Miller’s EPS 250ml

This treats up to a full 50 litre tank so is best suited for Splitscreens with smaller tanks, Beetles, Ghia’s and Type3’s.

Miller’s EPS 500ml (twin pack of 250ml)

This treats up to 100 litres so is a great buy for Baywindows with 60 litre tanks.

The below was written before the roll out of E10, but is still relevant.

My VW Bus recently turned 50 and it got me thinking…there are a number of things that have changed since 1969 and I see so much confusion and conflicted advice out there. Therefore I thought its high time I combine my experience and information from my previous articles to finally answer some of those much debated questions surrounding fuel safety and old Volkswagens.

This article is aimed at the UK market. We have had E5 (5% Ethanol) in our fuels for a while now (2013) and it has always been the governments plan to roll out E10 (10% Ethanol). In fact they have been allowed to supply this in our fuel for years but up until now there was no infrastructure to do so. It appears if you believe everything you read that may be about to change. So what does that mean for us Aircooled Vw owners and should we be worried?

The Problem
Let me start by saying Ethanol is not the only problem, its the tip of the automotive iceberg. There are a number of factors including ethanol that everyone needs to be aware of.

Ethanol, fuel type, fuel lines, amount of bend in the line, fuel filters, hose clips and heat all play their part.

Two years ago I got fed up. Fed up of the amount of misinformation about ethanol, which fuel grade or brand did or did not contain it and how exactly it was affecting our classic vehicles. At the same time I saw more and more chatter on incorrect placement of fuel filters, how quickly modern fuel hoses were failing and posts about engine fires and subsequently fire suppression systems. So I set up a number of tests that have now reached completion. More on that in a moment.

Ethanol

Why does Ethanol exist?

Since 4 star was phased out and normal unleaded was phased in there has been Europe lead legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I won’t bore you with the figures but all petrol has allowed to be 5% ethanol for some time (2013). However not all fuel has been 5% which is why there is generally so much confusion. Comments like ‘I use premium fuel to avoid ethanol’ or ‘I was told that vpower is better for my engine’ are very common. But it’s understandable as there has been so little concrete information available. This is largely because 5% Ethanol has not been viewed by the powers at be as a compatibility issue for any vehicle under normal use i.e being used every day. Therefore the fuel pumps were not marked to tell customers that the fuel may contain biofuel. This has recently changed as new legislation came in and also plans were put in place to finally begin the roll out of E10 in 2021. You may have noticed that pump handles started to have labels on them last year, mainly being ‘E5’ which means that the fuel can contain up to 5% ethanol.
The problem with Ethanol

Ethanol ‘can’ eat rubber, absorb water cause & issues with corrosion. Emphasis here on the word ‘can’.

Corrosion – in long term storage, fuel containing Ethanol can become acidic and cause corrosion of aluminium, zinc and galvanised materials, brass, copper and lead/tin coated steels. (Think needle valves on your carb)
Material compatibility – Ethanol’s high solvency can cause problems with many seal and gasket materials used in fuel systems as well as with fibre glass resins. Besides a risk of fuel leaks, rubber components and resins can become partially dissolved, producing deposits that could foul carburettor jets.
Combustion – Ethanol’s higher volatility can contribute to ‘vapour lock’ issues in older vehicles when operating temperatures are higher. Ethanol can also affect cold start performance.
Absorbs water from the atmosphere – The water and ethanol is heavier than the unleaded fuel so it sits on the bottom of the fuel tank and causes corrosion. With long term storage the first thing your carburettor will see when you start the engine in the spring is rusty water.

Testing Testing – Ethanol Content

The first test I started two years ago was to ascertain what level of ethanol our fuels contained.

By mixing a controlled amount of fuel and water you can easily work out the % of ethanol. I expected varying rates which would have made for a funky graph and cool photos of the test tubes I was using. However the results were all the same bar one.

I tested all supermarket fuels including the standard and premium where available as well as all the big named brands.

My conclusion, All UK fuel, whether it’s supermarket, or big name premium brand contained 5% ethanol… apart from one.

Esso’s premium fuel ‘Synergy Premium’ is the only supplier at the time of writing (March 2020) that does not contain ethanol. (This does not include parts of Devon, Cornwall, the Teesside area and Scotland).

Testing Testing – Ethanol additives

If you are lucky to live near an Esso fuel station and don’t do much mileage the easiest and most cost effective way to avoid ethanol is to use Esso Synergy premium fuel. However for anyone that doesn’t live near an Esso or travels alot in their aircooled vehicle (premium fuel is expensive) thankfully there is an alternative.

For the last two years I have be trialling a number of fuel stabilisers and ethanol additives. For this article I trialled it on an early bay which has a 60 litre fuel tank and with fuel that contained 5% ethanol. The conclusion is that I use Lucas 10576 Safe Guard Ethanol Fuel Treatment, 473 ml

Or due to availability issues I also have

Here is what I tested :

1. Sta-bil

Treats 76 litres for £15

Conclusion

I started using this when I knew I would have to store a vehicle and to try and counteract the effects of ethanol such as water absorption and the issues it brings such as diluted fuel, stale fuel, rust and gummed up parts.

It works really well for a vehicle that is being stored if used as per the instructions. The idea is to fill your tank to 95% to limit the amount of atmosphere and reduce the tank from rusting then adding the stabiliser and running the engine so that it lines all fuel line components. The fuel was most definitely fresher and cleaner burning, making starting easier and consistent mpg over a period of 3 months. I saw no water absorption when draining a stored tank, where as without the stabiliser it most definitely had a layer water sat of the bottom of the tank . I also saw no issues with any of my rubber parts such as carburettor seals and fuel hoses.

However for regular use with a vehicle that is being used for lots for trips or daily its not really suitable or cost effective. But that’s ok, that is not what it’s designed for!

3. Sta-bil 360

Treats 227 litres for £10

Conclusion

This is the sister of the product above. Essentially it has the same properties but with one important addition. It helps prevent Ethanol fuel related damage in vehicles and small engines. It does this by reducing the excess water and absorption of water into your fuel tank that ethanol can cause and therefore limits corrosion within your fuel tank whilst maintaining an optimal fuel blend. Their words not mine.

They claim it contains ‘vapour technology’ which protects engine and fuel system above and below the fuel line. Essentially they are saying that it will protect your tank that is exposed to air, rather than filling it with fuel. A tricky one to test but I like that they have thought about it and if it works it will save a lot of tanks.

Its designed for regular use but will also protect if the vehicle is left standing too. It seems like a win win but I would have liked more info and evidence on what it can additionally do to stop ethanol eating my rubber. Especially as i have resealed my tank with ethanol resistant sealant so ethanol is not a issue in my tank.

It seemed to have the same positive effects as per the above product the fuel was most definitely fresher and cleaner burning, making starting easier and over a period of 3 months I saw no water absorption where without it i most definitely had. I also saw no issues with any of my rubber parts such as carburettor seals and fuel hoses.

Lastly although more cost effective compared to the above its not easy to get and is often out of stock on amazon.

3. Lucas 10576 Safe Guard Ethanol Fuel Treatment, 473 ml

Treats 302 litres for £11-£16 (price varies alot)

Conclusion

After the same testing as the above products to be honest I found it to be much the same overall. In a positive way it had the same outcome but at a marginally cheaper price. It is also a more widely available product so this is my go to additive for 2021 and is compatible with E5 to E85 fuels!

Overall It comes down to how you drive your vehicle, a few trips a year through to daily will most definitely influence your decision here. I personally use Lucas as use my vehicle a lot and ensure I have it if I go on a big trip and know I wont be able to necessarily find an Esso fuel station.

Costing Comparison (based on original price of £11 of fuel prices in early 2020)

£1.20 per litre standard fuel 60l tank = £72

£1.30 per litre premium fuel 60l tank = £78

£1.23 per litre standard fuel + Lucas additive, 60l tank = £74.18

A £3.82 difference on a full tank of fuel between premium and standard with additive.

Available here at the Wayoutwestie store

Testing Testing – Ethanol effects on Rubber

The second test I did was to test the effects of ethanol on rubber fuel hose. A pretty simple test, leave fuel that is confirmed as having 5% ethanol in it in contact with both stock cloth braided hose, R9 rated fuel hose from a reliable source and Cohline 2134 15% and 2240 100% ethanol resistant hose.

I drained and replenished with fresh fuel regularly allowing both oxygen and the fuel to come in to contact with all rubber parts. This is important as I see alot of tests in sealed containers with old fuel and no oxygen.

At 6 months

There was no signs of any degrading on any hose

At 12 months

Cotton overbraided hose was showing signs of cracking internally.

The R9 some minimal what looked like staining.

The Cohline 2134 & 2240 no degrading on either.

At Two years

The cotton overbraided hose was cracking all over.

The R9 hose showed the early signs of degrading, (mild cracking if stretched).,

The Cohline 2134 & 2240 no degrading on either.

I appreciate this was not under lab conditions or in real world conditions being fitted and used in a vehicle. However I simply wanted to test whether 5% without any other factors would cause degradation. The cotton overbraded line was my control and I fully expected it to fail.

Testing Testing – Rubber hose Issues

Since I started the above test 2 years ago there have been a number of other issues that I have seen time and time again that were blamed on ethanol. So I tried them for myself, these were done on a control vehicle.

1) Hose from a non reliable source.

It appears that there were alot of people purchasing r9 hose from ‘reliable sources’ such as ebay! and receiving hose that had R9 printed on it but was well under par in terms of quality.

I now only use Cohline 2134 (compatible up to E10) or 2240 which is 100% ethanol resistant. Please bear in mind both 2134 and 2240 should not be considered fit and forget as there are other factors that can cause them to fail.

The Best 100% Ethanol Resistant fuel lines you can buy are available right here at Wayoutwestie :

Single carb Kit

Dual Carb Kit

2) Bend Index

Believe it or not every different size and type of fuel hose has a recommended maximum angle that it can be bent to. This is called a bend index. On most of the suitable 5.6mm and 7.6mm fuel lines for our aircooled vehicles the maximum bend index should be no more than 45 degrees. On the previous industry standard of R9 there were varying claims on what bend was acceptable, hence I now believe this has caused a number of premature fuel line failures. The amount of setups I see with at least 90 degrees bend is high, so again I tested the theory.

For a 6 month period (approx 5000 miles) I ran two pieces of hose, genuine R9 fuel hose and cohline 2134 with zero ethanol fuel. First at approximately 90 degrees and the second with virtually no bend at all. I ensured the hose was secure and would not come in to direct contact with any heat. The results are plain to see :

The hose with a slight curve on the right looks new with no cracks or issues. The hose with the 90 degree bend had cracks all along the bend but no where else in the line. Internally however it had no cracks and did not leak under pressure.

3) Heat

If a fuel hose is allowed to come in to direct contact with heat then its life expectancy will reduce. Rubber will dry and crack and shrink over time due to being stretched, bent, in cold and hot conditions as well as in contact with fuel. Heat can just speed up the process.

After approximately 6 months if left in contact with high heat such as manifolds and tinware I found the fuel hose to be very similar to that of the hose above with too much bend, slightly less of an issue but an issue none the less.

4) Hose size

5.6mm is specifically designed to fit properly on your standard 6 mm metal piping. By fitting a fuel hose slightly smaller than the pipe it needs to fit on it will be stretched allowing for a frictional gripping force and tight seal.

However I see lots of 6mm or 1/4 inch (6.4mm) hose fitted on to stock 6mm carburettor, fuel pump and fuel tank barbs which is a recipe for disaster. If its too big then the hose clips will have to crush the hose beyond its limits and that in turn will stop it sealing or cut in to the hose and cause a leak.

5) The correct size clips

Never use standard jubilee clips, they tighten to an oval shape as opposed to staying round and cut in to rubber hose. For modern cohline 5.6mm internal equivalent with outer diameter of 12.6mm use 11-13mm fuel hose clips. Available pretty cheaply on amazon :

6) A note on fuel filters

Everyone seems to have a strong opinion on these. The fact of the matter is air cooled vehicles left the factory with no inline filter. That’s because they have a mesh filter fitted to the outlet of the fuel tank and the original rebuild-able pumps also had a filter inside them. Its also because fuel tanks were clean and not full of rust when they were new! Personally I re-seal and restore fuel tanks on my vehicles and run with a new fuel tank mesh filter. That way there is one fuel line running from the tank to the pump without breaks.

For the naysayers, the people who run filters and scream when they see plastic filters in other peoples engine bays…..well each to their own If it works for you then fine. But i’ve never seen a plastic filter explode (they get a bad rep from the dodgy batch that was out there 15 odd years ago). I have seen more leaky glass filters than plastic ones due to the rubber perishing. But like I said whatever works for you.

The main issue with filters is not their placement, it’s that they are not secured. When they are empty they are light, however when they are full of fuel the additional weight causes them to sag. This puts stress on the filter plastic as well as the attached fuel lines. This can cause the filter to leak or crack or bend and reduce/ stop the flow of fuel.

Overall Conclusion
Buy Cohline fuel hose, 11-13mm hose clips, use ethanol free fuel or an ethanol additive, keep the hose away from heat and also have no more than a 45 degree bend in it. Ensure your filter is out of the engine bay and secured. This will ensure your fuel hose will last a long time and be as safe as possible, that your fuel tank wont rust or take on water an that your carburettors and fuel pumps are clean and safe on the inside.

Please note that although 100% ethanol resistant fuel line is available and is great stuff (The Cohline 2240) there is still the potential for it to fail if the bend index is too much, the wrong hose clips are used and if it sits on a hot area of the engine. So no matter what you fit always check your fuel lines regularly.

If you would like to support WAYOUTWESTIE and help to continue more awesome content, why not buy and awesome sticker?