A few months ago, Texas began using 10% Ethenol gasoline to meet EPA regulations. Neither my slant '64 Valiant or my '73, 318 truck like the crap and both exhibit hard starting. It makes no difference if the engine is hot or cold, they both take more cranking to get them to fire. The slant has had a recent complete tune-up, with a new Mopar distributor and coil and the BBD was rebuilt a year ago. The 318 has a few hundred miles on a total rebuild and is running a nearly new Edelbrock, so neither engine is in need of a tune.

Before the gas formula change, both would start on the first spin of the starter when warm, and within a couple of turns when cold, but now both have to crank 5 seconds or more.

Has anyone noticed similar starting problems for the new fuel blends and if so, have you found a cure?

I've never noticed starting problems, but I do know that my Dakota will not get as good of gas mileage on the blended crap.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Do the vehicles run well when they are running? Is hard starting the only problem? How is the weather? The Reid Vapor Pressure of ethanol blended gas is higher and can cause vapor lock and/or percolation problems. Also, ethanol is a pretty good solvent and can clean gunk out of the tanks and lines so don't assume your fuel filter and carbs are still clean.

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Joshua

I lived in Colorado when the Denver-metro area became the first in the US to start using oxygenated gasoline. You are right on the money—the stuff causes starting and driveability problems in our older cars, which are just not on the radar when fuels are being formulated. You will have to adapt, one good way is to do the Fuel line mod.

It is a very good idea to go through and make sure all the flexible fuel hose in your system is the fuel injection type (stamped "30R9") rather than the old 30R7 variety. And, make certain you are using a fuel filter with a metal can, not a plastic one.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

When they switched to 10 % ethanol gas over here in Honolulu,
the first 5 gallons i put was Tesoro and the car ran rough and
hard starting. later filled up with Chevron and no problems.

It's not contamination in the fuel. Both have new metal filters and the truck has a plastic tank that I thoroughly cleaned when it was totally restored. That was my first thought, but I cut open the old filter from the Valiant and it contained no sediment of any kind. It was remarkably clean. The only rubber lines the truck has are the short ones attaching the pickup line to the tank and the in-line filter and those are new.

I've also tried 3 different brands of gas, but didn't notice a difference. neither engine idles as smoothly as they did before the fuel changeover, but that's not a real problem. The truck has a lean surge at cruise that's been there since the rebuild, so I can't blame the fuel for that. It's the long cranking time that irritates me.

I may be mistaken, but it's my understanding that the carb needs to be setup a little richer for ethanol. 10% doesn't seem like much, but it might be enough that you need to rejet the carb. You probably need to fiddle with the timing as well.

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David Kight
'62 Valiant Signet, White
'98 Dodge Dakota
'06 Jeep Liberty

Growing older is unavoidable but growing up is strictly optional.

4% richer to compensate. (1 jet)

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Ed
64 Valiant 225 / 904 / 42:1 manual steering / 9" drum brakes

What part of Texas? I haven't seen any notification around here (Austin) that there's been a switch. I haven't noticed any change in the behavior of either of my 440s, but they both use premium fuel which has had more additives like ethanol or MTBE for a while anyway.

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Mine cranks a little longer before starting than it did earlier this year, but I think it's mostly the cooler weather. That, and my choke is shot.

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"When you find a big kettle of crazy, it's best not to stir it." - Pointy-haired Boss

1964 Valiant V200, 225/Pushbutton 904
BBD, CAI, HEI, LBP, AC, AM/FM/USB, EIEIO

It's been several months since they switched in the DFW area and East Texas. MTBE is now illegal. All the pumps around here have a sticker that says their fuel contains up to 10% Ethanol, and from the stink, it seems like a lot more. I almost gag while sitting in traffic with all the cars around me smelling so bad. Even my garage stinks for an hour or more after I park inside and close the doors. I can't imagine how bad it would be with E85!

Isn't it funny how they put new stuff in to gas for some reason or another and all the sudden it causes a hole bunch of problems and they have to take it out. that MTBE was nasty stuff. 2 months after it was introduced in California it tore through every old fuel line in my 71 240Z.. 5 rubber lines in all. I'm not saying they didn't need to be changed anyway, but I dont think I would have had a problem if that wasn't in my tank.

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64' Valiant Signet 5.9, 64' Dart 170 moredoor 3.7, 67' A100 3.7, 00' Dakota SLT 4.7

E-85 has a distinctly different smell, but I'm not sure I'd call it obnoxious. I was around a four cylinder Yamaha motorcycle engine that had been converted to run on E85 and I got used to it pretty quickly.

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Used to own:
'82 Dodge D150
Erson 270 Cam, O/S valves, mild port work, ~9.5:1 compression

Currently fighting with an '85 VW Cabriolet

My other passion

Imagine how much better your garage would smell if your '64 had an evaporative emissions system. Where I live we've had vapor recovery filler nozzles for years. I rarely smell fuel when putting gas in my wife's Intrepid or my Dakota. Cars that run right won't stink up the place either. My 4 banger Dakota runs a bit rich on dead cold starts so I sometimes get a whiff of gas then, but that's about it. Even my lawnmower runs quite clean. It's got an OHV Subaru Robin engine that's 5X better than any Briggs and Stratton engine I've owned. My 1950s Wisconsin powered 1kW generator is another story.

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Joshua

Even the new ones aren't perfect. My wife's 2005 Chrysler 300 stinks too, but to a lesser degree than the Valiant. Like with most perfumes, I have a very low tolerance for the smell of alcohol in any form.

As much as I dislike it, I'll take the smell of the Valiant over that overpriced, overly-complicated, boring tool she calls a car.

FWIW, I lived where you live for over 30 years and remember when the early vapor recovery fillers came in. They were a real pain to operate. Some of the stations around here have them now, but you don't have to be a body builder to make them work.