Reply #60: If you drive an old car, you have to make several adjustments

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

Alcohol eats older types of rubber. You have to replace your fuel line, parts of your fuel pump and perhaps parts of old carbureters with metal that's sensitive to alcohol. You also have to enlarge the carburetor jets and change the timing. On older cars, you might also have to change the gas tank or use a separate plastic gas tank because of the effect of alcohol on the metal lining of older gas tanks. But on modern cars it apparently isn't a problem, such as the cars built in Brazil or the flex fuel cars built in the U.S. Alcohol tends to clean up the engine, though, which is a good thing and if you make the adjustment, you have to clean out your fuel filter often when you first start using ethanol until the carbon is cleared out of your fuel system. And alcohol cuts down drastically on harmful emissions. The engine also runs cooler, as alcohol doesn't cause as much heat as gasoline when it burns. There are pros and cons about using alcohol. I've thought about applying for a federal permit to operate a small still in my back yard, using sugar or molasses to make pure ethanol. In time, it might prove to be very economical as gas keeps going up in price.