The V8 Owners Forum -

With the advent of the Government changing the fuel to now have 10% Ethanol, how compatible are our engines, Hotwire systems etc?.

Not quite time yet to convert the GT40 to run off batteries, but I am now adding Ethomix to the fuel.

What else is needed?

Ian

If you've not already replaced all the flexible fuel hoses with ethanol compatible, now is the time to do so. Don't think anything else will suffer on an injection engine.

This change ONLY effects standard petrol.

Just buy premium fuel.

SuperV8 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 14, 2021 12:22 pm

This change ONLY effects standard petrol.

Just buy premium fuel.

The way things are going, I doubt premium will stay ethanol free for long - indeed some is already 5%.

Isn't only Esso super which is ethanol free now? and then not in every area.

Richard P6 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:25 pm

Isn't only Esso super which is ethanol free now? and then not in every area.

I think they claim no ethanol.

All other stuff is 5%. Hardly the end of the world.

Seems it will be a long time before we get to 85% !

stevieturbo wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 15, 2021 8:58 pm

Richard P6 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:25 pm

Isn't only Esso super which is ethanol free now? and then not in every area.

I think they claim no ethanol.

All other stuff is 5%. Hardly the end of the world.

Seems it will be a long time before we get to 85% !

They say, "Although our pumps have E5 labels on them, our Synergy Supreme+ 99 is actually ethanol free (except, due to technical supply reasons, in Devon, Cornwall, North Wales, North England and Scotland). Legislation requires us to place these E5 labels on pumps that dispense unleaded petrol with ‘up to 5% ethanol’, including those that contain no ethanol, which is why we display them on our Synergy Supreme+ 99 pumps."

At £1.50 a Litre, it is a bit pricey

From the .gov website:
https://check-vehicle-compatibility-e10 ... nd%20Rover

Land Rover
E10 petrol is cleared for use in all Land Rover vehicles with petrol engines starting from model year 1996.Older vehicles should continue to use E5.

This looks to me like it coincides with the 4.0/4.6V8's - i.e. NOT hotwire 3.9

Morgan:
A Rover V8 engine manufactured from 1996 are E10 compliant

It also says:
If you're still not sure, use E5 petrol. It will still be available in the super grade at many filling stations.

Like I said this change to E10 only effects standard petrol - not super.

I remember BL saying older RV8 couldn't use unleaded.

probably ass covering for warranty claims.

SuperV8 wrote: ↑

Thu Sep 16, 2021 7:43 am

From the .gov website:
https://check-vehicle-compatibility-e10 ... nd%20Rover

Land Rover
E10 petrol is cleared for use in all Land Rover vehicles with petrol engines starting from model year 1996.Older vehicles should continue to use E5.

This looks to me like it coincides with the 4.0/4.6V8's - i.e. NOT hotwire 3.9

Morgan:
A Rover V8 engine manufactured from 1996 are E10 compliant

It also says:
If you're still not sure, use E5 petrol. It will still be available in the super grade at many filling stations.

Like I said this change to E10 only effects standard petrol - not super.

So by engine in the GT40 which was a Morgan engine from 1990, will not be compatible !!

I wonder what makes them non compatible? Perhaps injectors do not flow enough? I presume with less calorific value in ethanol to get to desired air fuel ratio you would need more fuel and that may be the limiting bit?

Really intriguing but yes I will be using the expensive stuff when I fill

Ian

I think its more about the ethanol damaging components in the fuel system.
I would just go through each part of your fuel system and evaluate:
The Injectors ERR722 from hotwire look like they also fit some P38 engines which may mark them as being ok?
Fuel hose I imagine is off the shelf and you should be able to look at the spec/compatibility from it's marking.
Fuel pressure regulator - some fit later hotwire and P38, the earlier ones don't.
Fuel pump you can check what you have?
Fuel filter you can check what you have?

Pretty well all the fuel handling parts on Lucas injection are Bosch anyway. So very odd that a model change coincides with being E10 compatible - even more so given how many owners Land Rover has had.

If you have original flexible fuel hoses on a 20 year old vehicle, I'd say it makes sense to change then to new ASAP. As they are likely a fire hazard.

When E10 was introduced in Australia in 2005 the Government claimed that all vehicles made after 1987 were ok to run on the new fuel subject to octane requirements - our E10 is 94 RON.

Land rover claimed that any use of ethanol in fuel in their vehicles breaks their warranty and any failure caused by using E10 would not be covered by warranty despite the Government saying it was OK for post 1987 vehicles. Our Consumer authorities got onto LR about this and LR stood their ground indicating they would not warrant vehicles. As a result LR was informed that in that case that as their vehicles could no longer meet Australian requirements (noting the D3 had just been released) LR could no longer sell petrol vehicles is Australia - there was a very quick backdown from LR and as far as I am aware there has never been a ethanol related issue in LR vehicles post 87.

It was all bluff that did not work.