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From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman)
Newsgroups: net.auto.tech
Subject: Re: Sunoco Gas,... Warning
Message-ID: <890@kitty.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Mar-86 20:50:39 EST
Article-I.D.: kitty.890
Posted: Thu Mar 20 20:50:39 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Mar-86 11:18:35 EST
References: <1393@fisher.UUCP> <1062@vrdxhq.UUCP> <2957@sunybcs.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY
Lines: 36
Keywords: Alcohol
Summary: Alcohol is NOT injurious to rubber

In article <2957@sunybcs.UUCP>, ugzannin@sunybcs.UUCP (Adrian Zannin) writes:
> [discussion of gas alcohol in gas]
>    Please also be advised that alcohol *in any form*, that means as an
> octane booster, gas line antifreeze, etc.,  plays havoc with the rubber
> diaphragms in your carburator.  Alcohol has the effect of drying out rubber,
> so therefore your diaphragms in the carburator become very stiff and do
> not do what they are supposed to (as part of a pump/regulator assembly for
> example).  This means early carburator replacement/rebuild time.  If you
> don't believe me, find someone that uses alot of gas line antifreeze and
> offer to rebuild their carburator...the diaphragms will be like typing
> paper almost...

	Sorry, but this is simply NOT true!  Simple alcohols likely to be
found as fuel additives (like methanol, ethanol, etc.) are NOT harmful to
virtually all rubber formulations.
	If the synthetic rubber in contact with the fuel is losing elasticity
or undergoing chemical attack, it is NOT the result of any alcohol.  Also,
there is no water bound with any synthetic rubber material which would "dry"
out.  There are several other chemical mechanisms which could cause rubber to
lose elasticity.  For example, chloroprene rubber (Neoprene) is a common
elastomer used in automotive applications which has excellent resistance to
the aliphatic hydrocarbons in gasoline, but has poor resistance to ketones
such as acetone.  On the other hand, chlorosulfonated rubber (Hypalon) and
polysulfide rubber (Thiokol) have excellent resistance to both gasoline and
ketones.
	I suspect that if in fact there is a correlation between rubber
deterioration and the use of gasoline antifreeze, it is the result of
chloroprene rubber components being exposed to an antifreeze formulation
which uses acetone.

==>  Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York        <==
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