E85

[mrkolbo]

Anybody ever put an E85 or flex-fuel conversion kit in one of these Explorers?

 

[boggs1227]

lol ! ..... i would not do it ......i like my corrosion free fuel system :

i dont think that they even make a kit for them either .

 

[mrkolbo]

Will E85 corrode my fuel system?
No, for corrosion to develop high levels of moisture are required. E85 is produced from dry-milled ethanol, which contains less than 0.5% moisture, which is required by law based on ASTM E85 fuel standard. Corrosion requires minimum moisture levels of at least 4% or greater. It is not the corrosive properties of ethanol that can cause damage to your vehicle; it is the water which can rust a vehicle’s fuel system from the inside out. Today’s vehicles (since mid 1980s) have fuel systems which are made to withstand corrosive motor fuels and rust from water. Because most states have gone to E10 or gasohol, we no longer experience moisture buildup in fuel delivery systems.

http://flexfuelus.com/E85-FAQ

 

[mrkolbo]

Re:Re: E85

If I have a gasoline vehicle and convert it to alcohol, am I going to damage the engine?
No, there have been no reports of engine damage due to conversion with proper technology. In fact, The Flex Box Smart Kit is the only system that uses an alcohol sensor and a microprocessor. Beware of conversion systems that do not use an alcohol sensor. Burning alcohol instead of gasoline has been shown to decrease engine oil contamination and extend engine life. Alcohol burns cooler than gasoline providing additional benefits in terms of engine life and performance. In the early 1980's all auto manufacturers started using parts that were not harmed by ethanol. Today's vehicles are built to withstand the corrosive effects of water in ethanol and gasoline. Any vehicle built since 1985 will have no ethanol related issues. Older vehicles that used more steel in the fuel systems or cork gaskets may have issues from long term exposure to water.

 

[mrkolbo]

Re: Re: Re:E85

> > Does the kit have an application for a 1991 Ford Explorer, 4.0L 6cyl?
>
Yes.
thanks
Bart Wells
CEO
EToM
866-912-9088

 

[Robrt32]

NO WAY, I will ever put it in mine... I steady hear stories of gas gauges and fuel pumps going out on the cars that ARE suppose to run it..

 

[mrkolbo]

Having looked at all the posts on this list, those problems and many more seem to plague the Explorer anyway, without ethanol.

 

[boggs1227]

wow good bit of data you just mentioned there, but still ....the 4.0 is a "gas" engine.yes running e10 and even maybe even e15 could be ran but at the cost of mpg. e-85 has less bang for your buck than gas ...why would you want to do that ? ( so instead of getting 18-20 mpg now your getting 14-17 mpg because of a kit you had to spend money on )

you got to think about the cost of the kit ( if they make one ) compared to how much your trucks worth ( don't want to stick a $800 kit on a $500 explorer ......don't make much sence) then you got to think about other things like how e85 is bad for the food supply /area to grow it , gov. politics etc . . . . . .


just my 2 cents ......imho e-85 is a bad idea all the way around so sorry is my opions are not what you wanted to hear .


...then again i'm running a 180 f stat in the cooling system and was told it would cause problems but none so far .find the kit install it and let us know what you find .

 

[mrkolbo]

Well, I do respect your right to differ. The Explorer I'm looking at is $400-500, the kits are now at $350. So, I just might. I have other data on the food supply. Perhaps this will be my personal science project. I'll let you know what happens. I was just hoping I could find someone that had done it.

PS - Pardon my ignorance, but what's a 180 f stat - some kind of thermostat? Why would that be bad?

 

[eXcali]

wow good bit of data you just mentioned there, but still ....the 4.0 is a "gas" engine.yes running e10 and even maybe even e15 could be ran but at the cost of mpg. e-85 has less bang for your buck than gas ...why would you want to do that ? ( so instead of getting 18-20 mpg now your getting 14-17 mpg because of a kit you had to spend money on )

you got to think about the cost of the kit ( if they make one ) compared to how much your trucks worth ( don't want to stick a $800 kit on a $500 explorer ......don't make much sence) then you got to think about other things like how e85 is bad for the food supply /area to grow it , gov. politics etc . . . . . .


just my 2 cents ......imho e-85 is a bad idea all the way around so sorry is my opions are not what you wanted to hear .


...then again i'm running a 180 f stat in the cooling system and was told it would cause problems but none so far .find the kit install it and let us know what you find .

I've seen a lot of farmers do the E-85 switch because they buy the E-85 in bulk for their farm. So they use the same fuel in everything and are able to write off the fuel anyways.

As for the people who say it will burn out your fuel pump.... This is because the E85 breaks up buildup inside your fuel tank, most conversion directions suggest you change atleast your fuel filter and possibly clean the sock of your your fuel pump after your first couple of tanks of fuel or 500 miles.

Then you have people who say the E85 will damage the plastics or gaskets in your vehicle, this may apply to cars built before the 80's but any since have been required to be compatible as the Government started requiring Gas refineries to mix Ethanol into supplies since the 90's.

Also if you go E85 you can regain the stock mileage or better by going Synthetic, high flow air filter, premium fuel filter (after 500mile break in so you don't have to change twice) and premium spark plugs.

 

[boggs1227]

hmmm, but at what cost !?

the cost for the coversion kit ...

the cost of converting over to all synthetic (then you get into another problem with high mileage engines not likeing it and start to develop leaks ( please no comments everyone on what i just said (( thats a an entirelly another thread in it's self ))

i do see the reason for e-85 but is not the cost per gallon of e-85 the same if not more than just reg gas ??? if so then this is a mute point .

 

[eXcali]

hmmm, but at what cost !?

the cost for the coversion kit ...

the cost of converting over to all synthetic (then you get into another problem with high mileage engines not likeing it and start to develop leaks ( please no comments everyone on what i just said (( thats a an entirelly another thread in it's self ))

i do see the reason for e-85 but is not the cost per gallon of e-85 the same if not more than just reg gas ??? if so then this is a mute point .

As I said many farmers get the E85 in bulk and write it off on their taxes as most of it is used for their farm equipment so it's basically free fuel for them.

I don't see a huge reason for switching to E85. I do see a reason for going Bio-diesel as you can make your own fuel for about $1 a gallon. I personally don't think E85 is the answer to the countries dependence on Oil. If the US converted all the corn grown to E85 we would only cover 30% of the fuel demand and eliminate about 60% of our food supply.

 

[SLVRTRC]

imho i think e85 is a waste of time, effort, and money. you get less millage less power sure it cost less per gallon but you burn more so what are you saving. Swapping in synthetic, high flow air filter, spark plugs and fuel filter can be done to a gas truck.


If its a personal science project go for it but i wouldn't expect great things.

 

[eXcali]

imho i think e85 is a waste of time, effort, and money. you get less millage less power sure it cost less per gallon but you burn more so what are you saving. Swapping in synthetic, high flow air filter, spark plugs and fuel filter can be done to a gas truck.


If its a personal science project go for it but i wouldn't expect great things.

I think spending $20k on a mall-crawler is "a waste of time, effort, and money". I'm sure people who are seriously looking at going E85 are well aware of the loss of MPG and performance. The original post asked if anyone has done this before not what people think about the idea.

 

[SLVRTRC]

I think spending $20k on a mall-crawler is "a waste of time, effort, and money". I'm sure people who are seriously looking at going E85 are well aware of the loss of MPG and performance. The original post asked if anyone has done this before not what people think about the idea.

everyone is just saying why no one has probably done it.

 

[mrkolbo]

Well, the kit I'm looking at allows you to switch back and forth and blend at different ratios in between, so probably no harm in the long run and the data may be useful.