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E-85 I6 300?

Fellro

Moderator
Staff member
Carbs are harder to deal with because of the mixture. I've been playing with E85 in injected and electric carbs, but the old set and got carbs, not so much. Since it can't adjust on the fly, you have to dedicate it one way or another, or risk getting the mix off and either running lean on E85, or rich on regular gasoline, or even E10. Basically, you would have to have larger jets along with an updated carb kit. Many of the carb kits being sold these days are alcohol safe. The old natural rubber and cork kits are not able to take the ethanol.The reason many have already been updated is that E10 will do much of the same kind of things the E85 will.
 
Thanks for the info.....Propane sounds like a better choice. I can not type my truck to just E-85. I do travel out of Neb weekly.


Thanks for the info
 

Ridgerunner

Missouri Chapter member
23,457
573
Stillwater Ok
Carbs are harder to deal with because of the mixture. I've been playing with E85 in injected and electric carbs, but the old set and got carbs, not so much. Since it can't adjust on the fly, you have to dedicate it one way or another, or risk getting the mix off and either running lean on E85, or rich on regular gasoline, or even E10. Basically, you would have to have larger jets along with an updated carb kit. Many of the carb kits being sold these days are alcohol safe. The old natural rubber and cork kits are not able to take the ethanol.The reason many have already been updated is that E10 will do much of the same kind of things the E85 will.

What would be needed to use E85 in a 85 302 EFI?
 

Fellro

Moderator
Staff member
The seals might be suspect, but most of what I have seen, the seals aren't natural rubber most of the time. Only natural rubber is an issue. I have heard many claims of corrosion, but have yet to have that claim validated by experience. Main problem is compression, you simply don't have enough to be very effective to run straight E-85. Ethanol can run higher compression than gasoline, and actually performs better with higher compression. There were some college contests to get the same or better mileage from E-85, and they did that by raising the compression. They actually exceeded the gasoline fuel mileage numbers in the contests.

Some plastic doesn't fare well over time, but I also haven't validated that by experience either. The ethanol actually dries out natural rubber, and removes oil from plastics. (that is the claim) Methanol is what was being played with in the past, and will most definitely will corrode fuel tanks, lines and components. Many times the two get confused. I have yet to see rust in the tanks on the inside on any of our vehicles (get a look when the fuel pumps finally die, or senders) Never have rust in the fuel issues, which according to the claims of corrosion, I should really have issues with it, but have yet to see it, and we have run ethanol blends since it came available around here in the 80's. Rarely have fuel system troubles except pump failures, and can't say if the ethanol or the simple time is what causes the failures there.
 

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