As ethanol use expands and enters new markets, the following information is designed to answer questions automobile service technicians may have about ethanol and other fuel quality issues. This information is provided to ensure that service technicians have the information they need on new fuels and gasoline quality as it relates to vehicle performance and driveability. We also include information on power equipment and recreational engines.

Changes in Gasoline IV - the Auto Technician's Guide to Spark Ignition Engine Fuel Quality (PDF)

"Changes in Gasoline IV” is the 2009 edition of the ongoing series of “Changes in Gasoline” manuals. The first manual, “Changes in Gasoline & the Automobile Service Technician,” was originally published in 1987. Numerous editions of the manual have been necessary due to changes in federal regulations, fuel specifications, and advances in automotive technology. For instance, “Changes in Gasoline” was written shortly after the elimination of lead from gasoline, while“Changes in Gasoline II” was written after passage of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. Most of the require-ments of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments were implemented by 1995, resulting in the publication of “Changes in Gasoline III.”  In 2005, the federal government passed the 2005 Energy Policy Act. This legislation did away with requirements that reformulated gasolines contain oxygen. It also included a requirement that an increasing amount of our transportation fuel be from renewable sources such as ethanol. In 2007 the federal government passed the Energy Independence and Security Act, further increasing the renewable fuels requirement. As such, the transportation fuel landscape is poised for another series of changes.

There are, of course, other important developments with transportation fuels, most notably, fluctuating prices. This, too, has reignited the interest in renewable fuels.

In the manual, every attempt is made to focus on the auto technician’s areas of interest and to cover current topics. A new chapter on Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) and E85 has been added, as E85 appears to be emerging as the renewable fuel of choice.
We encourage you to read on and see why over a half million readers, mostly auto service professionals, have chosen the “Changes in Gasoline” manual series as their definitive reference source for information on gasoline quality and its relationship to vehicle performance.

Technical Reference Papers

• Comparison of California Reformulated Gasoline to Federal Reformulated Gasoline
  April 1997
  RFA Information Paper #970401
• Driveability and Performance of Reformulated and Oxygenated Gasolines
  April 1997
  RFA Information Paper #970302
• Lubricity of Reformulated and Oxygenated Gasolines
  March 1997
  RFA Information Paper #970301
• Compatibility of Reformulated and Oxygenated Gasoline with Fuel System Materials
  February 1997
  RFA Information Paper #970201
• Use of Reformulated Gasoline in Aircraft Certified to Operate on Automotive Gasoline
  May 1997
  RFA Information Paper #970501
• Changes in Gasoline & the Classic Auto
  May 1996
  RFA Information Paper #960501

To obtain hard copies of any of the above publications, please contact the RFA at info@ethanolrfa.org or 202-289-3835.