Higher Ethanol Content Bad For Older Engines, Study Says

This original draft of an EPA warning label only approved E15 fuel for model year 2007 and later vehicles. A rule change in January approved the fuel for models as old as 2001, which could damage older engines, according to a new study.

A government-approved fuel blend with higher ethanol content can damage older engines, a new study says, but ethanol backers are crying foul.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the widespread use of E15, a blend of 85 percent gasoline and 15 percent ethanol, in cars and light trucks from model years 2001 and later in January 2011. E10, a 90/10 blend of gasoline and ethanol, is common at U.S. service stations.

Many vehicles are designed to run on E10, but automakers are increasingly concerned that the greater ethanol content in E15 is over the line.

A new study, released May 15 by the Coordinating Research Council (CRC), an organization supported by the American Petroleum Institute and various auto manufacturers, found that two out of eight engine types tested showed problems with valves and valve seats after running on E15. The valve leaks identified could cause engine misfires and costly repairs.

More than five million cars and light trucks currently on the road share the characteristics of the engines that failed in the study.

''The EPA made [approval of E15] retroactive to 2001, and that is the problem,'' said Mike Stanton, president of Global Automakers. ''The EPA should have waited until all the studies on the potential impacts of E15 on the current fleet were completed.''

The alcohol content in ethanol can damage mechanical parts by causing corrosion and attracting moisture. Trade groups representing small-engine manufacturers and power-equipment makers have said that alcohol-blend fuels, even E10, are bad for the engines in boats, chain saws, lawn mowers, generators and similar products.

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