Marc Nelson Oil Products carries only the finest gasoline and that is the ConocoPhillips Family of Fuels - unleaded regular, mid-grade and premium gasoline.

Since January 2009, Oregon state mandate has required all gasoline must contain at least 10% ethanol (E10) but due to problems with engines in marine, aviation, yard equipment and older model cars, premium “clear” gasoline was made available at some stations on January 1, 2010. MNOP has non-ethanol premium gasoline available at our Claxter Road location.

There is comfort in knowing a product as trustworthy. You have known and trusted the ConocoPhillips family of products (Conoco, Phillips 66 and 76) throughout the years. Each of these brands has a unique personality and legacy but more than that, they are all known for quality and exceptional performance.

The state mandate for use of E10 fuels enacted by Gov. Ted Kulongoski was passed by the 2007 Legislature. But legislators from both parties heard testimony about reduced engine efficiency and engine and fuel system damage from ethanol. After some debate and fine tuning, the bill was assigned HB 3497 and passed. 

Five states – Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Hawaii and Oregon – have laws mandating all gasoline sold in their states to be blended with a 10% ethanol mixture. Florida will become the sixth state in 2011 to have the same requirement.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, E10 is a low-level fuel blend made up of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline. Ethanol-blended fuel is sold in all 50 states and accounts for about 1/3 of all vehicle sales. It's intended to produce a higher octane rating than regular gasoline and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Since the mid-1980s engines use fuel injectors with computers to accurately control the air/fuel mix over all temperature and environment ranges. The accuracy of the fuel injectors and computers is based on using the recommended gasoline for that engine. Most cars are designed to burn regular unleaded gas with an octane rating of 87. If the vehicle needs a higher octane rating this requirement is noted in the owner's manual and usually under the fuel gauge and by the gas tank.

Gasoline Factors That Matter
The quality of gasoline and the additive package usually affect the rate of engine wear more than the octane rating. Basically what this means is that it matters more where you buy your gas than which grade you purchase.

Regular Unleaded Gasoline
The recommended gasoline for most cars is regular 87 octane. One common misconception is that higher octane gasoline contains more cleaning additives than lower octane gas. All octane grades of all brands of gasoline contain engine cleaning detergent additives to protect against engine deposit build-up. In fact, using a gasoline with too high of an octane rating may cause damage to the emissions system.

Mid-Grade Gasoline
The octane ratings 'regular', 'mid-grade', and 'premium' are not consistent. In the United States, for example, one state may require a minimum octane rating of 92 for premium gasoline, while another may allow an octane rating of 90 to be premium. Check the octane rating on the yellow sticker on the gas pump rather than relying on descriptive labels.

Premium Gasoline
Certain high performance engines benefit from use of high octane fuel. For other engines, using a fuel with a higher octane rating than the vehicle requires sends unburned fuel into the emissions system and catalytic converter. This puts unnecessary stress on the emissions system. For some vehicles, a rotten egg smell coming from the tailpipe signals use of too-high octane gas.

Background, Precautions and Water Hazards

E10 is increasing in popularity for two main reasons: our nation's fuel demand, and our environmental impact awareness. Ethanol can be produced domestically; it performs as an effective oxygenate, reducing harmful emissions such as benzene. It doesn't contaminate groundwater the way the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) can.

For the marine industry, though, ethanol raises some issues.  Ethanol is a solvent that doesn't mix well with the additive MTBE fuel in some tanks.  Combining MTBE with E10 scours fuel systems, overburdening filters, breaks down fiberglass fuel tanks and rapidly absorbs water from atmospheric humidity.  The result is a brief shelf life.  Incorporating E10 into fuel is changing the way gasoline-powered boats are maintained, serviced, used and even constructed.
 
The good news is that there are many ways to protect boats, owners, builders, and repairers from the potential hazards of the switch to ethanol.
 
PRECAUTIONS FOR BOAT OWNERS USING E-10 GASOLINE  

• Run a non-alcohol fuel stabilizer in your boat's fuel system at all times; especially recommended for engines that sit for a lengthy period of time.

• The more use the boat gets, the less likely it is to have problems.

• *If you winterize your boat and don't plan on using it for a while, keep your tank 95% FULL to prevent any condensation but allow room for expansion. It's important to avoid water intrusion into your fuel system. (See Water Hazards below for more detail on why )

• Install a water-separating fuel filter.

• Keep a stock of spare fuel filters handy, and the means for safely changing them.

• Replace older weather-faded plastic portable tanks with new tanks.

• Make sure you know what your fuel retailer is dispensing.

• Rubber fuel lines older than the mid-to-late 1980s should be inspected and may need to be replaced.

• Some older carbureted engines may require special tuning. Consult the engine manufacturer for details.

Water Hazards
Ethanol absorbs water extremely well. Marine fuel systems are very susceptible to water intrusion. E10 has the ability to absorb a certain amount of water into solution and simply allow it to be burned by the engine.  Here's the comparison: MTBE gasoline can hold about 60 ppm (parts per million) of water in solution; E10 can hold 6,000 to 7,000 ppm of water in solution.  Meaning, if you have a 100 gallon (378.5 liters) tank, it could hold up to .6 - .7 gallons (2.3 – 2.6 liters) of water in solution.
 
The biggest problem with ethanol for an alternative is with “phase separation.” That's what happens when the fuel is saturated beyond it's capacity to hold water in solution.  Water and gasoline actually separate, and the gasoline floats on top of the water.  With MTBE you could simply pump the water out from under the gasoline, or let your filters remove the water.  With E10, ethanol blends more easily with any water.  When phase separation occurs in E10, the ethanol is pulled out of the gas and absorbed by water.  This results in two solutions, neither of which is good for the engine or fuel system…not to mention the environment.  The gasoline left behind is absent of oxygenate. The water left behind now contains a high concentration of ethanol; this solution is highly corrosive and damages any material it may come in contact with in the fuel system. The only solution for phase-separated fuel is to dispose of the entire fuel load, clean the tank, and start over with a fresh tank of E10.
 
E10's ability to absorb water has yet another drawback; it can absorb water directly from the atmosphere through the vent while simply sitting in the tank.  In just 100 days at 70% humidity, E10 can absorb enough water to phase-separate.  The shelf life of E10 is only 60-90 days if left without treatment.
 
Another important fact to remember is that gasoline “oxidizes” when exposed to air. That is, it loses its volatility over time.  A good non-alcohol fuel stabilizer is highly recommended at all times in your boat's fuel. *The key is to not leave a boat for long periods of time with a large load of fuel aboard.

Fuel Stabilizers for Gasoline and Other Information
Because E-10 gasoline has a much shorter "shelf-life" than blended gasoline, Wayne Bauman, Treasurer for the Beaverton Power Squadron, recommends three different products boaters can use with E-10:

• Marine Formula Sta-Bil

• Soltron Enzyme Fuel Treatment

• Star Tron Gasoline Additive

These products stabilize the E-10 for up to one year.  They also have a petroleum distillate base instead of an isopropyl alcohol and OMC2+4 Fuel Conditioner that are recommended for regular (non-blended) gasoline.

Fuels Product Info and Material Data Safety Sheets