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Direct Injection and American Gasoline

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Old Mar 22, 2009 | 12:15 PM
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Direct injection on a gasoline or diesel engine cannot tolerate any water. American gasoline with ethanol combines with water in such a way that it cannot be separated by a filter as would be done for a diesel engine. If one is unlucky enough to get a tank of contaminated gas, there is going to be a failure of the HPFP and/or the injectors.

I fear that the 535 engine will not be able to enjoy the reliability that the conventionally injected engines have always demonstrated. It is not a design fault that can be corrected by a newer design, but more of a strategic error of expecting all gasoline with ethanol to be completely water free.
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Old Mar 22, 2009 | 12:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Newdetour' post='823925' date='Mar 22 2009, 04:15 PM
Direct injection on a gasoline or diesel engine cannot tolerate any water. American gasoline with ethanol combines with water in such a way that it cannot be separated by a filter as would be done for a diesel engine. If one is unlucky enough to get a tank of contaminated gas, there is going to be a failure of the HPFP and/or the injectors.

I fear that the 535 engine will not be able to enjoy the reliability that the conventionally injected engines have always demonstrated. It is not a design fault that can be corrected by a newer design, but more of a strategic error of expecting all gasoline with ethanol to be completely water free.
there is calculated risk in everything you do in life. some people like to jump out of planes, some people like to wrestle alligators, i like to put american fuel in my bmw.
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Old Mar 22, 2009 | 12:49 PM
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Maybe we can import gasoline from Europe, like we import water from Fiji?
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Old Mar 22, 2009 | 12:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Newdetour' post='823925' date='Mar 22 2009, 04:15 PM
Direct injection on a gasoline or diesel engine cannot tolerate any water. American gasoline with ethanol combines with water in such a way that it cannot be separated by a filter as would be done for a diesel engine. If one is unlucky enough to get a tank of contaminated gas, there is going to be a failure of the HPFP and/or the injectors.

I fear that the 535 engine will not be able to enjoy the reliability that the conventionally injected engines have always demonstrated. It is not a design fault that can be corrected by a newer design, but more of a strategic error of expecting all gasoline with ethanol to be completely water free.
Intersting correlation between the 535, water, and the HPFP failure. Wonder if the HPFP failures could be attributed to a bad tank of gas.
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Old Mar 22, 2009 | 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by geekmedic' post='823952' date='Mar 22 2009, 04:49 PM
Maybe we can import gasoline from Europe, like we import water from Fiji?
we already import our fuels. you might have heard about that on the news

its the crap we do to it here that makes it what it is or isnt
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Old Mar 22, 2009 | 09:02 PM
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Originally Posted by craigm1841' post='823960' date='Mar 22 2009, 05:10 PM
we already import our fuels. you might have heard about that on the news
No, I missed that. I know we import oil, but I thought all gasoline was refined here in the US?
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Old Mar 22, 2009 | 11:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Newdetour' post='823925
I fear that the 535 engine will not be able to enjoy the reliability that the conventionally injected engines have always demonstrated. It is not a design fault that can be corrected by a newer design, but more of a strategic error of expecting all gasoline with ethanol to be completely water free.
Where? There's still water in ETBE too...
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Old Mar 23, 2009 | 08:57 AM
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Originally Posted by geekmedic' post='824303' date='Mar 23 2009, 01:02 AM
No, I missed that. I know we import oil, but I thought all gasoline was refined here in the US?
that is indeed correct
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Old Mar 23, 2009 | 10:57 AM
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Tell me about it i'm on HPFP #3 since Nov of last year...

First question asked ? Are you using top tear gas?

Answer Yep , Shell ,Chev, 93 octane... I can only go with what is on the pump and can't take a mobile gas testing lab every time I fill up...
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Old Mar 23, 2009 | 12:32 PM
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Originally Posted by bigbadbull' post='824621' date='Mar 23 2009, 11:57 AM
Tell me about it i'm on HPFP #3 since Nov of last year... :(

First question asked ? Are you using top tear gas?

Answer Yep , Shell ,Chev, 93 octane... I can only go with what is on the pump and can't take a mobile gas testing lab every time I fill up...
I think it is because the fuel in the South East United States tends to have higher sulfur content once refined. All of the refineries in the region add additives to reduce the sulfur content. There have been a number of times where the refineries in Louisiana over added the additive causing bouts of "bad gas."

The problem is that low sulfur tends to harm the fuel pump. It acts like a lubricant for the pump. The down side is that the higher the sulfur the higher the particulate the vehicle exhausts...

BTW, it's 'top tier gas.'
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