E10 Fuel

[johan h]

First post in a long time. Sweden, like many other countries, has introduced E10 petrol (10 % Ethanol). What we have to choose from today is 95 octane E10 or 98 octane E5. There are still some gas stations that sell 98 octane. It feels like it will not be easier with time to get sensible alternatives, so I thought I would ask if any of you drove your E500E on E10 and your experience of it?

 

[gsxr]

We've been forced to use E10 for many years. The M119 runs fine on E10 but MB does not allow any higher percentage of ethanol.

 

[Dik Best]

Hello GSXR
You say that you have been using E10 for a while did you have to make any modifications
to fuel lines etc.or any other safety measures. We in the UK have just been forced to use it.
I have been using 99 octane should I change or hang on as long as possible
All advice and guidance
Thanks
Dik Best

 

[gsxr]

No modifications are required. TSB attached from 2011, I'm not sure if there's a newer one or not.

 

[johan h]

Thanks for all reply’s. So it is basically more frequent service that is needed, if I understand it correctly? How come the M119 can manage this fuel when some newer, 2000, car can’t?

 

[gsxr]

Thanks for all reply’s. So it is basically more frequent service that is needed, if I understand it correctly? How come the M119 can manage this fuel when some newer, 2000, car can’t?

Based on the TSB, my guess is there's something unique to the 271.942 engine and it doesn't perform well with E10. But I have no idea why. That was the only "new" engine in the exception list. Most of the rest were older non-catalyst engines. I wonder if some of the early 80's catalyst engines were low compression, and/or had injection systems incapable of adjusting more than 5%?

 

[CL600SEC]

If the main reason to do not use E10 fuel is not having catalytic converter - you need to be careful and check if your M119 had or hadn’t catalytic converter from factory. Here in NZ we have some W140 which didn’t have catalytic converter from factory running M119 and M120 engines. There is a sticker in engine bay for spark plugs recommendation. If there’s no factory catalyst it would say “non-catalyst” on that sticker.

 

[gsxr]

The MB documentation says up to E10 is fine with catalysts, but not E15 or higher for any older engine. The catalyst itself should not matter.

 

[bluediamond 28]

Johan i see on youtube where a guy used sergical spirits to mix with his E10 fuel .Its the only thing that encases the ethanol to take it in the engine to be burnt .

 

[alabbasi]

The car will run fine but not sit well with it

 

[r44raven]

Hello GSXR
You say that you have been using E10 for a while did you have to make any modifications
to fuel lines etc.or any other safety measures. We in the UK have just been forced to use it.
I have been using 99 octane should I change or hang on as long as possible
All advice and guidance
Thanks
Dik Best

The best petrol to use here in the UK is Esso Synergy Supreme (99 octane). Despite the pump possibly displaying an E10 sticker (the Government insist on this), if you check the official Esso website, they confirm that their Synergie Supreme contains only 5% ethanol.

 

[nocfn]

all this ethanol talk reminds me of where it all came from, CornPop was it?