Hello,
I don't post here much. My 99 Contour is a I4 and I really don't have problems with it except that I didn't get an owners manual with it (dam rental companies! lol).
Anyone knowledgeable with the possibility of using E-85 fuel WITHOUT modifications? Or E-10? I see that E-85 is a buck less then gasoline here in Wisconsin.
I really don't want to start a thread on the merits of Ethanol etc. I'd actually pay more than gasoline's price if it meant the $$ would stay here and not go as petro-dollars to certain foreign countries.
I can find lists of new cars with switchable fuel but not going back 6-7 years.
Thanks,
Chris C
E10 (10% ethanol-90% gasoline) is fine. E85 is NOT fine. (requires special rubber fittings, etc.). To download an Owners' Manual free,
www.fleet.ford.com
Ethanol is so widely available in fuel now that a large share of "normal" gasoline is really "E10".
Even if the fuel system was compatable with E85, it would not work well. E85 has a very different air/fuel ratio. It must run much richer than gasoline. Unless you have the equipment onboard to measure the actual alcohol content and alter the air/fuel mixture accordingly, it will run way too lean. Not only will it run very badly if at all, it would be so lean that you could damage the engine.
If you wanna see something funny, put in diesel.
I can use E-85 in my Taurus
Yet I don't know where to buy it here in IL!
Thanks for the info guys;
I am not surprised I cant use E-85, just wanted to run it by the group.
BTW , for the owner in Hanover Park IL: try this link to hopefully find a "RENEW E-85" fuel station.
http://www.e85fuel.com/database/search.php And thinks for the link to the owners manual!!
See ya,
Chris C 99 contour rental
Anything made after the late 80's has synthetic rubber seals that won't deteriorate with ethenol. If someone was to REALLY want to have their Contour use E85, they just need a chip that can advance the timing and widen the pulse width on the injectors. It might take some tuning, but it's possible. You'd even get a lot more power since it's a higher octane.
I say get a flip chip that you can switch from gasoline to E85. It would just be a manual switch.
It'd be really slick to get a fuel type sensor out of one of the flex fuel Fords. Have it switch over automagically.
From what I've read, you have to richen up the mixture 25-30%. You can also bump the timing by up to 14 degrees.
Pure ethanol is 113 octane. I think E-85 is a little over 104 octane. It's like race gas...ony cheap.
BP
The ethanol can be run in the Contour, but not in E85 form. You can play with the ratio, the car will be able to adjust to it, for while, until the alcohol gets too strong and the car cant compensate. I ran about E30 in my old `96 for awhile but the mileage/power decrease wasnt worth it.
But my Volvo likes it. Milage is down about 20-30 per tank but power is up, which is expected with a turbo. Got it on about E37, or 97 octane, depending on how you want to look at it.
e-10 is not harmful to any gaskets from older engines. e-85 will eat any paper gaskets out (that sounds dirty). the ethanol mixtures will increase hopefully but there will be warnings. heheheh my truck can do 50/50 :-P
After watching "60 minutes" on Sunday I became curious about E-85 also. Using google I found a write up were The Universtiy of Nebraska - Lincoln converted a 1999 GM pickup to use E-85. The documentation is very descriptive and highlights every aspect of whats required so the engine isn't damaged, and emissions meet federal standards. Ethanol should be seriously considered for domestic vehicles, the US needs to do many things to reduce its dependence on foreign oil; this could be one strategy.
Unfortunately the E-85 conversion isn't easy. The engine compression might need to be changed, the fuel system hardware will require major modifications due to E85's corrosive nature. The fuel system electrical components will also require changes since ethanol is more conductive than gasoline and its anodic & cathodic influences on some material have to be handled.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln E-85 project
Well, today I was notified about a local station selling E-85, WOW did I save money pumpin up. Was $2.51 for Ethanol vs $2.89 for unleaded regular. Ethanol so far seems to run fine... Drove about 20 miles on it...
lol I wrote a paper on FFV and E85 earlier in this semester. If you're looking for a decent overview go read wikipedia.
Biggest issues with E-85 is one the amount of plant matter needed to make it for the whole country.
Another is how corrosive it is. Ethanol will erode alumium/alumium alloys and eat certain paper/rubber gaskets.
And there is a MPG drop usually 20-30 percent, and requires fine tuning of the vehicle to run it super efficiently.