastic dewar with a spigot on the bottom. Could you put say 4 gallons of "crap" gas in it, add a gallon or so of water, shake it up and let the water/alcohol settle to the bottom and then drain it off, leaving "good" gas? If that works, sounds like a product to me. Any chemists out there that could respond? UPDATE: Just did a web search (Google is a wonderful thing) and it seems that people are already doing just what I suggested. Only difference is they suggest that 2 cups of (distilled) water to 5 gallon of gas is all that's needed. Might have to give it a try!! SD Last edited by 29 Tudor; 05-25-2014 at 01:52 PM.

05-25-2014, 04:48 PM	#12
Chuck Sea/Tac Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Between Seattle & Tacoma Posts: 2,411	Re: Crap gas indicator When HL Chauvin mentioned Bardohl, it reminded me of a story I heard at the hydroplane museum in Kent, (ten miles from the 2014 mafca meet) bardohl is in Ballard, a part of Seattle, and sponsored an unlimited hydroplane back in the 60's?. They won a legal case against the IRS, regarding writing off their sponsorship. Never had been allowed before. The reason they won, was because they showed the huge increase of sales after the racing sponsorship.