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Hybrid Vehicles Ethanol - E85 FlexFuel The Inconvenient Truth About Ethanol
921 messages, Last post on Oct 07, 2009 at 10:53 AM
You are in the Ethanol - E85 FlexFuel Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
| The big issue I have is Phase separation with the added ethanol and having to add additive to protect my fuel system. Hopefully before it is used nation wide and at even higher percentages,the corrosion issue can be addressed. It is a serious issue and especially for boats and long storage of fuel. | |
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Replying to: gogogodzilla (Oct 05, 2009 5:16 pm) When the carbon builds up in the combustion chamber it increases the effective compression ratio and reduces the strength of the power stroke, thus reducing horsepower and MPG. Sludge is coked oil that is reducing the lubricating abilities of you oiling system which also causes loss of horsepower and/or gas mileage due to friction. Soberguy. P.S. What exactly does ethanol do to an engine. Why is it bad? P.P.S. I also use Shell gasoline when I can get it. On rare occasions I can find Sinclair 93 octane. Which seems to kick ass.
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Replying to: soberguyjaguar (Oct 05, 2009 10:16 pm) I knew the detergent cleaned the engine, but wasn't too sure how it was done. Thanks for the information. 
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Replying to: soberguyjaguar (Oct 05, 2009 10:16 pm) Of course the ethanol as we all know has less BTU's of work per cc or % of the fuel mixture and therefore produces less power per stroke of the engine unless the engine is a flex fuel and it will adjust the timing and other computer controlled items such as the duration of the injector cycle (longer open for the ethanol) to help keep the HP up. The real problem is when the fuel mixture is exposed to moisture in the refinery storage tank,during the blending process, moisture in the transport truck,moisture in the gas station tank,or moisture in your gas tank. The ethanol will mix with any moisture and settle with the water in the bottom of the tank. In the tank, depending on the contaminates, you could end up with a milky substance or an acid that will rust and corrode the tank, fuel lines, injector. If your fuel system corrodes the injectors and the raw fuel could leak by and just set on top of the engine until the next startup and corrode the piston top and cylinder walls. Problems can be slight and gradual or get bad quick. All that said many companies are scrambling to make products to keep the blend from separating up to bonding with the separated moisture/ethanol with varying degrees of success. The boating world is the worst of course,but it is an issue in the automotive world. That is my limited knowledge and two cents. Put a dollar with it and you can get a cup of coffee!!!!!!!!
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Replying to: basspro (Oct 06, 2009 6:20 pm) My 99 Ford Ranger is a Flex Fuel V6. It gets horrible mileage on our CA crap ethanol gas. Best ever is 16 MPG. It is also wasteful. I have to drain my wood chipper and weed eater in the fall or it messes up the the carb. |
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Replying to: oldfarmer50 (Oct 03, 2009 12:30 pm) Some of this is a repeat of my above post, just trying to drive home a thought. Quality may seem initially to cost more, but may actually be the least expensive in the long run. A while back a local Gas station, changed from Texaco to Shell and lowered the price to just a little more than the local "Flash Foods" station. FWIW: I've seen Marathon,Flash Foods and Exxon tankers filling the tanks at Flash Foods. Thought I would give Shell a try as they have always advertised superior mileage and now are advertising that they clean fuel systems and valves better than the others. Yeah, I know advertising is advertising, but thought I would prove them wrong. As it turned out my Pilot increased mileage about 10%, Went from 18-19 mpg local driving to 20-21 mpg. Hyway driving increased about the same. Now, the Shell is a nickel or so higher than the "FF" brands. Therefore it cost about 2.5% more for Shell but we get 10% better mileage. Plus the Shell just might run a bit cleaner in the engine. Seems to me like a win-win situation. I've run 6-8 tanks of the Shell and the mileage is holding. With that in mind, the Shell would have to go to 23 cents higher than the FF for break even cost vs mileage of the two.. Kip |
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Replying to: gagrice (Jun 07, 2009 5:14 pm) And NOTHING went wrong! In fact, the country rid itself of oil imports because of that, something we americans try and canīt achieve! And now 85% of all cars are flex and they STILL make ethanol only cars. Donīt believe me? I lived in Brazil, you obviously did not even visit the country! So please donīt write stuff like that: it really makes you look really uninformed.
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Replying to: galonga (Oct 07, 2009 6:03 am) Are they not using any dino fuels now? "And now 85% of all cars are flex and they STILL make ethanol only cars." What about the 15% that are not "Flex" ? Are they just abandoned because they are not set up to burn Ethanol? Thanks, Kip
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Replying to: kipk (Oct 07, 2009 7:05 am) read more here
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Replying to: texases (Oct 07, 2009 7:18 am) Brazil is set up to make use of whatever is cheapest to run at the time. Their ethanol costs way less that ours because they make it from sugar cane which is a far superior source than corn. And of course they don't have to pay a 56 cent tariff to themselves... |
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