Is using Methanol in an aluminum fuel cell OK? or Will alky attack the aluminum and cause problems?

I make my own cells and have made them for multiple people. The one in my car is at least 15 years old and zero problems. I have (heard) of people on the net saying they have had problems with raw aluminum cells but I have yet to witness it myself. Just my experience.

what he said

The aluminum fuel cell in my dragster (race tech) has been on alcohol for at least 20 years with no issues. I have a friend with what is most likely an over seas built cell and he had nothing but trouble with geling in the cell. We ran fuel from the same supplier and with similar fuel handling routines. Anodizing his cell has stopped the issue so maybe low grade aluminum?

I have never had a problem but I always use Klotz fuel lube. If your worried about it get the tank hard anodized

Nev er had anything else and no issue with aluminum and alky. Hell alky and notro giuys run aluminum tanks and nitro disolves everything includiong billfolds.LOL

You should be fine, Fynny tinmibng just finished welding upo new tank two days ago and polishing my butt off on it nowe, Oh if can avoid the polishing life is easier.LOL

Our aluminum cell definitely has some pitting going on internally, started immediately when we went to alcohol. I get a bit of fine dust in the filter after a season of racing that I always figured was from the cell. I've heard anodizing cures the issue but everyone I spoke with wants a new cell to anodize, not a used one.

Raw aluminum cell in my 2007 Miller RED lasted about 12 years. At/around that point I noticed that the aluminum fittings were all corroded. I never cut the tank open to inspect the internals but for sure all of the fittings corroded, i know the inside of the tank looked similar but didn't bother to look.

The corrosion doesn't look like rust, it looks like a really small rat has been chewing on the fittings and making holes in some surfaces as well as chewing on the ends of the AN fittings. I see the same thing on anodized AN fittings that get scratched or nicked and are in Methanol service. If you've run alcohol for any length of time you've see a "corroded" aluminum fitting. The same thing will occur on raw aluminum tanks on inside surfaces as well as on the fittings. Swapped to an anodized tank and haven't had any problems since.

If you run a filter in the system, you are filtering out the corrosion products, assuming you clean that filter at some frequency you are removing those from the system as they tend to lay out on filter elements if they are small enough to capture it. White fluffy stuff that will float around in the fuel until filtered out. If you have a return system it filters out much quicker.

Anodize your tank BEFORE you put it in service, once in service for any extended period of time and the anodizing won't take on the aluminum. Not sure why but that's been my experience.

Good luck.

Poly cells sure seem like the answer.
Mine has been in service 27 years, gasoline.

thank you everyone for the info

I won’t argue that anodizing would be the best way to go though. Especially if you had it hard anodized. No problems with scratches causing issues then.

I built my fuel cell out of 5083 aluminum welded with 5356 rod. It looks perfect after about 10 years. The weld in fittings are who-knows-what aluminum and they are fine. All the AN fittings are also fine.

I had Mike Bos build a new tank for my old car. Not sure what grade of aluminum it was, but I started getting corrosion within just about two months. Wasn't much, but enough to notice. I ran that tank until I finished the season here last year. Has quite a few areas where the corrosion has spread, and I've picked up some getting into my filter, but it's never really been an issue. My new car I was going to do stainless but decided on a poly tank instead. No more issues going forward for me.....

My RCI aluminum cell is 12 years old, has seen nothing but methanol, and shows no signs of any corrosion or deterioration inside or out.
I do know they use 5051 Aircraft alloy for their aluminum fuel cells, so maybe the alloy being used is a key factor.