Petrol leak

The other day, I notice a whiff of petrol as I walked past the side of my landy, the side with the petrol tank. I didnt think too much of it, the fuel cap is the original 45 year old one so I dont expect it seals very well. Today though, the smell is very strong. It's pouring down with rain at the mo so I can't tell if its dripping out. I put about £40 in it a few weeks ago and have'nt used it since. How long do you think it takes for this new E10 stuff to eat through old fuel lines.

Col

E10 will go more acidic, more quickly, thats what attacks fuel lines and carb parts, it also tends to absorb water more quickly
recently put a new fuel tank on my 2A, the line from the tank to the fuel pump/sediment bowl was so knackered you could snap it like a crisp

kermit_rr said:

E10 will go more acidic, more quickly, thats what attacks fuel lines and carb parts, it also tends to absorb water more quickly
recently put a new fuel tank on my 2A, the line from the tank to the fuel pump/sediment bowl was so knackered you could snap it like a crisp

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Looks like Ive got some work to do in the spring. Even if I replace the fuel lines for E10 compiant ones, there is still the problem of rubber parts in the carb so I'll start using the more expensive E5.

Col

Colthebrummie said:

Looks like Ive got some work to do in the spring. Even if I replace the fuel lines for E10 compiant ones, there is still the problem of rubber parts in the carb so I'll start using the more expensive E5.

Col

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from the acidic point of view, its more the metal parts that can be eaten, especially brass bits, which will make it run rich

kermit_rr said:

from the acidic point of view, its more the metal parts that can be eaten, especially brass bits, which will make it run rich

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God, its worse than I thought.

Col

Colthebrummie said:

God, its worse than I thought.

Col

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if you run the car regularly so the petrol doesnt have time to absorb water and 'go off' then you'll be fine.. if you know you wont use the car for a while then put some E5 through it for the last run
if its a daily, or at least used a couple of times a week, e10 wont cause a problem

Worth checking the rubber hose piece that links the filler to the tank first as it’s easy to look at under the side. Mine had perished a while back and leaked on filling so if you put fuel in not long ago it might have absorbed into that and coming down through there. Cheap and easy to replace so might be lucky - tho you would probably have noticed it at filling.
Good luck - mines been parked up for a couple of months with E10 in it too so hoping it isn’t your fuel that’s the issue or I’ll be doing the same come spring!

TS2304 said:

Worth checking the rubber hose piece that links the filler to the tank first as it’s easy to look at under the side. Mine had perished a while back and leaked on filling so if you put fuel in not long ago it might have absorbed into that and coming down through there. Cheap and easy to replace so might be lucky - tho you would probably have noticed it at filling.
Good luck - mines been parked up for a couple of months with E10 in it too so hoping it isn’t your fuel that’s the issue or I’ll be doing the same come spring!

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dont forget the rubber breather pipe too, its softer and thinner than the filler pipe
worth draining the carb if you can

It's ironic. The low compression nature of the Landy engine is such that you can run it on almost any octane rating petrol...but it looks like I'm going to need to fill it with 'Super' in the future, as I definitely don't use mine enough for it to be safe leaving it with E10 in the tank.

i've left petrol in my carbed bike for quite a while now, i've not been in the position to do anything about it.. will be interesting to see how it runs

TheMegaMan said:

It's ironic. The low compression nature of the Landy engine is such that you can run it on almost any octane rating petrol...but it looks like I'm going to need to fill it with 'Super' in the future, as I definitely don't use mine enough for it to be safe leaving it with E10 in the tank.

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You can get additive that stabilises E10 so it keeps better, and is less aggressive to fuel systems.
Wynns make one, and I am sure there are others around if you Google it.

Well, Ive been round it with a lit match and nothing happened. Also, if petrol was leaking I should have seen that nice greeny blue stain on the rain soaked road under it. The filler cap, such as it is, is on and secured with cobwebs so I dont think anyone has been at it with a syphon tube.

Col

Turboman said:

You can get additive that stabilises E10 so it keeps better, and is less aggressive to fuel systems.
Wynns make one, and I am sure there are others around if you Google it.

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i'd love to know the science behind them that proves they are not snake oil. you cant remove ethanol or water without evaporation. i guess you could modify the ethanol and turn it into something else, but would it still combust? how does that impact the octane rating?

kermit_rr said:

i'd love to know the science behind them that proves they are not snake oil. you cant remove ethanol or water without evaporation. i guess you could modify the ethanol and turn it into something else, but would it still combust? how does that impact the octane rating?

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I think they are more or less emulsifiers, just mix the stuff up and it all goes through and gets burnt. There is always some water in fuel tanks anyway.
We have some additive, Wynns, bought out of curiosity as much as anything else. But in fact, have just been using E5 in the Series, partly because cost isn't really a problem, as the vehicle does less than a thousand miles a year, partly because E5 is what the nearest garage happen to sell.

The garage have some classic cars that they hire out for weddings, etc. They use E5 at the moment, but when Super Unleaded goes to E10 as well, they are going to use additives in the fuel.

kermit_rr said:

i'd love to know the science behind them that proves they are not snake oil. you cant remove ethanol or water without evaporation. i guess you could modify the ethanol and turn it into something else, but would it still combust? how does that impact the octane rating?

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they are mostly hydrocarbons/alkanes (just as petrol and paraffin are mostly hydroncarbons) which i'm pretty sure do nothing to ethanol