78 Mustang 5.0 Ford Ethanol ??

All. New here the forum.   I'm the original owner of a '78 Mustang 17 with the 302 Ford. Motor has been great. Our marina on the lake sells straight gasoline (no ethanol) but we often have been getting cans filled at the local car gas place and putting them into the boat.   Someone recently told me to STOP using fuel with ethanol. There is a price difference, obviously, but it is also expensive to replace a motor and related parts.   So, in your opinion, should I:

A:   Keep using Ethanol and not worry about it,
B:   If I keep using Ethanol, put additives in, or
C: Just by the fuel with no ethanol in it?   

Thanks for the feedback! I'm all ears and willing to learn from the experts on this forum.   Thanks.

Here in Illinois we have no choice,I use stabil for marine use and in case you never have,it would be worth it to replace the fuel line from tank to pump with a new ethanol resistant one.

Coincidence.

Ethanol can cause long term (storage) issues as it absorbs moisture. Short term effect is negligible, other than the slightly reduced energy content (= more fuel consumption). Performance is a wash.

Running an octane higher than the engine can take advantage of is also counter productive, both to performance and your wallet. Octane is simply a measure of resistance to detonation... So higher octane is more difficult to combust. You need it in engines with high compression ratios and/or aggressive timing curves... Those things improve performance, not the higher octane of the fuel they require. Even the 89 octane recommended by PCM for the 8.5:1 cr Fords is overkill.

If you're having fuel related issues, go through your fuel system or switch gas stations!

TRBenj wrote: Coincidence. Ethanol can cause long term (storage) issues as it absorbs moisture. Short term effect is negligible, other than the slightly reduced energy content (= more fuel consumption). Performance is a wash. !

I agree exactly with Tim. On items that get once a month use (mowers, generators) I use non ethanol bc reasons Tim mentioned. In my boats I use high octane ethanol. Cheaper by .50$ or more than non ethanol. Boats at our house don't rest. I've heard some say ethanol reduces the octane level so that's part of why I use the higher octane. I'm no chemist so I don't know. I think the most important thing is to buy from a high volume gas station (even if that station may feel lesser quality). Fuel composition and quality varies by state.
Interestingly my toys don't seem bothered by ethanol but my daily driver ('07 6.0 Chevy) absolutely hates FL ethanol fuel, an easy 10% decrease in performance and mileage.

I have heard that the up to 10% works like this, big name brand companies use less than 10% ethanol but discount companies use the full 10% to cut the price. Not sure if true but read it in an article about gasoline quality and stations like Cosco and Walmart
Edit- Sometimes this and a better additive package is why you get better milage and less injector and intake valve fouling with name brand gas vs discount

Thanks for the replies, y'all.   Much appreciated.   Lots of discussion about collapsing fuel lines with Ethanol, but have you had any material problems with pitting of the carb, or other part degradation?