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ProfessorGAC

(76,602 posts)
16. Sounds Made Up To Me
Sun Mar 22, 2026, 07:31 PM
3 hrs ago

I can see no chemical reason why gas (E0, E5, E10, or E15) would be any more corrosive today than in the past.
Corrosivity in metals is caused by the dissociation of acid functionalities into a solvent with thr properties of water.
That is almost NO organic solvents.
Plus in the past the sulfur compounds in gasoline (at retail) was 8 to 10x higher than today. It went from pretty darned small to super low. That's why we're puking less sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere with our cars.
So, the dissociable functional groups aren't as high, and there is little to know water in gas both new & in the past.
The issue with leaving gas in the engine has nothing to do with corrosion. It gas to do with the double bonds in the naphthebe being susceptible to oxidation & subsequent cyckization, creating the equivalent of varnish/lacquer that can plug fuel ports.
In modern engines, the fuel injectors drain down, and the tubing is sealed resulting in minimal air exposure.
If an engine actually has a carburetor, it can be a problem. I've got a shut-off valve on the backup generator so I can run the carburetor completely dry. But either way, it has nothing to do with corrosion.
I'm no car expert, but I am a chemistry expert & that corrosion from modern gas seems completely made up.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

AAA warns E15 gasoline could cause car damage dalton99a 20 hrs ago #1
Your link is 14 yr old NickB79 14 hrs ago #7
Big problem for motorcyclists and boaters jmowreader 20 hrs ago #2
and will destroy the carbs. The gas today is very corrosive. I Emile 16 hrs ago #6
Sounds Made Up To Me ProfessorGAC 3 hrs ago #16
I drove a 60s classic car in the late 90's when gas stations stopped selling leaded gas. C Moon 18 hrs ago #3
Members of our VW club use a lead additive for their older bugs. I buy Emile 18 hrs ago #4
Ah, that's what it was! C Moon 18 hrs ago #5
Tetraethyl lead. roamer65 7 hrs ago #14
Unless your car is 15+ yr old, you're safe NickB79 14 hrs ago #8
Not all of them after 2001. roamer65 7 hrs ago #13
Your truck is 20 yr old NickB79 5 hrs ago #15
For small engines and two stroke engines, bite the bullet and buy ethanol free gas. indusurb 14 hrs ago #9
I believe Sheetz stations carry regular gas, no ethanol, in addition to those with ethanol. mucholderthandirt 13 hrs ago #10
The fuel ethanol industry needs to go away. hunter 12 hrs ago #11
That's not true. And it does substitute a percentage Melon 3 hrs ago #19
Ethanol is boondoggle scam GreatGazoo 11 hrs ago #12
It's an octane booster. Not a scam. Melon 3 hrs ago #18
Your car would have to be over 14 years old not to be in compliance. Melon 3 hrs ago #17
And nobody has a vehicle THAT old. BWdem4life 4 min ago #21
In Pennsylvania our retail gas automatically switches over to 10% ethanol in March FakeNoose 3 hrs ago #20
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Check your vehicle manual...»Reply #16