Is 87 octane bad for 70's and older cars?

[Ribbedroof]

Most people are surprised to hear that you have been running ethanol blend since the early 1980s. I spent my younger life in Iowa, where "corn gas" or "gasahol" was EVERYWHERE. Never really had any problems aside from rubber issues, but some of that can be attributed to the fact that the rubber parts were decades old at the time, and should be replaced anyway.

There was a big outcry here in OK a few years back when "suddenly" ethanol blend was at all the pumps....in reality, it had been there for YEARS. The difference was that the state passed legislation requiring that the ethanol content be posted at the pump. Yep, those people had been running on blended fuel for a long time , without issue, without really knowing it

It's not for everybody, but in my personal experience, in an automobile that is owned by somebody that does more than just gas 'n go, it isn't really an issue.. just use common sense and replace items likely to be compromised by age/exposure. Small engines do seem to hate it, though, especially seasonal use stuff like mowers, generators, etc.

IMO, if you're in a climate that sees a lot of colder weather, if you're really concerned about it, running the 100% would be a good idea during months with high probability of condensation and / or inactive storage. Of course, in years past, northerners used to swear by "Heet", "dry gas" and the like, which was nothing more than a bottle of alcohol.

 

[angel84elco]

I have a 88 cutlass supreme classic v8 307 I have personally found that my car runs a bit better with the 91 octane. When I ran 87 sometimes the motor would act a little funny so ever since then I run pure 91 just for a piece of mind. Just my 2 cents

 

[jiho]

With a carburetor, you have to make a manual mixture adjustment for the blend you are getting, even with the CCC system. Any time you get a different blend. Bleedin' pain.

 

[pontiacgp]

My car runs on alcohol - loves it and so do I

can you please clarify that......do you mean you love alcohol or do you mean you love your car running on alcohol....😀

 

[pontiacgp]

I use premium at CT, Altramar and Shell cause it has no ethanol in it. If I find real gas at 87 octane I'll fill up with that. Anyone who has a wideband A/F mixture gauge in their car can tell the difference between real gas and the ethanol crap.

 

[lilbowtie]

can you please clarify that......do you mean you love alcohol or do you mean you love your car running on alcohol....😀

Both - Car picked up 35 - 40 HP switching to alcohol.

 

[pontiacgp]

Both - Car picked up 35 - 40 HP switching to alcohol.

10% ethanol increases HP 35 to 40? I don't think so

 

[UNGN]

10% ethanol increases HP 35 to 40? I don't think so

We were talking apples and he started talking oranges: 100% methanol in an all new fuel system and not 10% ethanol in a 35 year old fuel system.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Let's go way back to when lead was removed from gas. I had a '68 Firebird 400 and I NEEDED lead. Along came Texaco Gasahol- WOWSERS!!! It worked! My car ran great! I got better mileage too! But my valve seats receded from lack of lead. Eventually everyone had a low compression motor and Gasahol faded away. I was forced to switch to low compression heads but they had hardened valve seats and I could burn whatever cat piss was cheapest.

 

[olds307 and 403]

Most people are surprised to hear that you have been running ethanol blend since the early 1980s. I spent my younger life in Iowa, where "corn gas" or "gasahol" was EVERYWHERE. Never really had any problems aside from rubber issues, but some of that can be attributed to the fact that the rubber parts were decades old at the time, and should be replaced anyway.

There was a big outcry here in OK a few years back when "suddenly" ethanol blend was at all the pumps....in reality, it had been there for YEARS. The difference was that the state passed legislation requiring that the ethanol content be posted at the pump. Yep, those people had been running on blended fuel for a long time , without issue, without really knowing it

It's not for everybody, but in my personal experience, in an automobile that is owned by somebody that does more than just gas 'n go, it isn't really an issue.. just use common sense and replace items likely to be compromised by age/exposure. Small engines do seem to hate it, though, especially seasonal use stuff like mowers, generators, etc.

IMO, if you're in a climate that sees a lot of colder weather, if you're really concerned about it, running the 100% would be a good idea during months with high probability of condensation and / or inactive storage. Of course, in years past, northerners used to swear by "Heet", "dry gas" and the like, which was nothing more than a bottle of alcohol.

I agree with all of this when these cars were driven day in and day out. Yes gas line antifreeze is either alcohol or Methyl Hydrate. So having it in the gas was nice in the winter. Our old Dodge Diplomat with the 318 PI motor with a Thermoquad ran best with Ethanol, years back. Just like small engines, most of our cars can sit out the whole winter plus the mileage lost from the ethonal blends. We don't get enough hot weather most summers to have boiling issues.