E85Forum.com

WhiteBroncoII2WD · Joined: 22 Aug 2006 Posts: 17 Location: Delaware

Looking for some true clarification, will ethanol corrode aluminum metal that it is in direct contact with or is it only when the ethanol is first contaminated with water?

Alcohol · Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 634 Location: Central Wisconsin

WhiteBronco- All materials corrode in nature. The question you ask is not a yes or no -but how quickly, and that is not an easy answer. Beer (wet ethanol) is put in aluminum cans- would they corrode over time, yes-especially in the presense of oxygen. Commercial ethanol in the USA is dehydrated and has corrosion inhibitors put into it- these two factors make ethanol have a minimal effect on aluminum. Tanker trucks hauling ethanol, fuel pumps, and most dispensers contain aluminum (in Minnestota some dispensers have been in use over 10 years now with no issues). Let the ethanol get exposed to the atmosphere in a container that is open or can breathe and you will speed up the corrosion somewhat. There can be visible corrosion and there is a lower level dissolving of materials- I have sent samples of E85 to a lab to determine if e85 is slowly dissolving the interior of my fuel dispensers- the answer was no- the fuel remained in Spec. (the concern would have been deposits on injectors).

There are different grades of aluminum and different thicknesses which will effect life also. Joining two dissimilar soft metals together can greatly speed a corrosion event such as fuel line connectors and carbs. This is due to an electrical reaction. This very effect is usually bad but is used to protect fuel tanks from corrosion by one metal being a sacrificial anode.

Sorry for the long answer- but in practice aluminum is used successfully all over the place- it is just not the "best" material to use for long term (years)- especially where the fuel can become very old or possibly remains at high temps (which could speed corrosion).

WhiteBroncoII2WD · Joined: 22 Aug 2006 Posts: 17 Location: Delaware

Hey, thanks for the detailed reply, I think I now have a better understanding of what the full situation represents, on the truck I am considering for upgrading to better utilize ethanol the only concern would be the lower intake manifold which is sand cast aluminum. The option I am considering is anodizing the part.

Alcohol · Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 634 Location: Central Wisconsin

WhiteBronco- If you are going to have the manifold off anyway- that is probably a good idea. There was a report from some Iowa racers running carbs that some piitting had been observed in intake manifolds- however- they never replied back to confirm they were running ethanol instead of methanol. Of course- even a brief exposure to methanol would have pitted intakes.

I have seen guys go way overkill with setups for e85 (stainless flex lines, etc.) and others use all standard stuff. I have yet to hear of real verification of failures over the last 2 1/2 years other than 1 guy that had one of his 4 old cars (non-flex) have seal failure on his injectors- he just went to a oart store and replaced with FFV seals. Another guy had a 60's car with a very old mechanical fuel pump that failed and he replaced it with a new off the shelf standard mechanical and that has worked fine.
There was a report of engine damage in an OBD2 vehicle but the cause was not determined- I know the driver (a friend) but he has a lead foot and he was likely running lean at WOT- however- this was on his first tank. He may have had some other issues going on.