Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[alanb]

Article from MotorSport magazine 1934,
Cleveland Discol will shortly be on sale all over England, Scotland and Wales. The Cleveland petrol pumps are now numerically the third strongest in the country and the organisation is based on ten coastal bulk depots at Preston, Ellesmere Port, Avonmouth, Newport, Lymington, Shoreham, Barking, Goole, Sunderland and Thameshaven. Cleve
land-Discol will be sold at the current No. 1 price of Is. 6d. per gallon. Koolmotor Alcohol Blend has been on sale in England since the early part of
1932, and there are now some hundreds of Koolmotor pumps situated in 27 different counties of England. It sells at the usual price of Is. 6d. per gallon.
Koolmotor possesses to the fullest degree the advantages of an alcohol fuel. That is to say, it has a very high octane rating, or anti-knock value, and by reascn of the lower temperature of vaporised.
alcohol fuel as compared with straight petrol, due to the high latent heat, it is particularly useful for small-bore high compression sports cars, where a cool mixture is essential.
The manufacturers of Koolmotor Alcohol Blend are the Cities Service Oil Co. Ltd., and the alcohol used in its production is manufactured at Dagenham by Messrs. Solvent Products, Ltd., who are associated with the United Molasses Company and the Distillers Group.
It has probably occurred to the reader that it is remarkable that these two concerns are able to market alcohol fuel at a price no clearer than ordinary petrol, when alcohol used for drinking purposes is subject to a tax of over *.6 per gallon. This is accounted for by the exemption from any tax of alcohol used for mechanical purposes, even the 8d. per gallon tax on petrol, the idea being to foster as much as possible the use of home-produced fuels. Thus for every gallon of alcohol fuel manufactured, only 75% of it (the alcohol content is roughly 25%) is subject to the 8d. petrol tax. And so, although alcohol is expensive to manufacture, this cost is counterbalanced by the saving on petrol tax, and the companies mentioned above are able to sell their fuel at a competitive price.
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[Ray White]

I think we should be careful not to confuse the petrol of today with that made in the distant past. The original had a lovey, evocative smell to it that is sadly missing from petrol available now.

I suspect the alcohol/ethanol content may only be part of the story...

[alanb]

As the ethanol in e5 & e10 is basically the same as in your whiskey bottle in my humble opinion it is more likely the other additives in modern fuel that will cause problems with our pre war cars, the argument that the ethanol will destroy brass and copper components seems odd to me as most stills used to produce alcohol are made of brass and copper. Also in the 1930s the fuel rating was only about 78 to 80 octane, more than enough for a compression ratio of 6.5 to 1 or less. As you say Ray modern petrol is nothing like the old stuff
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[alastairq]

https://www.veloce.co.uk/store/Classic-Engines-Modern-Fuel-The-Problems-the-Solutions-p151478624

Again, the Paul Ireland book [can be had cheaper from other sources] gives the chapter & verse, by way of explanation of the results & findings of the Manchester University tests, regarding today's [or rather, petrol from a couple of years ago, now?] fuel, and how it differs from the fuel of the 70's, 60's , 50's and earlier..
Plus, how this can affect how our older designs of engine, run.
Ethanol is mentioned, since they found that {a} it had a beneficial effect on the lower revs performances of the old design of engine used [a fully rebuilt XPAG MG engine]...and {B} the knowledge that increased ethanol content was in fact, coming to the UK 'shortly'..

The problem I have extracted from the various sources associated with ethanol itself,is, it acts as a 'cleaner'...

Thus, it shifts all the grunginess that prevails in our fuel systems, creating a sludge where we don't want it [filters and carb float bowls]

The corrosion [as far as I have ascertained?] that is linked to ethanol occurs because water becomes present in the fuel storage, which attracts [sucks out] the ethanol in the petrol, sinks to the bottom, and, the mix becomes highly acidic. This causes enhanced corrosion on whatever metals are affected by acids.

So, to reduce the chances of corrosion, prevent the ingress of water into the system.

Since this corrosion doesn't exactly occur overnight, I believe in changing the regime regarding fuel, if parking up the vehicle for a prolonged period of time.

I would be pumping out the fuel tank, and system, to leave it as dry as possible, of fuel. Rather than, as is generally advised at present, filling the tank up with fuel. Especially fuels which are only available by direct purchase, and have a better shelf life [Sunoco, for example]..but cost a bomb!

I have mixed feeling about lining the petrol tanks with any of the anti-corrosion preparations currently available.
[Slosh?]

I have seen nothing which confirms , or otherwise, whether E10 petrol will dissolve or dislodge the slosh from inside the tank, thus sending gunge to the carbs, despite filters?

One good outcome of all this hoo-hah might be, more old motors getting their fuel systems looked at and renewed? I reckon for many ''classic' motors this might be the first time in decades? [If it don't leak, ignore it-syndrome?]

I have also come across [read or heard] of many instances where so-called 'new' fuel items have proven to be sub-standard in material quality.....the failures being blamed on a day's worth of E10!!

When, in reality, stuff such as diaphragms, etc should never have been let near any sort of petrol!!
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Dellow Mk2, 1951 built, reg 1952.
Fiat 126 BIS
Cannon special [1996 registered. Built in 1950's]
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Ford Pop chassis, Ashley 1172 bodyshell, in pieces.