FE Turnaround: Disappointment to Satisfaction, 2010 Yaris. Almost +50 MPH. Thank You!

[Yaris Hilton]

My understanding is that the MTBE ban is a state thing also, but is widespread enough that the U.S. fuel producers have dropped it altogether. I may be wrong. The knock against it is that it smells and tastes terrible at extremely low concentrations in water, and because of leaking tanks contaminating groundwater and boaters spilling gas in lakes and rivers, it was affecting municipal water supply quality.

The Federal government did pass a mandate (pushed by George W. Bush) for using ethanol that requires the sale of minimum quantities of it, supposedly to replace imported oil with "renewable alternative fuels," and the amount they have to sell now is hard to get rid of when they're limited to a 10% blend. That's the reason for the push to license E15 or E20, and why some folks who test what they get at the pump report finding ethanol levels approaching 20% already.

[STC]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

My understanding is that the MTBE ban is a state thing also, but is widespread enough that the U.S. fuel producers have dropped it altogether. I may be wrong. The knock against it is that it smells and tastes terrible at extremely low concentrations in water, and because of leaking tanks contaminating groundwater and boaters spilling gas in lakes and rivers, it was affecting municipal water supply quality.

The Federal government did pass a mandate (pushed by George W. Bush) for using ethanol that requires the sale of minimum quantities of it, supposedly to replace imported oil with "renewable alternative fuels," and the amount they have to sell now is hard to get rid of when they're limited to a 10% blend. That's the reason for the push to license E15 or E20, and why some folks who test what they get at the pump report finding ethanol levels approaching 20% already.

In 2005 there was a large spill... leaking tank in a gas station chain, where MTBE contaminated local “Spring Creek”... It took over a year to clean up.

Yes, you are correct... a mandate was passed for requirement in minimum amounts of Ethanol during the Bush watch. I know there is a push to up the amount to 20% blend. My question is... doesn’t a vehicle have to be re-fitted to run this concentration?

Cheers...

[Yaris Hilton]

Originally Posted by STC

Yes, you are correct... a mandate was passed for requirement in minimum amounts of Ethanol during the Bush watch. I know there is a push to up the amount to 20% blend. My question is... doesn’t a vehicle have to be re-fitted to run this concentration?

I expect a new Yaris will run on anything up to E25 without problems. I doubt they make special fuel systems just for the ones they export to Brazil. The company doesn't currently approve of using anything over E10 at present in the U.S. The EPA recently sponsored tests indicating that any cars built since 2000 ought to do fine with E20. Last year I read a fellow's post here, on the Toyota Nation or Clean MPG boards, I forget which, about his experiments blending E85 with E10 in his Yaris. It ran fine up to something over 40% ethanol, when it began to set lean mixture codes. I know many people have an almost religious fervor against ethanol in gasoline and believe it will cause terrible automotive disaster, but I've used E10 much of the time since 1977 in cars and motorcycles old and new, and never had any problems. It's more of an issue for outboard motors, 2-stroke powered lawn equipment, chainsaws and such using premixed oil.

[talnlnky]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

I expect a new Yaris will run on anything up to E25 without problems. I doubt they make special fuel systems just for the ones they export to Brazil. The company doesn't currently approve of using anything over E10 at present in the U.S. The EPA recently sponsored tests indicating that any cars built since 2000 ought to do fine with E20. Last year I read a fellow's post here, on the Toyota Nation or Clean MPG boards, I forget which, about his experiments blending E85 with E10 in his Yaris. It ran fine up to something over 40% ethanol, when it began to set lean mixture codes. I know many people have an almost religious fervor against ethanol in gasoline and believe it will cause terrible automotive disaster, but I've used E10 much of the time since 1977 in cars and motorcycles old and new, and never had any problems. It's more of an issue for outboard motors, 2-stroke powered lawn equipment, chainsaws and such using premixed oil.

agreed, i remember about a year or two back reading about a somebody who took a newer car (not sure if it was a yaris)... and found that doing a 50/50 mix of E85 and E10 gave no problems.

[Yaris Hilton]

Having mentioned Brazil, i went and took a look. They don't sell Yarises there. You can get a Corolla or a Camry, though.