To: Outland
You are thinking of methanol. Ethanol won't affect the gaskets at all. If they can handle gas, booze is no problem. Methanol will "dry" out gaskets fairly fast.
The only problem with the injectors is that the ethanol will clean off everything in the tank and fuel system. If you have a car that has been on regular gas for a long time, all that gunk freed up will give the injectors fits. For a new car, there is no problem. For an old car, you just need to take the time to clean the gas tank first.
At the plant I used to work at, a guy used to run his car on 85%, with no modifications. Ran ok, but the timing was certainly off.
63 posted on
08/17/2005 1:44:46 PM PDT by
redgolum
("God is dead" -- Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" -- God.)
To: redgolum
At the plant I used to work at, a guy used to run his car on 85%, with no modifications. Ran ok, but the timing was certainly off.
It seems to me that switching out the computer chip and adding a fuel tank sensor to detect the mixture is all you would really need then to make it a viable design.
66 posted on
08/17/2005 1:51:56 PM PDT by
JamesP81
To: redgolum
"
You are thinking of methanol. Ethanol won't affect the gaskets at all. If they can handle gas, booze is no problem. Methanol will "dry" out gaskets fairly fast."
That's not always true and I wasn't thinking of methanol even though methanol and ethanol are both alcohol compounds.
From a 2003 Ford Taurus owner's manual:
Ethanol is more chemically active than gasoline. It corrodes some metals and causes some plastic and rubber components to swell, break down or become brittle and crack, especially when mixed with gasoline. Special materials and procedures have been developed for flexible fuel vehicles and the dispensers used by ethanol fuel providers. Flexible fuel components and standard unleaded gasoline fuel components are not interchangeable. If your vehicle is not serviced in accordance with flexible fuel vehicles procedures, damage may occur and your warranty may be invalidated.
Also of note that the air/fuel ratio for ethanol is diifferent for gasoline. This necessitates fuel injectors that can deliver more fuel and a computer programmed to know the correct ratios. Ignition timing is also different as you have pointed out.
One of the reasons that ethanol can be corrosive is that like most forms of alcohol, ethanol readily absorbs water, including water vapor if exposed to the air.
101 posted on
08/18/2005 11:49:40 AM PDT by
Outland
(Some people are damned lucky that I don't have Bill Gates' checkbook.)
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