Ethanol problem?
 

Has anyone ever been told to avoid ethanol enhanced premium gas? I’ve had several CEL /limp mode occurrences traced to knock sensor indicating ‘Superknock’ ! The CEL goes off and limp mode gone after 30-60 secs. The dealer says it’s bad gas (NOT!) They tested my gas and said it has 10% ethanol which is probable since a lot of 91 octane has it. He tells me I should avoid ethanol totally. This is news to me!
Fyi, my car is 09 JCW Clubby.

Lots of cars and MINIs are doing just fine with 10% Ethanol. I've had MINI service writers blame all sorts of things on "the gas". Never turned out to be the case, it is just one of the things they are taught to say.

Did they pull any codes to share with you? My past super-knock was HPFP related.

Pretty difficult to "avoid" ethanol enhanced fuel in the US (most countries) today..! ALL grades of gasoline have ethanol mixed in. Depending on where you are, between 10% and 35% ethanol.
And no, all cars made since the inclusion of ethanol are made to run the ethanol/gasoline mix.
There may be a few stations across the US that have pure gasoline, but I'd bet the ratio is about 10,000 to 1. Even most "race" gas has methanol in it the last 10 years or so.
Seems you may need to find a dealer with more up to date people working there.

Mike

Could be bad gasoline. Stale (or worse) gasoline is not unknown. A Porsche owner -- on another forum -- posted about some problems his car's engine was manifesting and long story short turned out to be bad gasoline, some of the worst gasoline ever I think. The station after a day or two posted a sign and I believe even agreed to reimburse him for the cost to put things right.

OTOH, I've driven nearly 1M miles (various vehicles) and have filled up gas tanks uncounted times and never gotten bad gasoline. But that doesn't mean you didn't get some.

Try to shop at busy stations. These generally have the lowest prices and have the freshest gasoline.

BTW true 10% ethanol is sort of kind of rare based on my info. While the pump may state the fuel has 10% ethanol my info is refiners err on the side of caution and the usual blend is 7% to 8% ethanol. However, 10% shouldn't make a difference.

Try another brand of gasoline. Stick with 91 though as the JCW I believe requires 91. (I run 91 in my 2018 JCW all the time -- mostly Shell but I've had Chevron and even 7-11 gasoline in it -- with no problems. The engine seems to prefer Shell V-Power but the difference is very slight according to my butt dyno.

You sure the fuel filter is ok? And the engine air filter?

Funny that in Iowa, where ethanol was born, most stations offer pure gas. Got 91 octane ethanol-free this AM, $3.25/gal.

Also funny how you can exit the highway & see 1 station with no one at the pumps & the next with every island occupied. Guess which one I pull into?

Some resources that may be of help.
https://www.toptiergas.com/
https://www.pure-gas.org/index.jsp?
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5vA...U1k/edit?pli=1 This is an essay worth reading.
http://www.fuel-testers.com/state_gu...anol_laws.html

Our Golden Gate station in Gardnerville, Nevada sell pure 91 fuel, no ETHANOL !

Maybe I will start mixing my fill ups with pure fuel more often .................

been years since this 'ethanol' monster has been a topic .....

by now most every manufacturer has made adjustments

the biggest problem was small engines ... lawn mowers and the like ... and outboards .....

down where I live the places to find eth' free were usually marinas .....

for the record ... I've had NO problems with my 79 .... in fact the lower octane of regularly available 'eth free' is more objectionable. IME independents selling eth' free have lied about the octane ..... my 79 KNOWS when the octane is below 90 DESPITE what the pump says!

and btw where I live a popular chain/small store is WAWA and they have eth' free all the time ... but it is under 90 octane . . . and COSTS more than premium with eth'

(did you know that b4 this was an issue, a common additive to raise octane <after the lead compounds were banned> was ETHANOL .....)

Fixed?
 

Thanks for the comments and advice, friends. We got the car back today. Turns out the cam cover was cracked and the built-in crankcase breather was fubar! So oil was sucked in and pooling in the intake, enough to be sucked in and burnt, and triggering knock. They replaced cam cover and associated bits, updated the computer to latest settings and waved the deductible on my extended warranty! FYI, we bought this ‘09 in ‘15, and the extended warranty we bought at that time has paid for itself several times over😜 We were able today to buy another four years of transferable warranty. Money well spent, IMO!

thanks for the after action report ...... NOT an ethanol issue!

btw: 09 JCW Clubby is GEN2

there is no such thing as a GEN1 Club .....

GEN changed in 2007 (for the basic 2 door hard top)

first Clubby is a 2008 .....


Gen1 MINI:

• R50 MINI Cooper Hatchback: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• R52 MINI Cooper Convertible: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• R52-S MINI Cooper S Convertible: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
• R53-S MINI Cooper S Hatchback: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

Gen2 MINI:

• R55 MINI Cooper Clubman: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• R55-S MINI Cooper S Clubman: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• R56 MINI Cooper Hatchback: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
• R56-S MINI Cooper S Hatchback: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
• R57 MINI Cooper Convertible: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• R57-S MINI Cooper S Convertible: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
  , 2015
• R58 MINI Cooper Coupe: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• R58-S MINI Cooper S Coupe: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• R59 MINI Cooper Roadster: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
• R59-S MINI Cooper S Roadster: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015

Oops
 

Did I post the wrong forum? If so , I apologize😕I’m aware it’s a Gen 2.

They are designed to use 10% ethanol in premium fuel.
The guy is talking like he knows, but he doesn't!