ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, September 6, 1996 TAG: 9609060017
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FRESNO, CALIF.
SOURCE: JEAN H. LEE ASSOCIATED PRESS
REFORMULATED gasoline from California is causing a drop in gas mileage and eating away at rubber fuel system parts in older cars, according to some drivers.
Harry Pellow babies his 1980 BMW. Over the years, he has buffed it, maintained it, even fed it top-grade gasoline from the same Chevron station for a decade.
But weeks after he switched to California's new cleaner-burning reformulated gasoline, his car suffered three fuel line breaks that left a flammable puddle inches from a garage water heater.
``That would have gone poof! and bye-bye car,'' Pellow said.
The anti-pollution gasoline has been required in smoggy California since June 1, and oil companies have acknowledged it may damage fuel systems in the state's 13 million older, high-mileage cars.
``I'm seeing a lot more repairs where I have to replace gas lines and seals compared to before,'' said Alex Bess, a Santa Clara mechanic. ``It gets dangerous. The whole engine can catch on fire.''
Some California cities have reported a rash of car fires, though no injuries have been blamed on fuel leaks caused by the new gasoline. Some mechanics blame the fires on older-car owners who have ignored maintenance. Others, however, believe the gasoline is eating away engine parts.
The reformulated gasoline contains oxygenates, which reduce the amount of carbon monoxide emitted from the tailpipe. Already, smog-forming vehicle emissions have dropped 15 percent, the equivalent of taking 3.5 million cars off the road, the state Air Resources Board said.
But in some older cars, especially those without fuel injection, the chemicals tend to attack rubber parts already toughened by years of exposure to ozone, causing them to shrink, swell or crack, said Dennis DeCota, executive director of the California Service Station and Auto Repair Association.
The formula is used only in California. Because of federal anti-pollution measures, other states have used a milder clean-burning formula since 1995.
California officials stand by their formula. The Air Resources Board conducted a $40 million study last year and found the rate of damage to fuel systems was equal for regular gasoline and their formula, board spokesman Allan Hirsch said.
In its own study, Chevron found that six of 115 cars using the new gas developed fuel system problems. Only one car from the 115-vehicle fleet using the old gas leaked. Chevron decided to warn customers through stickers on gasoline pumps.
``We agonized a little bit over the labels but decided ultimately we should share that information with our customers,'' spokesman Jim Hendon said.
Few consumer advocates have criticized the gasoline, saying the fuel's health benefits outweigh its flaws.
``Our first concern has to be for air quality,'' said Ken McEldowney, executive director of San Francisco-based Consumer Action. ``In some ways, these solutions are less drastic than ones the EPA originally was trying to mandate.''
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. Isabelle Silva of San Jose, Calif., fills her tankby CNBwith the new gasoline at a Chevron station. color.