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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!sun!kevin
From: kevin@sun.uucp (Kevin Sheehan)
Newsgroups: net.cycle
Subject: Re: Gasoline quality
Message-ID: <3227@sun.uucp>
Date: Sun, 9-Feb-86 22:10:05 EST
Article-I.D.: sun.3227
Posted: Sun Feb  9 22:10:05 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Feb-86 06:14:41 EST
References: <196@sagan.UUCP> <2473@reed.UUCP>
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Lines: 19

<bug reserve>

Hmmm, the yamaha (on shell) story might be right about south africa, but I
have a better reason.  It appears that shell (and others) add methanol
(a form of alcohol) to the unleaded premium (and occasionally the Uregular)
to boost the octane.  Of course I trust them implicitly to have thought out
and tested the effects of this on engines :-)  Anyway, when I took my bike
in (82 yamaha virago) for the break-in service, it happened to take a while.
It appears that both natural and synthetic rubbers just love methanol and swell
up when left sitting in the stuff (like fuel lines...) and that it varnishes
even worse than normal gas when left sitting.

Is it also true that the methanol exacerbates water retention? This might
explain the popping when I use shell (ONLY 20 miles into the reserve)

			l & h,
			kev
PS gas stations are NOT required to label the unleaded premium as containing
methanol - so if it matters, ASK!