Outside ethanol-mix fuel countries, standard operating procedure for years was a tiny amount (a bottle cap or so) of denaturated alcohol (the stuff you burn in Trangia stoves) every other tank or so in cold weather.

I have been doing a personal experiment with 85% ethanol this winter. I travel in some remote areas of MN, WI, and IA for my job. I have been a little leery of alcohol fuel in winter, but so far I have not had any problems. The coldest night so far that I have have left my car out in a hotel parking lot was -18 F. The car started right up in the morning. The big test will be later this week, when the next clipper comes through and pushes the overnight temps down to -27 F.

B_H, is your vehicle a dual-fuel type?

My work Suburban came from the factory as dual-fuel, and I've heard that that is what most government-use vehicles are. (Kind of two-faced: ready to use an alternative fuel, but preach against it to keep the favor of BigOil.)

If I remember correctly (no guarantees), you are far more likely to experience problems with bio-diesel than with alcohol in cold weather, but I think there can also be a problem with alcohol separating from the gasoline, and then it produces less power. I think that's how it goes. And the kind of alcohol is important, too. Methyl alcohol separates quite easily, ethanol does, but not as badly, and butyl alcohol doesn't at all.

Pure ethanol freezes at -173°F (-114°C), and pure gasoline freezes about -150°F, but I wonder by how much a little water throws those figures off?

Sue

http://drygas.com/

Standard disclaimers.

Heh Everyone here should know about HEET as a stove fuel! HEET is a Drygas additive.

"HEET is the #1 Selling Gas-Line Antifreeze & Water Remover. It removes water from the fuel system to prevent gas-line freeze-up and harmful rust and corrosion. Iso-HEET is the #1 Selling Premium Fuel-line Antifreeze, Water Remover & Injector Cleaner. It absorbs 5 times more water than regular gas-line antifreeze, while it cleans fuel injectors and carburetors. It’s designed for use year-round in ALL 2-cycle and 4-cycle gasoline engines and diesel engines."


If only they knew 50% of their market share is campers looking for alcohol stove fuel.

If they knew it was a 'sporting goods' product, they would double the price.

Sue

i put Heet in my window washer fluid,it really clears the ice.

"i put Heet in my window washer fluid,it really clears the ice."

Stop at a truck stop and buy the alcohol-based antifreeze for something like $3. Cheaper than Heet, by far.

Sue

i ment to say i added it to the washer fluid to beef it up,maybe half a can at a time.

I do the same thing when it gets really cold, except I use methyl hydrate. Otherwise the cheapo washer fluid turns to ice on a cold windshield--not good.