240 General: E10 petrol

[Clifford Pope]

This subject has produced a flurry of debate in other car clubs, but unless I've missed something here, I haven't seen anything on this site.

The government website checker says;

"E10 petrol is cleared for use in all Volvo cars with petrol engines introduced to the market since 1976 based upon servicing and other conditions according to the equipment and material with which the vehicle was originally equipped.

E10 petrol is not cleared for a limited number of S/V40 models with petrol engines produced in the mid-1990s with engine type 1.8 GDI. These should continue to use E5."

Are we agreed that this information is correct?
All 240s since 1976 are OK with E10, and all rubber pipes, diaphrams, seals, pumps etc are undamaged by alcohol?

I tried my first tankful of E10 a few days ago. I don't notice any difference in running, but when I went back into my garage a few hours later I noticed a slightly different smell lingering in the air around the rear of the car. It was faintly reminiscent of diesel, but not quite the same. After opening the garage the smell quickly dispersed.
I haven't read anything about a special smell for E10 - anyone noticed this?

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

This subject has produced a flurry of debate in other car clubs, but unless I've missed something here, I haven't seen anything on this site.

The government website checker says;

"E10 petrol is cleared for use in all Volvo cars with petrol engines introduced to the market since 1976 based upon servicing and other conditions according to the equipment and material with which the vehicle was originally equipped.

E10 petrol is not cleared for a limited number of S/V40 models with petrol engines produced in the mid-1990s with engine type 1.8 GDI. These should continue to use E5."

Are we agreed that this information is correct?
All 240s since 1976 are OK with E10, and all rubber pipes, diaphrams, seals, pumps etc are undamaged by alcohol?

I tried my first tankful of E10 a few days ago. I don't notice any difference in running, but when I went back into my garage a few hours later I noticed a slightly different smell lingering in the air around the rear of the car. It was faintly reminiscent of diesel, but not quite the same. After opening the garage the smell quickly dispersed.
I haven't read anything about a special smell for E10 - anyone noticed this?

I have not noticed any difference (or any unusual smell) since I started running the RB on E10 (when Morrisons changed - a few months ago I suppose).

I can't help thinking the fuss about E10 (which almost amounts to a conspiracy theory in some circles) is bunkum. Weaning us off dinosaur bones and onto a bit more corn sounds pretty sensible to me - perhaps it counts as two or three of one's 5 a day?

Alan :-)

[Bob Meadows]

If you do a search then the E10 details have been submitted to this site- you have to look under different car sections though:~ some details submitted relating to classic car use have been included.
Regards Bob.

[Clifford Pope]

Yes, but it's a simple question - is the government advice correct or not?

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Clifford Pope

Yes, but it's a simple question - is the government advice correct or not?

Ah! That is the conspiracy theory :-)

[Clifford Pope]

But is the conspiracy theory that it's perfectly OK and the fuss is a lot of nothing, or is it that it's rubbish and deliberately designed to wreck old cars and drive us off the roads?

It ought to be an easy question to answer - does E10 petrol dissolve rubber components or not?
Other clubs seem to have answers for their specific models - what does the VOC and this forum think about using E10 in a Volvo 240?

[Bob Meadows]

Copy Post already submitted:~

E10 has been the norm for regular gasoline in most parts of Canada for at least 20 years. It does not present a material issue for most fuel systems. What I find is perhaps a greater issue is the quality of fuel line available. After I finished the resto on my 142E, I went through at least 3 different brands of fuel injection rated fuel line after they all started hardening and developing cracks in the outer jacket along with requiring constant tightening of the fuel line clamps. For the last two years I have been using a Gates SAE 30R14T2 compliant fuel line and so far it has not shown any visible signs of deterioration or leakage.

Gates has a large range of fuel lines that are sold in the Barricade range and if you are searching be aware that the the part # and product # are separate. I believe that all the Barricade hoses have a product number 4219xxxx. The xxxx is specific to the diameter of the hose, the application and how the hose is sold (various reels / clamshells). The application differences include carb/fuel injection (rated pressure), marine and submersible. My hose is actually 42196040 because it is 5/16" fuel injection rated and came off of a 250 ft reel. You can get carb specific fuel line from Gates which has a lower operating pressure. As noted, they have a submersible rated hose. Stay away from that one because it is murderously expensive. Gates also offers a Barricade Greenshield hose which is different than Barricade. The only obvious performance difference that I can find is that Greenshield is rated for E100 as opposed to E85 for plain Barricade.

The effect of E10 is separate from the issue of permeation through the hose which is a more recent requirement to reduce VOCs. The SAE requirements include permeation in the standard and the requirement to meet that standard may be why there is an issue with accelerated deterioration on some products. An interesting feature of some of these permeation resistant hoses is that if you get fuel on the outside jacket (which is a different material than the inside liner) it will become gooey. The submersible rated hoses don't do this which is one of the reasons why they are much more expensive. I have not encountered the goo factor on the outer jacket on my Gates hoses; but, have not had a leak which exposed the outside jacket to fuel.

I have had Cohline hose recommended to me as a durable product. Unfortunately, it is not readily available where I live. So far, the Gates Barricade 4219xxxx product has been the most durable modern fuel line that I have been able t find.

[Clifford Pope]

Thank you.

So the short answer is E10 is fine in all 240s ever made but watch carefully if you have replaced any of the fuel lines, as some are sub-standard.