Ethanol 1

[livingwater]

Wichita just opened it's second E85 (85% ethanol) gas pump. I have written to GM, without a definitive answer. Can I burn E85 in a 1994 Suburban with the TBI 350 motor?

I don't really see where that would be an issue, but I don't specialize in Internal Combustion either.

 

[bvicknair]

Don't think you can. E15 is max. Flex fuel vehicles have a ffv logo somewhere on the body. E85 would require a tank sensor and high volume injectors.

I'm also an ethanol fan, hard to get here for experimenting. Testing the parallel fuel system approach. Have to use stove fuel, Everclear or racing methanol for tests.

 

[Retracnic]

Short answer: NO

The problem lies in the fact that E85 has a different stoichiometric ratio than gasoline. Straight ethanol's air/fuel ratio is approximately 9.0:1, while gasoline is 14.7:1. E85 yields a stoichiometric roughly equivalent to 10:1. What this amounts to is that your current fuel system is not capable of delivering E85 in sufficient enough quantities.

Running your engine on E85 would render a very lean burn condition, which could result in engine damaging detonation. If you're serious about running E85 you will need new fuel injectors and possibly ECU recalibration. Also, if you expect to have the same range on a tank full of fuel, you will need to increase you fuel tank capacity by about 1.5.

Good Luck
Bryan Carter

 

[franzh]

Lest someone go and try it anyway (afterall, we are creatures of experimentation!) please remember that Ethanols and Methanols are corrosive to certain metals, of which our fuel tanks, fuel pumps, fuel lines, intake manifolds, and injector bodies are fabricated. Toss in the incompatible synthetic rubber flexible connections and o-rings, and you can have a real mess. The E-85 vehicles have fuel systems with corrosion resistant materials. As an additional example, my neighbors 2002 Ford Taurus with 22K miles just lost its fuel pump, which was replaced under warranty. Because it was an FFV, the fuel pump cost almost $800 US Dollars! Yes, the warranty covered the cost, but this is simply too expensive a repair for the average person.

Since E-85 is not available here in Texas, if it were mine, I would be scrounging for a less expensive alternative fuel pump. Even if it were an inline pump with custom fabricated lines, it would be vastly less expensive.
Franz