Notice: Do not use fuels containing methanol in order to prevent damage and corrosion to the fuel system.

Alcohol-in-fuel can be detrimental to the fuel system components. Alcohol-in-fuel can cause driveability problems such as hesitation, lack of power, stall, no start, etc.

The problems may be due to fuel system corrosion and subsequent fuel filter plugging, deterioration of rubber components, and air fuel mixture leaning.

Various types and concentrations of alcohol are used in commercial fuel. Some alcohol is more detrimental to fuel system components than others. If an excessive amount of alcohol in the fuel is suspected as the cause of a driveability condition, the following procedure may be used in order to detect the presence of alcohol in the fuel. In this procedure, water is used to extract the alcohol from the fuel. If contaminated fuel is suspected, the fuel must be completely drained from the tank and replaced with known good fuel.

The fuel sample should be drawn from the bottom of the tank so that any water present in the tank will be detected. The sample should be bright and clear. If the sample appears cloudy, or contaminated with water (as indicated by a water layer at the bottom of the sample), this procedure should not be used and the fuel system should be cleaned. Refer to Fuel System Cleaning (Purge the Fuel Tank) and refer to Fuel System Cleaning (Purge Feed and Return Pipes) for V6 applications. Refer to Fuel System Cleaning (Purge the Fuel Tank) and refer to Fuel System Cleaning (Purge Feed and Return Pipes) for V8 applications.

1. Using a 100 ml cylinder with 1 ml graduation marks, fill with fuel to the 90 ml mark.
2. Add 10 ml of water to bring the total fluid volume to 100 ml.
3. Install a stopper.
4. Shake vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds.
5. Carefully loosen the stopper to release the pressure.
6. Close the stopper.
7. Shake vigorously again for 10 to 15 seconds.
8. Put the graduated cylinder on a level surface for approximately 5 minutes in order to allow adequate liquid separation.

If alcohol is present in the fuel, the volume of the lower layer (which would now contain both alcohol and water) will measure greater than 10 ml.

For example, if the volume of the lower layer is increased to 15 ml, it will indicate at least 5% alcohol in fuel. The actual amount of alcohol may be somewhat greater because this procedure does not extract all of the alcohol from the fuel.