18-12-2021, 09:54 PM
Fresh modern fuel should not present any short-term running problems with or without ethanol. From my experiences the potential problems relate to: 1) stale fuel causing poor starting and/or poor running, and 2) longer-term corrosion and degradation of components within the fuel system. A few years ago, around the time E5 was introduced, I had a number of problems with soldered items failing; I had the collar on a Zenith FZ float needle become detached, with no sign of any surviving solder to indicate where to relocate the collar, and the brass float on a Weber carb on my Lancia just disintegrated, again no sign of any solder on the component pieces. In both cases I was using the still-available leaded petrol, so ethanol was certainly not the culprit.
However, ethanol is certainly blamed for dissolving rubber pipes and corrosion on petrol tank inner surfaces on more modern classics. Replacing vulnerable components is going to be dependant on suitable modern replacements; rubber fuel lines should be a straightforward replacement, providing it's available in imperial sizes, but critical plastic components in pumps and carburettors may be a different story. As for long-term corrosion of steel components, that seems to be down to ensuring tanks are drained if long-term storage is envisioned.
However, ethanol is certainly blamed for dissolving rubber pipes and corrosion on petrol tank inner surfaces on more modern classics. Replacing vulnerable components is going to be dependant on suitable modern replacements; rubber fuel lines should be a straightforward replacement, providing it's available in imperial sizes, but critical plastic components in pumps and carburettors may be a different story. As for long-term corrosion of steel components, that seems to be down to ensuring tanks are drained if long-term storage is envisioned.