Fuel - No Start, Driveability, Excessive Alcohol Content
85-626C (VIm)
APR., 1985
Subject: DRIVEABILITY CONDITIONS DUE TO EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL IN FUEL
Model and Year: ALL VEHICLES WITH GASOLINE ENGINES
TO: ALL CHEVROLET DEALERS
SERVICE PROCEDURE FOR DETECTING ALCOHOL-IN-FUEL
Application:
Certain driveability conditions such as reduced performance, no start, etc. may be caused by an excessive amount of alcohol-in-fuel. The conditions may be due to fuel system corrosion and subsequent fuel filter plugging, deterioration of rubber components such as the accelerator pumps and/or air-fuel mixture leaning effects.
Various types and concentrations of alcohols are used in commercial gasoline. Some alcohols are more detrimental to fuel system components than others. If an excessive amount of alcohol in the fuel is suspected as the cause of a driveability condition, the procedure as outlined in this bulletin may be used to detect alcohol in the fuel. In this procedure, water is used to extract the alcohol from the fuel. However, this procedure will not identify the type of alcohol, i.e. methanol vs. ethanol.
The fuel sample should represent the fuel in the bottom part of the tank so that any water, if already present, can be detected. A fuel sample can be obtained from the vehicle using the fuel return line or a siphon hose. If the fuel return line is used, discard enough fuel to ensure a representative sample from the bottom part of the tank. The sample should be bright and clear. If the sample appears cloudy or contaminated with water as indicated by a water layer in the bottom part of the sample, this procedure should not be used. The fuel system should then be cleaned if contamination is evident.
FIGURE 1:
Service Procedure
1. Using a 100 ml cylinder with 1 ml graduation marks (suggested part Kimble #20039), fill with fuel to the 90 ml mark.
2. Add 10 ml of water to bring the total fluid volume to 100 ml and install a stopper (Fig. 1.)
FIGURE 2:
3. Shake vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds.
4. Carefully loosen stopper to release pressure.
5. Close the stopper and shake vigorously again for 10 to 15 seconds.
6. Carefully loosen stopper to release pressure.
7. Put the graduated cylinder on a level surface for approximately 5 minutes to allow adequate liquid separation.
If alcohol is present in the fuel, the volume of the lower layer, which would now contain alcohol and water will be greater than 10 ml. For example, if the volume of the lower layer is increased to 15 ml (Fig. 2), it would indicate at least 5 percent alcohol in fuel. The actual amount of alcohol may be somewhat greater because this procedure does not extract all of the alcohol from the fuel.
One source that the 100 ml cylinder is available from is:
SARGENT-WELCH
-24747 CYLINDERS - Single Graduated, Stopper, KIMAX (Kimble No. 20039). Graduated and provided with stopper closure. With heavy molded hexagonal base. Calibrated to contain at 20~C. For replacement stoppers, see S-77416.
Cap., Subdiv, Stopper
Cat. No. mL mL No. Price/Pkg of Price/Case of
S-24747-B 10 0.2 13 14.55 2 142.82 24
S-24747-C 25 0.5 13 17.99 2 132.39 18
S-24747-D 50 1 16 22.58 2 110.81 12
S-24747-E 100 1 22 25.96 2 84.93 8
S-24747-G 250 2 27 34.02 2 111.28 8
S-24747-H 500 5 32 21.97 1 107.76 6
S-24747-J 1000 10 32 30.80 1 100.74 4
S-24747-K 2000 20 38 45.93 1 75.12 2
Skokie, ILL 60077 Cincinnati, OH 45215 Detroit, MI 48204
7300 N. Linder Ave. 10400 Taconic Terrace 27501 Schoolcraft
P.O. Box 1026 Tel: (513) 771-3850 Livonia, MI 48150
Tel: Skokie (312) 677-0600 TELEX-21-4459 Tel: 425-9400
Tel: Chicago (312) 267-5300
TWX-910-223-4541
TELEX-72-4442
Anaheim, CA 92803 Cleveland, OH 44125 Springfield, NJ 07081
1617 E. Ball Road 9520 Midwest Ave. 35 Stern Ave.
Tel: (714) 772-3550 Garfield Heights Tel: (201) 376-7050
Tel: L.A. (213) 860-8584 Tel: (216) 587-3300 Tel: NYC (212) 349-3454
TELEX-65-5425 TELEX-98-5319 TELEX-13-8448
Birmingham, AL 35202 Dallas, TX 75235 Washington, DC 20760
3125 7th Ave. North 5915 Peeler St. (Sales-Service Ctr.)
P.O. Box 10404 P.O. Box 35445 8709 Grovemont Circle
Tel: (205) 251-5125 Tel: (214) 357-9381 Gaithersburg, MD
TELEX-5-9711 TELEX-7-3328 Tel: (301) 948-1162
Baton Rouge, LA 70767 Denver, CO 80207
1550 Commercial Dr., Port Allen 4040 Dahlia St.
P.O. Box 798 P.O. Box 7196
Tel: (504) 344-1335 Tel: (303) 399-8220
TELEX-4-5535
SARGENT-WELCH SCIENTIFIC OF CANADA, LTD.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada Montreal, Quebec, Canada
285 Garyray Dr. (Sales-Service Center)
Weston, Ontario M9L IP3 3300 Boulevard Cavendish,
Tel: (416) 741-5210 Montreal, P.Q. H4B 2M8
TELEX-06-527129 Tel: (514) 481-0119
TELEX-055-66396
INTERNATIONAL DIVISION
7300 North Linder Ave.
P.O. Box 1026
Skokie, Illinois 60077 USA
Tel: (312) 677-0600
Cable - SARWELSCI
TWX - 910-223-4541
TELEX-72-4442