ethanol

[SVOboy]

The energy department says that ethanol creates 1.34 units of energy for every 1 needed to produce, where gasoline only takes .8. Got any sources?

[repete86]

I found quite a few sources, but eventually came across an article on DOE's website saying that the figure of 70% of ethanol's energy being used to produce the fuel is an old figure. I can only assume that ExxonMobil paid the journalists citing the old figure. Never mind the last post.

[Bill in Houston]

Originally Posted by ELF

As far as I know the e-85 cars have a different fuel pump , stainless fuel lines and different ECU programing.
the changed items are better suited to resist the abrasive/ corrosive properties of the ethanol

I think that they have larger fuel injectors as well, to allow a larger amount of fuel to pass through.

[zpiloto]

Originally Posted by Bill in Houston

I think that they have larger fuel injectors as well, to allow a larger amount of fuel to pass through.

I found a fourm where a guy was running E85 in a non FFV and he had driveablity problems just for that reason. The fuel injector needed to be swapped out for larger ones to keep the engine from stumbling. Some were having problems with CEL light in the summertime because the car was running leaner then the ECM could handle and that cold starts were a problem.

[SVOboy]

Straight ethanol requires a 30-40% larger injector, and methanol a 50% larger injector. Or thereabouts.

[GasSavers_Ryland]

gas engines do best with a 8:1 to 10:1 compression ratio for the most part, where alcohol engines run best with a much higher compression ratio 12:1 to 14:1, sure you can burn alcohol in a gas engine, and gas in an alcohol engine, I've run 50% bio-diesel in a gas engine, and it ran, not great, and not efficently, but it did run, I've read about one engine that was built that could effectively run on either fuel, it used a varliable output turbo charger to change the affective compression ratio by forcing differnt amounts of air in depending on the computers feedback of the fuel being used.
In short, alcohol engines and gas engines are differnt, but look simaler.