Within the EU the petrol will have increased levels of ethanol from August this year. E5 will be E10. Wondering how this might effect our engines and fuelling components like the pumps and injectors

 

I’ve been dealing with E-10 on a professional level for decades as it relates to maintenance and upkeep of vintage automobiles and vintage motorcycles .

without exception all issues with E-10 have occurred when the vehicle was left to sit for 3 months or longer. Under those conditions the older fuel seems to separate in separate components and some of those are particularly caustic on older rubber compounds such as rubber seals and rubber fuel lines.

Out of hundreds and hundreds of vehicles with fuel that is less than 3 months old I have not identified a single case of E-10 causing any problems.

That said , even pure gasoline can cause problems if left too long in a fuel system. The photos below illustrate what happens when pure gas is left in a system for too long.

Also, it bears pointing out that the more pressure a fuel is under, their are fewer issues with older fuel. So that’s a plus for our fuel injected cars and a negative for the older cars with carburetors.

Z

 

I have been using 98 oct E5 several years already (as non ethanol fuels are not available here anymore) without issues. Also had no (at least notable) problems on injector based car engines even after sitting almost 3yrs in unused vehicle at warm garage. Started like a new after long hibernate..

 

I believe that is a Swedish requirement - other EU countries either are already using E10 or are still using E5, its up to the individual countries to decide, but one of the requirements is that E5 continues on sale in sufficient volumes for cars that aren't compatible.

Either way E10 is compatible with all Jaguars made since 1992 according to Jaguar.

 

Even the owners manual for my '85 says E10 is OK

In my neck of the woods E10 has been standard issue for decades and I've had no problems

Cheers
DD

 

Bear in mind that the E5/E10 only refers to the maximum allowable ethanol content, so you may find that some chains carry fuel with a lower ethanol content. For example, in the UK, Esso Synergy Supreme+ 99 is actually ethanol-free in most of the UK, despite being labelled as E5: https://www.esso.co.uk/en-gb/fuels/petrol

 

Right. Experiences with "E10" vary SO greatly that I've oft wondered if, despite the E10 label on the pump, some of us are unknowingly running E0 or E5....or perhaps even E15 if some distributors play thing a bit fast-n-loose?

Cheers
DD

 

I've been using E10 94 in my 03 XJ8 4.2, for 3 years, She is very happy with it and it is the cheapest fuel you can get here! The car is a daily user, I plonk in a tank of 98 premium about every 6 tankfulls from BP, Only thing I notice is the 98 gives slightly better gas mileage, I don't notice any difference in performance, I think if your car is used at least a couple of times per week, she'll be right as us "Assies" would say ☺️