e85 ?

[sick69]

Ok so i've done alittle research about it and all I could find is it better for the enviroment, easier to make, mileage may be reduced up o 25% per tank, made in the USA,,,,


What I was looking for though is what are the mechanical differences in or on the engine?

higher/lower compression?
does the carb need to be ran richer/leaner with e85?
hotter/colder spark?
more or less timing?

what?

With the gas prices climbing i'm kinda interested in an alternative, but more just curious about the differences to the engine itself.


Frank

[BarryB]

Not an expert, but I have heard that it runs hotter than regular gasoline. I could be wrong.

[shortbed70]

Its alcohol so you need stainless fel lines for longjevity or braided lines and carb built for the fuel. Holley is in the works to build a E85 carb but any company can build one for you. Jets are bigger,less fuel milage but it will run cooler and you can run more compression. The thing I don't know is if you need to run a topend lube like running race alcohol in drag cars or dirt..

[Pyrotechnic]

Edelblock just recently released an E85 specific carburetor.

http://www.edelbrock.com/media/news/...103106_04.html

Since E85 is 105 octane, I've heard you can run up to 12.5:1 compression or lots of boost.

E85 gets a bad rap for mileage in regular cars today because they don't have the compression to run efficiently with E85.

[airdale94]

HoohRayy!!! for E85. I hope it's as good as it sounds. My worry is that they will want to make it from corn instead of sugar beats. From what I've heard it's alot easier to make from beats. I hate to see them make it from corn and have the price be per gallon be high.

[uniman]

i think you have to have a upgraded valvetrain made stainless to prevent currosion(sp?) and rust im not sure though its for one of the alternative fuels

[shortbed70]

We use topend lube for our alky motors.

[Longhorn Man]

E85 is probably not gonna stay around for too long... in 10 years it'll be gone. So on that, i wouldn't spend too much money converting personally.
Look into your local E85 supply.... IF you can even get it, you'll need to look at the cost. Odds are, you will not save much money at all. The ONLY advantage it has in all reality, is less oil being used. There ar emany disadvantages on it, including lots of political stuff.

[sick69]

If its like running alky it won't be that tough for me to convert. My father in law runs alky in his race car and has for years. He recently got rid of his car and has been giving me a boat load of suspension and engine stuff. Ill have to hit him up about the alky stuff and see.


So what i'm hearing, correct me if i'm wrong, e85 is approximately 105 octane, runs cooler, and is available locally at more than a $1.25 less than gas,,,,,


The down side would be if I set everything up to run it,,,ie. 10.5 or 11 to 1 and it disappeared. the timing could be adjusted and the stainless valve train wouldn't hurt anything running with gas, but with that much compression I would have to run premium if I was able to run pump gas at all.

I'll have to do some more research on this,,,,,

Frank

[jimmydean]

Oregon broke ground on a new E85 plant a few months ago. It is the largest plant on the west coast and will be available locally very soon for a nice savings. I am looking to convert my engine in the next year and it's not too tough to do if you plan it out.

I don't give a crap about a 2mph drop in performance if I am less dependent on fossil fuel and support local growers with each tank.

[Orange]

I read this a while back, and it is something to think about.
http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/faqs/conversion.php

[Jim_PA]

I run it in my 04 Yukon, I went from 15.5 MPG avg to about 11.5 avg. Regular is about 2.89-2.99 here, while e85 is hanging in at 2.25.

It's worth it for me at this point. If the prices come closer together, it won't hardly be worth it since I have to fill up more often.

[BurnoutNova]

as far as new cars, the only mechanical diffrences are in the fuel tank/ sending unit and lines, and im sure the pcm is programed to add more fuel, ect.

[mvfd70]

E85 does not do well in engines that are not set up for it. I'm a firefighter and we were called one night to a local gas station for a vehicle that was on fire. Apparently the idiots filled their 1987 dodge caravan with E85 thinking they were gonna save money. Well the ethanol caused the engine to catastrophically fail. We got the fire out, popped the hood and looked at engine parts strung all over the engine bay. Needless to say the van was a loss.

[jimmydean]

All I am doing to "convert" is to install a flex fuel crate motor, then run a stainless tank and lines.

I have read some good write ups on converting older engines, but I will end up running a newer crate when the time comes anyway. I figure it's just as easy to do an E85 engine as is it to do an unleaded LSx.

[BurnoutNova]

Originally Posted by mvfd70

E85 does not do well in engines that are not set up for it. I'm a firefighter and we were called one night to a local gas station for a vehicle that was on fire. Apparently the idiots filled their 1987 dodge caravan with E85 thinking they were gonna save money. Well the ethanol caused the engine to catastrophically fail. We got the fire out, popped the hood and looked at engine parts strung all over the engine bay. Needless to say the van was a loss.

im sure it was becaus eof the fuel lines not being stainless, the E85 probly melted the hoses and then fuel sprayed all over the place.

[Chris H]

E85 is not much cheaper that gas here in the heart of corn country, but in the interest of supporting my local farmers I ran E85 in momma's FlexFuel capable 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3. (Hey, dont hate on me... I did make sure it got the Sport Package! ).
I ran 2000+ miles on E85 with no straight gas in between. My average mpg dropped from 19.5 to 13.4, and acceleration suffered as well.
The end result is I went back to straight gas (which is really E10 here in MN), and mileage came right back.

So, my opinion is that running E85 in a flex fuel vehicle is not of any great benefit except to the producers of corn and the refiners of ethanol.

Now a purpose-built E85 engine could work. As previously mentioned, a high compression ratio (14:1 or so) and fuel injection could bring out some efficiency in E85 that would never be realized in a flex-fuel engine.

[shifty]

Bleh, well, GA is still way behind (no surprise here!)

Oh well, maybe some day.

Found:

1 refueling station(s) within 100 mi. of Atlanta, GA

PS Energy
340 Whitehall St. SW
Atlanta , GA 30303

Private facility.

[shifty]

Originally Posted by Chris H

So, my opinion is that running E85 in a flex fuel vehicle is not of any great benefit except to the producers of corn and the refiners of ethanol.

Just as a point - I'd rather pay a few extra dollars and suffer 25% less gas mileage to keep my dollars here in the good 'ol USA than to give my money to the middle east. This is probably the one and only reason that I hope and pray that E85 *is* successful, and that we, like Brazil, can be self-sufficient using Ethanol produced locally as our fuel supply

[dan42]

Keep in mind that to make 2 gallons of ethanol, it takes 3 gallons of oil in the form of tractor diesel fuel, hauling, etc - so in the long run it doesn't make much sense. But something will come up, I'm sure, because where there is money to be made, America is the leader in terms of developing new products. I just hope we can run it through our trucks.

[mvfd70]

Originally Posted by BurnoutNova

im sure it was becaus eof the fuel lines not being stainless, the E85 probly melted the hoses and then fuel sprayed all over the place.

I dunno for sure. All I know is other people at the gas station said their was an explosion and a ball of fire and when we opened the hood their were internal pieces from the engine exposed. The people in the van were lucky they got out without getting hurt.

No matter though...just don't put the stuff in a vehicle not set up to run it.

[72 cheyenne pdx]

If we can make synthetic oil, why can't we make synthetic gas? If we are able to make cremated people into a diamond, why can't we make an alternative fuel that all the auto makers can get behind? If we are able to clone animals/people, why is it so hard to come up with an alternative fuel for everybody to use? I keep hearing that batteries will be the future. Which I can possible believe for new cars when the technology is there. But I know I will never convert my truck to a battery system, so the government needs to come up with a standard that will convert 99% of all current vehicles motors into a fuel that everybody can use. If it being alcohol, biodiesel, hydrogen, propane, natural gas, etc.....

[Longhorn Man]

don't hold your breath on that... nor the batterys. The whole Prius thing will die down real quick in just a few years. The cost of ownership for a prius is something like $3 and some chainge a mile compaired to a VIPER at $2 something.... even a hummer is cheaper to own, and does less damage to the evironment.

[eedgell]

Longhorn Man It is all abunch of politics now with fuel. All these new ideas are fine, but has anyone thought of infrastructure? There isnt any and wont be any... All the infrastucture is for oil based, the cost to change it is prohibitive for short lived polically charged motive. This will pass. there are plenty of "alternative" fuels, but none can be produced in enough mass, nor is there the infrastucture to distribute them. This will all settle back down to gasoline.... as our fuel.

[Longhorn Man]

diesel, propain, and compressed natural gas, are all worthey, but at this moment, I honestly don't see any other fuels having an honest shot at being mainstream.