| www.jsonline.com/news/metro/mar05/312573.asp+ethanol+%2Binjectors&hl=en ]">optional title. Definitely works in preview. Here it is copied and pasted: Ethanol suspect in fouled injectors
GM quietly noting sulfuric acid residue
By RAQUEL RUTLEDGE
rrutledge@journalsentinel.com
Posted: March 24, 2005
General Motors and Citgo Petroleum are privately pointing fingers at ethanol producers as they wrap up a months-long investigation into what may have fouled fuel injectors for hundreds of motorists around Milwaukee, GM service managers said Thursday.
Ethanol producers said they were not aware they were being blamed and defended their refining process and products as meeting the "most rigid fuel standards in the United States." GM service managers from dealerships across Milwaukee said they were told by a high-level company engineer at a managers' meeting March 17 that sulfuric acid residue from ethanol tanks was the culprit that led to more than 700 complaints of clogged fuel injectors beginning in August. Sulfuric acid is used in processing ethanol for blending in Milwaukee-area fuel as required by the federal Clean Air Act. One service manager said officials from Citgo came to his shop and corroborated the finding and elaborated. The Citgo representatives explained that they were working with ethanol producers to have the parts per million of such residue reduced from eight or nine parts to one part, said Mark Czerwinski, service manager at Newman Chevrolet in Cedarburg. "They wanted us to know they are on top of the issue," Czerwinski said. "It's something all the oil companies are looking into." Citgo officials did not respond to requests for an interview. GM's response
GM corporate executives said they were not ready to proclaim the problem solved. "We have not determined a root cause," GM spokesman Tom Henderson said. "GM is continuing to investigate sulfate salts to understand the impact on fuel injectors in the Milwaukee area." Henderson said the company was not aware of the presence of sulfuric acid residue in the fuel. GM announced in January that sulfate salts - tiny inorganic crystals formed over time when sulfur is exposed to oxygen or water - had caused the injector failures, but they did not specify the source of the salts. The salts are not related to sulfuric acid residue, Henderson said, although a number of science Web sites say that sulfuric acid is used in creating sulfate salts. John Malchine, president of the Wisconsin Ethanol Association, said ethanol producers are trying to reduce the amount of sulfuric acid residue left in their final products but that the move is independent of any problem with fuel injectors or pressure from oil companies. "We're constantly working toward doing a better job," Malchine said. "It's an ongoing, everyday effort." Malchine said ethanol is in no way to blame for injector problems. "Show me the science," he said. "They always have to point a finger, but they're showing us no science." Frequent testing
Ethanol from Malchine's ethanol plant, Badger State Ethanol in Monroe, is tested every two hours, 24 hours a day, he said. "Regulation and quality control of ethanol is more rigid than gasoline," he said. Legislators are considering a proposal to mandate that ethanol be blended into fuel statewide. Service managers said it appears the problem may already be resolved. They said they have seen a dramatic drop in clogged injectors in the last couple of months. "It's tapered off to a trickle," said Al Weimar, service director at Braeger Chevrolet on S. 27th St. near W. Howard Ave. "We're not having the problems we were." Weimar said he also attended the service managers meeting last week and heard the GM engineer say sulfuric acid in the ethanol refining process caused the injector failures. Trouble began last fall
Motorists and mechanics around Milwaukee began reporting a surge in plugged fuel injectors last fall. More than 300 drivers complained to the Journal Sentinel in an online survey. According to the data, roughly 75% of the problems occurred in GM vehicles. The Department of Commerce, which regulates petroleum, collected more than 700 complaints but could not trace the source of the problem and handed the probe to the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA said Thursday it would not have any information to release publicly for a least another couple of weeks. The latest news doesn't offer any recourse to those who had problems, many of which cost more than $1,000 to repair. However, the EPA said it is still taking complaints. Motorists who experienced injector problems during that time can file a complaint with the EPA at r5fuelissues@epamail.epa.gov. Officials will not respond unless they have questions.
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