[Nerys]

I have decided for my own peace of mind I need to get to the bottom of this.

going to GET ethanol free fuel is very expensive. $12 in tolls 5 hours in time $80 in fuel plus the gas to actually get their and back and $60 in gas cans to legally MOVE that much fuel.

I just don't have that much time or gas on a hunch well more than a hunch but still no solid PROOF.

I feel ethanol is crippling my fuel economy to the tune of 13% to 30% depending on which vehicle you ask me about and whether I buy wawa gas or joes gas :-)

SO I want to try removing the ethanol and "see" what happens. I have an extreme lack of knowledge in this arena of fuel gasoline ICE's and Chemistry.

I finally got off my lazy butt and built my self a rig to do this.

I cut the top off a 5 gallon water juck. I used a ball valve for a toilet and small pipe through a hole in the bottom and used epoxy putty to seal it all up and put it together. Works a treat and only cost me $8 in stuff.

I dump 3-4 gallons of gas in the rig and them dump a gallon of WATER into the rig. stir it up really good let it sit an hour stir it up really good again let it sit an hour.

Drain off the water/ethanol out the bottom. Add another gallon water to rinse the gasoline further stir sit drain.

now I have gasoline minus most of the ethanol. I put that back into a gas can and start the next batch. I only need 2 5 gallon pails at a time so this keeps things safe and easy.

IE I just "do this" in real time as I need it so I don't have giant cans of gas lying around waiting for an accident.

NOW here is where I have some questions and issues that I am hoping you guys can help me with.

I know ethanol is an octane booster. 2.75points for E10

I use wawa because it has the lowest ethanol content so it might even be lower. I measured wawa at 6-8% and joes gas at 11-13% most other stations 9-11% so I only goto wawa. I used to also use sunoco as they were also 6-8% but one tank my mpg tanked again I lose 4mpg so I checked it again it was over 11% so its wawa only now.

now the %'s above might not be accurate but they don't have to be for my purpose only the relative differences are relevant IE whos lower.

I get 47-48mpg summer (I will get more now since I slowed down to 45mph) on wawa gas and I get 42-43mpg on joes gas. and thats just between the two Ethanol blends !!!

that means I will be putting at best 84. to 84.5 octane gas into my 3cyl metro. How's it going to take that? what results can I expect?

I also learned that gasoline can hold some water in solution! anyway to DRY gas without adding alcohol? ie seperate the water and gas? or does it not present a problem when I dump so much water into it?

I tried adding just a "capful" of water to the gas and it did not dissolve it went to the bottom and stayed their. even stiring it up once settled the water was still their. Does this mean its not taking water or worse it already is saturated with water? Problems issues? is solution water ok as long as it does not phase separate?

Also what about the OTHER chemicals in the gasoline. will my process also remove that? What effect will not having those have?

this is short term since I am only doing it long enough to see if the ethanol has that much of an impact on the FE. but if the lack of those checmicals etc.. effects mpg its important as it might invalidate the test.

suggestions?

I can solve the octane issue if I have to buy purchasing premium gas that way when I lose the octane points I "end up" at regular octane levels anyway.