can we run e85?

[JLM]

So with the recent gas spikes it got me thinking about fuel for my firebird.

Here's my key issues. I've got a 455 pontiac with a set of small chambered pontiac iron heads. it's probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 to 11.5:1 CR. Not too friendly especially considering the iron heads.

This is where E85 comes in. Not only is it cheaper to purchase, but at 105 octane it could deal with the high compression better than the premium 91 that gets sold here in Colorado.

What REALLY got me interested was the fact that there is a station about 2 miles down the road from me that sells E85.

So with that said do you guys think it will be possible to run these cars on e85 spec fuels? What would one need to acomplish this? For a carbureted vehicle I'm assuming you would need a carb capable of delivering alcohol. Am I wrong in this sense?

[chicane67]

E85 at this time, is only compatable with newer 'dual fuel' type chassis. I am sure it will only be a matter of time before we see actual conversion kits to utilize this new fuel.

[HatTrick]

Like Chicane said, there would need to be modifications made to accomodate ethanol use. Right now the car manufacturers won't warranty an engine that has been run on ethanol greater than 10%. I think the big problem is lubricating properties and I believe the mods for a multi-fuel engine would be similar to the hardened seats/guides conversion for unleaded applications, but I don't know the details. I am hoping a conversion comes available soon, cuz Minnesota just passed a law that mandates that all gas sold in the state be 20% ethanol by 2010(?). D#mn corn producers lobby and polititions defy reason. They effectively invalidated every vehicle warranty in the state. From the research I've seen (Google: high percentage ethanol or ethanol fuels) 0-10% does not cause damage in current engines, 20% ethanol shows damaging effects when used regularly, but 10%-20% results are not definative either way.

[Kenova]

I'll start by saying that I'm certainly no expert when it comes to E85 or alcohol, so all I can do is regurgitate what I've read.
E85 is only 15% gasoline. I've read that the gas is added to make it easier to see if the stuff (E85) is on fire. Pure alcohol has an almost invisable flame in the daylight.
Being mostly alcohol, I would think your carb would need to be recalibrated. Alcohol can also be very corrosive to fuel system components commonly used for gasoline fuel systems. I should think that any of the fuel delivery/carburator companies could help you safely change over to E85.
The newer dual fuel vehicles have a sensor that tells the computer which fuel you are burning. Between that and the rest of the sensors, the computer can recalibrate for the specific fuel mix you have in the tank.
If E85 is rated at 105 octane , then that alone sounds like a good enough reason to change over. I haven't seen any E85 in my part of Canada. Is it more common in some areas of the USA than others, or can you find it just about anywhere? What is the price like compared to 91 - 94 octane? Sounds like good stuff once you overcome the corrosion and calibration issues.
Ken

EDIT: Looks like HatTrick posted while I was typing.........slowly.

[JLM]

It looks like the E85 fuels are most common in the farm belts where most of the corn in the US is grown.

From a price standpoint just the other day the station that sells e85 in my town was at 3.20 per gallon for premium whereas E85 was about 2.10.

[LowBuckX]

You would need to run BUNA gaskets and a Alcohol safe fuel pump.

The soft lines in your delivery system will have to be upgraded to alcohol safe hose. You wil need to jet your carb up Alot.

I maybe missing more. but it would be the same as an alcohol powered racecar so parts are out there. but you will be burning almost double e85 to do the same work as gas.

[boodlefoof]

If memory serves me right, I have also read that engines burn more of this stuff gallon-for-gallon compared to gasoline... so you'll have to buy more of it to go the same distance. I seem to recall reading that a gallon of methanol is worth about 80% of a gallon of gas in distance terms.

[cad]

http://www.e85fuel.com/index.php