Does anybody know what are the requirements for a car to run on ethanol? I know a bunch of shitbox Chevy's can run on either gas or ethanol, so it stands to reason that other cars should too.

I'm just wondering because I was recently in New Mexico and all the gas stations had biodiesel and E-85 for much cheaper than regular gas. Plus, the stuff is 105 octane. :dunno:

 

Modern cars can safely run up to 10% ethanol blend. Your car won't run on purely ethanol though. Completely different fuel injection system.

 

sure, most regular premium gas is more than 5% ethanol. But these Chevy's can run on regular gas or 85% ethanol... same motor, same injection system, tank to tank.

 

Pretty sure the fuel delivery system is different. By pretty sure, I mean I'm guessing, and I'm guessing my guess is 40% correct. This leaves an enormous margin of error, so yeah, I fail.

 

I just found this:

http://autorepair.about.com/od/enginefuel/a/111705.htm

 

no honda/acura on the list

 

I think other than Mercedes, there's no imports period.

 

here's another one... flex-fuel this is what they were calling it in the Chevy commercials.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/flextech.shtml

 

From what I've read, these new FlexFuel cars have a second fuel and ignition map for E85. What I don't know is how the car senses what fuel is being used. I assume the ECU looks at knock sensor input and switches maps accordingly.

In terms of the chemistry, E85 has less potential energy than normal petrol, so the fuel consumption increases (marginally) with E85.

At any rate, it's undoubtedly a process that is dependent on more than the ECU alone. :hs:

 

yeah, I heard an interview on TV in which several people noticed a few MPG increase in consumption, along with a slight improvement in performance.