Fuels rush in

THERE is a lot of information about the effect of ethanol blend fuels on engines, but don't expect carmakers to come out and say their engines will run on it. Think about it. Your car is 20 years old and never developed for ethanol, so Nissan has no info on what might happen. As a result they will never tell you it can run on ethanol because that leaves them open to litigation if it turns out there is a problem. Ultimately it comes down to the concentration of ethanol in the blend, and most blends on sale now are 10 per cent, which won't cause any problems. The higher the percentage, the greater the chance of having problems with fuel system hoses, seals, pumps et cetera.