What do you think of E85? I won't run anything else.

[AWDriver]

http://www.gt-labs.net/e85conversion.html

Please consider this very carefully. I've done all this work for the greater good. I'm attempting to clarify some facts and dispel some myths. I'm new to this site but not to my work. I wanted to post some of the research I've been doing lately on ethanol fuels in passenger cars to a larger audience. I think later model vehicles might be more prepared to run ethanol based fuels than what is popularly known. My work has centered upon that as of late.

I make no kit or sell any of the parts involved. I'm doing some of the journalism work and research to dispel myths about using ethanol based fuels in existing platforms. There are legal ramifications--touchy ones--for doing such work. But I believe there is a path and a method to the switch. If the right recipe is uncovered then everyone and their cousin can switch to using it as soon as they find a station that sells it. My local pump is 3 miles from here. It's worth the drive . Not only is it clean, but I make enough power to stomp a lot of stock vehicles pretty badly. I beat some turbo Subarus with a stock and naturally aspirated Subaru engine.

The clean air act took effect 16 years ago. Manufacturers all met legal standards doing their own work then. The part about "converting a car to ethanol based fuels" is almost covered firstly and mostly in the act itself. Standards for the emissions are in it, as are benefits LISTED BACK THEN of the switch. I think part of the work in converting to ethanol based fuel involves uncovering the pre-engineered work by each manufacturer. If someone is to do the work themselves, they have to meet the same standards as well. Not just you the reader, or automotive manufacturers, but also the other companies that make their parts. The car has an auto manufacturer's label on it. The parts that it is made of all come from different sources under auto manufacturer's contracts. One makers chassis may need new fuel lines (1990 mitsus), but the others need so little work it's not even funny (my 2000 subaru.)
The work for each chassis will be a bit different.

This isn't an "electric supercharger's spam message" sort of thing. It cost me less than $100 using factory parts. You can get most all the parts at a corner auto parts store or speed shop. I think the catch is it has to be an OBD2 car. It has something to do with the Clean Air Act of 1990. Go to the EPA's website and actually read it. I'm pretty sure cars made after 1998 would have an easier time with the switch. But, so far even 1984 chrysler vans can still hold it just fine. Anything EFI has a much easier time with running ethanol than carbed vehicles.

All I swapped in my EFI Subaru was a fuel pump and hotter plugs. Richening the fuel mixture was a requirement and you get get there several ways. You can swap injectors (I'm doing that soon, too.), add extra ones, or increase the inlet rail pressure. Mine used a cheap 5 cent hose clamp on the fuel return line tightened until I got the right pressure. With the stock injectors, rails, line, hose, and fuel regulator all still functioning normally my car runs fine. A stipulation of the Clean Air act is that as many factory parts remain untouched as possible. If you have to change anything, use a manufacturer's parts. "Inventing" your own stuff will be difficult. Using existing parts makes it a whole lot easier.

Almost 8,000 miles later my car still runs like a champ. There's not even a check engine light. My fuel lines have held up just fine as well as the fuel tank, all sensors, engine parts...all of it is still factory stock and holding together. I switched to synthetic oil as a safegaurd after a little test showed my dino oil to be ineffective. I get 20mpg around town, down from 25. I also get 25mpg on the interstate, down from 29. I also picked up an extra 30hp without really building the engine for the fuel.

Time for a built motor .

[MagicRat]

Some comments:

That is a very interesting site. I respect and admire the simple and thorough solutions to the engineering problems you faced. The solutions and the application seems to use sound and ingeneous methods.

However, I take issue with some of the rah-rah propeganda about ethanol. It is not the environmental or economic panacea as you site suggests.

The farming industry in the US is heavily subsidized. The true costs of producing ethanol are somewhat hidden due to the subsidies involved. It actually takes more BTU's of energy to plant, harvest and distill the corn required to produce ethanol than the ethanol fuel contains.

Therefore, E85 does not save us from using petroleum fuel It is not environmentally friendly at all, since most agricultural equipment uses diesel equipment with little or no emission controls. (Also, gasoline powered agricultural equipment that can be converted to alcohol is rare these days. ) It is much more environmentally friendly to tip the pertoleum products into a modern emission-controlled car.

Right now, it is more efficient to use the petroleum products directly in your car than in the farm machinery used to produce the corn and subsequent alcohol. This sayves the duplicate infrastructure required to produce and distribute an incompatible fuel like E85.

Yes, of course waste vegetable matter can be used to produce alcohol, which would reduce this problem. Such vegetable matter can also be used to produce bio-diesel and other pertoleum-like products. In fact ANY waste organic material, including many animal and vegetable products can be reformed into bio-diesel and other fuels.
However, the bulk of ethanol right now comes from corn and not from waste vegetable matter, which is an inefficient use of petroleum fuels.

Also, safety: Alcohol burns with very little and often, no visible flame. If your car catches fire, you may not know until you recieve dangerous or possibly fatal burns.